§ 39.16 - Default rules and procedures.

§ 39.16 Default rules and procedures.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 85 FR 4857, Jan. 27, 2020.

(a) General. A derivatives clearing organization shall adopt have rules and procedures designed to allow for the efficient, fair, and safe management of events during which clearing members become insolvent or default on the obligations of such clearing members to the derivatives clearing organization.

(b) Default management plan. A derivatives clearing organization shall maintain a current written default management plan that delineates the roles and responsibilities of its board of directors, its risk management committee, any other committee that a derivatives clearing organization may have that has responsibilities for default management, and the derivatives clearing organization's management, in addressing a default, including any necessary coordination with, or notification of, other entities and regulators. Such plan shall address any differences in procedures with respect to highly liquid products and less liquid products. A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct and document a test of its default management plan at least on an annual basis. The derivatives clearing organization shall include clearing members and participants in a test of its default management plan at least on an annual basis to the extent the plan relies on their participation.

(c) Default procedures.

(1) A derivatives clearing organization shall adopt have procedures that would permit the derivatives clearing organization to take timely action to contain losses and liquidity pressures and to continue meeting its obligations in the event of a default on the obligations of a clearing member to the derivatives clearing organization.

(2) A derivatives clearing organization shall adopt have rules that set forth its default procedures, including:

(i) The derivatives clearing organization's definition of a default;

(ii) The actions that the derivatives clearing organization may take upon a default, which shall include public notice of a declaration of default on its website and the prompt transfer, liquidation, or hedging of the customer or house positions of the defaulting clearing member, as applicable, and which may include, in the discretion of the derivatives clearing organization, the auctioning or allocation of such positions to other clearing members;

(iii) Any obligations that the derivatives clearing organization imposes on its clearing members to participate in auctions, or to accept allocations, of the customer or house positions of the defaulting clearing member, provided that:

(A) The derivatives clearing organization shall permit a clearing member to outsource to a qualified third party, authority to act in the clearing member's place in any auction, subject to appropriate safeguards imposed by the derivatives clearing organization;

(B) The derivatives clearing organization shall permit a clearing member to outsource to a qualified third party, authority to act in the clearing member's place in any allocations, subject to appropriate safeguards imposed by the derivatives clearing organization; and

(C) Any allocation shall be The derivatives clearing organization shall not require a clearing member to bid for a portion of, or accept an allocation of, the defaulting clearing member's positions that is not proportional to the size of the participating bidding or accepting clearing member's positions in the same product class at the derivatives clearing organization;

(iv) The sequence in which the funds and assets of the defaulting clearing member and its customers and the financial resources maintained by the derivatives clearing organization would be applied in the event of a default;

(v) A provision that the funds and assets of a defaulting clearing member's customers shall not be applied to cover losses with respect to a house default;

(vi) A provision that the excess house funds and assets of a defaulting clearing member shall be applied to cover losses with respect to a customer default, if the relevant customer funds and assets are insufficient to cover the shortfall; and

(3) A derivatives clearing organization shall make its default rules publicly available as provided in § 39.21 of this part.

(d) Insolvency of a clearing member.

(1) A derivatives clearing organization shall adopt have rules that require a clearing member to provide prompt notice to the derivatives clearing organization if it becomes the subject of a bankruptcy petition, receivership proceeding, or the equivalent;

(2) No later than upon receipt of such notice, a derivatives clearing organization shall review the continuing eligibility of the clearing member for clearing membership; and

(3) No later than upon receipt of such notice, a derivatives clearing organization shall take any appropriate action, in its discretion, with respect to such clearing member or its house or customer positions, including but not limited to liquidation or transfer of positions, suspension, or revocation of clearing membership.

(e) Fully collateralized positions. A derivatives clearing organization may satisfy the requirements of paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section by having rules that permit it to clear only fully collateralized positions.

[76 FR 69430, Nov. 8, 2011, as amended at 85 FR 4857, Jan. 27, 2020]