Enhancing Protections Afforded Customers and Customer Funds Held by Futures Commission Merchants and Derivatives Clearing Organizations; Correction
Federal Register, Volume 79 Issue 91 (Monday, May 12, 2014)
Federal Register Volume 79, Number 91 (Monday, May 12, 2014)
Rules and Regulations
Pages 26831-26834
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office www.gpo.gov
FR Doc No: 2014-10650
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COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
RIN 3038-AD88
Enhancing Protections Afforded Customers and Customer Funds Held by Futures Commission Merchants and Derivatives Clearing Organizations; Correction
AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
ACTION: Correcting amendments.
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SUMMARY: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``Commission'' or ``CFTC'') is correcting final rules published in the Federal Register of November 14, 2013 (78 FR 68506). Those rules, 17 CFR Parts 1, 3, 22, 30, and 140, took effect on January 13, 2014. This correction amends Appendix B to 17 CFR 1.20 and Appendix B to 17 CFR 1.26 by removing a phrase from both appendices.
DATES: Effective on May 12, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Parisa Abadi, Attorney-Advisor, 202-
418-6620, pabadi@cftc.gov, Division of Clearing and Risk, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., Washington, DC 20581.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Federal Register of November 14, 2013 (78 FR 68506), the Commission published final rules adopting new regulations and amending existing regulations to require enhanced customer protections, risk management programs, internal monitoring and controls, capital and liquidity standards, customer disclosures, and auditing and examination programs for futures commission merchants (``FCMs''). The final rules also address certain related issues concerning derivatives clearing organizations (``DCOs''), including the requirement that a DCO obtain a written acknowledgment from each depository or money market mutual fund with which the DCO holds or invests customer funds, in the form of a standard template letter set forth in Appendix B to 17 CFR 1.20--Derivatives Clearing Organization Acknowledgment Letter for CFTC Regulation 1.20 Customer Segregated Account, and in Appendix B to 17 CFR 1.26--Derivatives Clearing Organization Acknowledgment Letter for CFTC Regulation 1.26 Customer Segregated Money Market Mutual Fund Account, respectively (each an ``Acknowledgment Letter'').
The sixth full paragraph \1\ of the body of the Acknowledgment Letter set forth in Appendix B to 17 CFR 1.20 and the seventh full paragraph of the body of the Acknowledgment Letter set forth in Appendix B to 17 CFR 1.26 address the depository's or money market mutual fund's obligations in the event of the bankruptcy of the DCO account holder. The provisions are intended to relate exclusively to the bankruptcy of the account holder and should not additionally refer to the bankruptcy of
Page 26832
``any of our futures commission merchant clearing members.''
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\1\ This paragraph, as revised, will become the seventh full paragraph of the body of the Acknowledgment Letter set forth in Appendix B to 17 CFR 1.20, after the format of that Acknowledgment Letter is conformed to the format of the Acknowledgment Letter set forth in Appendix B to 17 CFR 1.26.
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To correct this error, the Commission is making a correcting amendment to remove the reference to ``futures commission merchant clearing members'' found in the text of Appendix B to 17 CFR 1.20 and Appendix B to 17 CFR 1.26. The Commission is also adopting conforming changes in grammar, punctuation, and formatting.
List of Subjects in 17 CFR Part 1
Brokers, Commodity futures, Consumer protection, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Accordingly, 17 CFR part 1 is corrected by making the following correcting amendments:
PART 1--GENERAL REGULATIONS UNDER THE COMMODITY EXCHANGE ACT
0
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The authority citation for part 1 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1a, 2, 5, 6, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6k, 6l, 6m, 6n, 6o, 6p, 6r, 6s, 7, 7a-1, 7a-2, 7b, 7b-3, 8, 9, 10a, 12, 12a, 12c, 13a, 13a-1, 16, 16a, 19, 21, 23, and 24, as amended by Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Pub. L. 111-203, 124 Stat. 1376 (2010).
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Revise Appendix B to Sec. 1.20 to read as follows:
Sec. 1.20 Futures customer funds to be segregated and separately accounted for.
