E9-30791. Self-Regulatory Organizations; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change by International Securities Exchange, LLC Relating to Conforming ISE Rule 622 With Comparable NASD Rule 11870  

  • Start Preamble December 22, 2009.

    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Act”),[1] and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,[2] notice is hereby given that on December 14, 2009, the International Securities Exchange, LLC (the “Exchange” or the “ISE”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC” or “Commission”) the proposed rule change as described in Items I and II below, which items have been prepared by the self-regulatory organization. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.

    I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change

    The Exchange proposes to amend ISE Rule 622 (Transfer of Accounts) to conform it to the corresponding rule of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers (“NASD”), for the purposes of the 17d-2 Agreement.

    II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

    In its filing with the Commission, the self-regulatory organization included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in Item IV below. The self-regulatory organization has prepared summaries, set forth in sections A, B and C below, of the most significant aspects of such statements.

    A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

    1. Purpose

    The Exchange proposes to amend ISE Rule 622 (Transfer of Accounts) to conform it to corresponding NASD Rule 11870 (Customer Account Transfer Contracts) for the purposes of the agreement between the parties pursuant to Rule 17d-2 [3] under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) (that agreement, the “17d-2 Agreement”) and the related certification by the Exchange which states that the requirements contained in certain ISE rules are identical to, or substantially similar to, certain NASD rules that have been identified as comparable (that certification, the “Common Rule Certification”).[4]

    Specifically, the Exchange proposes to amend ISE Rule 622(b)(1) by reducing the number of days from five (5) business days to one (1) business day that the Carrying Member (as defined in Rule 622(a)) must (i) validate and return the transfer instruction (with an attachment reflecting all positions and money balances as shown on its books) to the Receiving Member (as defined in Rule 622(a)), or (ii) take exception to the transfer instruction for reasons other than securities positions or money balance discrepancies and advise the Receiving Member of the exception taken. Additionally, the Exchange proposes to add rule text that will allow for the time frame set forth in paragraph (b)(1) to change from time-to-time when such time frame is changed in any publication, relating to the ACATS facility, by the National Securities Clearing Corporation. The changes discussed above are identical to the requirements set forth in NASD Rule 11870. By making these changes, the Exchange is ensuring that FINRA will retain regulatory responsibility for this rule under the 17d-2 Agreement because ISE Rule 622 will remain identical to NASD rule 11870, as specified in the Common Rule Certification.

    2. Statutory Basis

    The basis under the Exchange Act for this proposed rule change is found in Section 6(b)(5), in that the proposed rule filing is designed to promote just and equitable principles of trade, remove impediments to and perfect the mechanisms of a free and open market and a national market system by creating consistency between the requirements contained in rules of the ISE and NASD that are covered by an agreement approved by the Commission under Rule 17d-2.

    B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    The proposed rule change does not impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act.

    C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed Rule Change Received From Members, Participants or Others

    The Exchange has not solicited, and does not intend to solicit, comments on this proposed rule change. The Exchange has not received any unsolicited written comments from members or other interested parties.

    III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for Commission Action

    Because the foregoing rule change: (1) Does not significantly affect the protection of investors or the public interest; (2) does not impose any significant burden on competition; and (3) the Exchange provided the Commission with notice of its intent to file the proposed rule change at least five days prior to the filing date, the proposed rule change has become effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) Start Printed Page 68886of the Act [5] and Rule 19b-4(f)(6) [6] thereunder.

    This proposed rule change does not significantly affect the protection of investors or the public interest, does not impose any significant burden on competition, and, by its terms, does not become operative for 30 days after the date of the filing, or such shorter time as the Commission may designate if consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest. The Exchange provided the Commission with written notice of its intent to file this proposed rule change at least five business days prior to the date of filing of the proposed rule change. This proposal amends ISE Rule 622 to conform the language to comparable NASD Rule 11870 for the purpose an agreement that was recently approved by the Commission under Rule 17d-2. The Exchange requests that the Commission waive the 30-day operative delay period for “non-controversial” proposals under Exchange Act Rule 19b-4(f)(6) and make the proposed rule change effective and operative upon filing.

    The Commission believes that waiving the 30-day operative delay is consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest because it will help foster consistency between the rulebooks of the self-regulatory organizations.[7] Application of the new rules should promote clarity for market participants relying upon the rules. For these reasons, the Commission designates that the proposed rule change become immediately operative.

    IV. Solicitation of Comments

    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:

    Electronic Comments

    Paper Comments

    • Send paper comments in triplicate to Elizabeth M. Murphy, Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090.

    All submissions should refer to File Number SR-ISE-2009-104. This file number should be included on the subject line if e-mail is used. To help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on the Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/​rules/​sro.shtml). Copies of the submission [8] , all subsequent amendments, all written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for inspection and copying in the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC 20549, on official business days between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of such filing also will be available for inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should submit only information that you wish to make publicly available. All submissions should refer to File Number SR-ISE-2009-104 and should be submitted on or before January 19, 2010.

    Start Signature

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.[9]

    Florence E. Harmon,

    Deputy Secretary.

    End Signature End Preamble

    Footnotes

    4.  See SEC Release No. 55367 (February 27, 2007), 72 FR 9983 (March 6, 2007) (Order approving and declaring effective a plan for the allocation of regulatory responsibilities between ISE and NASD).

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    7.  For purposes only of waiving the 30-day operative delay, the Commission has considered the proposal's impact on efficiency, competition, and capital formation. 15 U.S.C. 78c(f).

    Back to Citation

    8.  The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Commission's Web site at http://www.sec.gov/​.

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    [FR Doc. E9-30791 Filed 12-28-09; 8:45 am]

    BILLING CODE 8011-01-P

Document Information

Comments Received:
0 Comments
Published:
12/29/2009
Department:
Securities and Exchange Commission
Entry Type:
Notice
Document Number:
E9-30791
Pages:
68885-68886 (2 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Release No. 34-61225, File No. SR-ISE-2009-104
EOCitation:
of 2009-12-22
PDF File:
E9-30791.Pdf