* * * * *
Appendix B to Sec. 1.20--Derivatives Clearing Organization Acknowledgment Letter for CFTC Regulation 1.20 Customer Segregated Account
Date
Name and Address of Bank or Trust Company
We refer to the Segregated Account(s) which Name of Derivatives Clearing Organization (``we'' or ``our'') have opened or will open with Name of Bank or Trust Company (``you'' or ``your'') entitled:
Name of Derivatives Clearing Organization Futures Customer Omnibus Account, CFTC Regulation 1.20 Customer Segregated Account under Sections 4d(a) and 4d(b) of the Commodity Exchange Act and, if applicable, ``, Abbreviated as short title reflected in the depository's electronic system''
Account Number(s):
(collectively, the ``Account(s)'').
You acknowledge that we have opened or will open the above-
referenced Account(s) for the purpose of depositing, as applicable, money, securities and other property (collectively the ``Funds'') of customers who trade commodities, options, swaps, and other products, as required by Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``CFTC'') Regulations, including Regulation 1.20, as amended; that the Funds held by you, hereafter deposited in the Account(s) or accruing to the credit of the Account(s), will be separately accounted for and segregated on your books from our own funds and from any other funds or accounts held by us in accordance with the provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the ``Act''), and Part 1 of the CFTC's regulations, as amended; and that the Funds must otherwise be treated in accordance with the provisions of Section 4d of the Act and CFTC regulations thereunder.
Furthermore, you acknowledge and agree that such Funds may not be used by you or by us to secure or guarantee any obligations that we might owe to you, and they may not be used by us to secure or obtain credit from you. You further acknowledge and agree that the Funds in the Account(s) shall not be subject to any right of offset or lien for or on account of any indebtedness, obligations or liabilities we may now or in the future have owing to you. This prohibition does not affect your right to recover funds advanced in the form of cash transfers, lines of credit, repurchase agreements or other similar liquidity arrangements you make in lieu of liquidating non-cash assets held in the Account(s) or in lieu of converting cash held in the Account(s) to cash in a different currency.
You agree to reply promptly and directly to any request for confirmation of account balances or provision of any other information regarding or related to the Account(s) from the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors' designees, and this letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf to release the requested information without further notice to or consent from us.
The parties agree that all actions on your part to respond to the above information requests will be made in accordance with, and subject to, such usual and customary authorization verification and authentication policies and procedures as may be employed by you to verify the authority of, and authenticate the identity of, the individual making any such information request, in order to provide for the secure transmission and delivery of the requested information to the appropriate recipient(s).
We will not hold you responsible for acting pursuant to any information request from the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors' designees, upon which you have relied after having taken measures in accordance with your applicable policies and procedures to assure that such request was provided to you by an individual authorized to make such a request.
In the event that we become subject to either a voluntary or involuntary petition for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, we acknowledge that you will have no obligation to release the Funds held in the Account(s), except upon instruction of the Trustee in Bankruptcy or pursuant to the Order of the respective U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing to the contrary, nothing contained herein shall be construed as limiting your right to assert any right of offset or lien on assets that are not Funds maintained in the Account(s), or to impose such charges against us or any proprietary account maintained by us with you. Further, it is understood that amounts represented by checks, drafts or other items shall not be considered to be part of the Account(s) until finally collected. Accordingly, checks, drafts and other items credited to the Account(s) and subsequently dishonored or otherwise returned to you or reversed, for any reason, and any claims relating thereto, including but not limited to claims of alteration or forgery, may be charged back to the Account(s), and we shall be responsible to you as a general endorser of all such items whether or not actually so endorsed.
You may conclusively presume that any withdrawal from the Account(s) and the balances maintained therein are in conformity with the Act and CFTC regulations without any further inquiry, provided that, in the ordinary course of your business as a depository, you have no notice of or actual knowledge of a potential violation by us of any provision of the Act or the CFTC regulations that relates to the segregation of customer funds; and you shall not in any manner not expressly agreed to herein be responsible to us for ensuring compliance by us with such provisions of the Act and CFTC regulations; however, the aforementioned presumption does not affect any obligation you may otherwise have under the Act or CFTC regulations.
You may, and are hereby authorized to, obey the order, judgment, decree or levy of any court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental agency with jurisdiction, which order, judgment, decree or levy relates in whole or in part to the Account(s). In any event, you shall not be liable by reason of any action or omission to act pursuant to any such order, judgment, decree or levy, to us or to any other person, firm, association or corporation even if thereafter any such order, decree, judgment or levy shall be reversed, modified, set aside or vacated.
The terms of this letter agreement shall remain binding upon the parties, their successors and assigns and, for the avoidance of doubt, regardless of a change in the name of either party. This letter agreement supersedes and replaces any prior agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), including but not limited to any prior acknowledgment letter agreement, to the extent that such prior agreement is inconsistent with the terms hereof. In the event of any conflict between this letter agreement and any other agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), this letter agreement shall govern with respect to matters specific to Section 4d of the Act and the CFTC's regulations thereunder, as amended.
This letter agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws
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of Insert governing law without regard to the principles of choice of law.
Please acknowledge that you agree to abide by the requirements and conditions set forth above by signing and returning to us the enclosed copy of this letter agreement, and that you further agree to provide a copy of this fully executed letter agreement directly to the CFTC (via electronic means in a format and manner determined by the CFTC). We hereby authorize and direct you to provide such copy without further notice to or consent from us, no later than three business days after opening the Account(s) or revising this letter agreement, as applicable.
Name of Derivatives Clearing Organization
By:
Print Name:
Title:
ACKNOWLEDGED AND AGREED:
Name of Bank or Trust Company
By:
Print Name:
Title:
Contact Information: Insert phone number and email address
DATE:
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Revise Appendix B to Sec. 1.26 to read as follows:
Sec. 1.26 Deposit of instruments purchased with futures customer funds.
* * * * *
Appendix B to Sec. 1.26--Derivatives Clearing Organization Acknowledgment Letter for CFTC Regulation 1.26 Customer Segregated Money Market Mutual Fund Account
Date
Name and Address of Money Market Mutual Fund
We propose to invest funds held by Name of Derivatives Clearing Organization (``we'' or ``our'') on behalf of customers in shares of Name of Money Market Mutual Fund (``you'' or ``your'') under account(s) entitled (or shares issued to):
Name of Derivatives Clearing Organization Futures Customer Omnibus Account, CFTC Regulation 1.26 Customer Segregated Money Market Mutual Fund Account under Sections 4d(a) and 4d(b) of the Commodity Exchange Act and, if applicable, ``, Abbreviated as short title reflected in the depository's electronic system''
Account Number(s):
(collectively, the ``Account(s)'').
You acknowledge that we are holding these funds, including any shares issued and amounts accruing in connection therewith (collectively, the ``Shares''), for the benefit of customers who trade commodities, options, swaps and other products, as required by Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``CFTC'') Regulation 1.26, as amended; that the Shares held by you, hereafter deposited in the Account(s) or accruing to the credit of the Account(s), will be separately accounted for and segregated on your books from our own funds and from any other funds or accounts held by us in accordance with the provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the ``Act''), and Part 1 of the CFTC's regulations, as amended; and that the Shares must otherwise be treated in accordance with the provisions of Section 4d of the Act and CFTC regulations thereunder.
Furthermore, you acknowledge and agree that such Shares may not be used by you or by us to secure or guarantee any obligations that we might owe to you, and they may not be used by us to secure or obtain credit from you. You further acknowledge and agree that the Shares in the Account(s) shall not be subject to any right of offset or lien for or on account of any indebtedness, obligations or liabilities we may now or in the future have owing to you.
You agree to reply promptly and directly to any request for confirmation of account balances or provision of any other information regarding or related to the Account(s) from the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors' designees, and this letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf to release the requested information without further notice to or consent from us.
The parties agree that all actions on your part to respond to the above information requests will be made in accordance with, and subject to, such usual and customary authorization verification and authentication policies and procedures as may be employed by you to verify the authority of, and authenticate the identity of, the individual making any such information request, in order to provide for the secure transmission and delivery of the requested information to the appropriate recipient(s).
We will not hold you responsible for acting pursuant to any information request from the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors' designees, upon which you have relied after having taken measures in accordance with your applicable policies and procedures to assure that such request was provided to you by an individual authorized to make such a request.
In the event that we become subject to either a voluntary or involuntary petition for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, we acknowledge that you will have no obligation to release the Shares held in the Account(s), except upon instruction of the Trustee in Bankruptcy or pursuant to the Order of the respective U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing to the contrary, nothing contained herein shall be construed as limiting your right to assert any right of offset or lien on assets that are not Shares maintained in the Account(s), or to impose such charges against us or any proprietary account maintained by us with you. Further, it is understood that amounts represented by checks, drafts or other items shall not be considered to be part of the Account(s) until finally collected. Accordingly, checks, drafts and other items credited to the Account(s) and subsequently dishonored or otherwise returned to you or reversed, for any reason, and any claims relating thereto, including but not limited to claims of alteration or forgery, may be charged back to the Account(s), and we shall be responsible to you as a general endorser of all such items whether or not actually so endorsed.
You may conclusively presume that any withdrawal from the Account(s) and the balances maintained therein are in conformity with the Act and CFTC regulations without any further inquiry, provided that, in the ordinary course of your business as a depository, you have no notice of or actual knowledge of a potential violation by us of any provision of the Act or the CFTC regulations that relates to the segregation of customer funds; and you shall not in any manner not expressly agreed to herein be responsible to us for ensuring compliance by us with such provisions of the Act and CFTC regulations; however, the aforementioned presumption does not affect any obligation you may otherwise have under the Act or CFTC regulations.
You may, and are hereby authorized to, obey the order, judgment, decree or levy of any court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental agency with jurisdiction, which order, judgment, decree or levy relates in whole or in part to the Account(s). In any event, you shall not be liable by reason of any action or omission to act pursuant to any such order, judgment, decree or levy, to us or to any other person, firm, association or corporation even if thereafter any such order, decree, judgment or levy shall be reversed, modified, set aside or vacated.
We are permitted to invest customers' funds in money market mutual funds pursuant to CFTC Regulation 1.25. That rule sets forth the following conditions, among others, with respect to any investment in a money market mutual fund:
(1) The net asset value of the fund must be computed by 9:00 a.m. of the business day following each business day and be made available to us by that time;
(2) The fund must be legally obligated to redeem an interest in the fund and make payment in satisfaction thereof by the close of the business day following the day on which we make a redemption request except as otherwise specified in CFTC Regulation 1.25(c)(5)(ii); and,
(3) The agreement under which we invest customers' funds must not contain any provision that would prevent us from pledging or transferring fund shares.
The terms of this letter agreement shall remain binding upon the parties, their successors and assigns and, for the avoidance of doubt, regardless of a change in the name of either party. This letter agreement supersedes and replaces any prior agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), including but not limited to any prior acknowledgment letter agreement, to the extent that such prior agreement is inconsistent with the terms hereof. In the event of any conflict between this letter agreement and any other agreement between the parties in connection with the
Page 26834
Account(s), this letter agreement shall govern with respect to matters specific to Section 4d of the Act and the CFTC's regulations thereunder, as amended.
This letter agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Insert governing law without regard to the principles of choice of law.
Please acknowledge that you agree to abide by the requirements and conditions set forth above by signing and returning to us the enclosed copy of this letter agreement, and that you further agree to provide a copy of this fully executed letter agreement directly to the CFTC (via electronic means in a format and manner determined by the CFTC) in accordance with CFTC Regulation 1.20. We hereby authorize and direct you to provide such copy without further notice to or consent from us, no later than three business days after opening the Account(s) or revising this letter agreement, as applicable.
Name of Derivatives Clearing Organization
By:
Print Name:
Title:
ACKNOWLEDGED AND AGREED:
Name of Money Market Mutual Fund
By:
Print Name:
Title:
Contact Information: Insert phone number and email address
DATE:
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 5, 2014, by the Commission.
Christopher J. Kirkpatrick,
Deputy Secretary of the Commission.
FR Doc. 2014-10650 Filed 5-9-14; 8:45 am
BILLING CODE 6351-01-P
