97-23261. Self-Regulatory Organizations; Delta Clearing Corp.; Notice of Filing of a Proposed Rule Change Relating to the Combining of Options and Repo Procedures  

  • [Federal Register Volume 62, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 3, 1997)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 46530-46535]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 97-23261]
    
    
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    SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
    
    [Release No. 34-38971; File No. SR-DCC-97-04]
    
    
    Self-Regulatory Organizations; Delta Clearing Corp.; Notice of 
    Filing of a Proposed Rule Change Relating to the Combining of Options 
    and Repo Procedures
    
    August 26, 1997.
        Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
    (``Act''),\1\ notice is hereby given that on March 17, 1997, Delta 
    Clearing Corp. (``Delta'') filed with the Securities and Exchange 
    Commission (``Commission'') the proposed rule change (File No. SR-DCC-
    97-04) as described in Items, I, II, and III below, which items have 
    been prepared primarily by Delta. Delta amended the proposed rule 
    change on May 7, 1997, and May 29, 1997. The Commission is publishing 
    this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from 
    interested persons.
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        \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
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    I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance 
    of the Proposed Rule Change
    
        Delta proposes to combine its procedures (``Options Procedures'') 
    for the clearance and settlement of options trades and its procedures 
    (``Repo Procedures'') for the clearance and settlement of repurchase 
    and reverse (``repo'') agreement transactions into one set of 
    procedures (``Combined Procedures'') to be known as the Procedures for 
    the Clearing of Securities and Financial Instrument Transactions.
    
    II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and 
    Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
    
        In its filing with the Commission, Delta 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. Delta has prepared summaries, set forth in sections (A), 
    (B), and (C) below, of the most significant aspects of such 
    statement.\2\
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        \2\ The Commission has modified the text of the summaries 
    prepared by Delta.
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    (A) Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and 
    Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
    
    1. Combined Procedures
        The proposed rule change will effect various modifications to 
    Delta's procedures relating to the clearance and settlement of options 
    and repos.
        a. Definitions: In addition to the defined terms discussed 
    elsewhere in this notice, the Combined Procedures will contain the 
    following defined terms which apply to transactions in both options and 
    repos: closing transaction, contract, delivering participant, holder, 
    long position, opening transaction, positions, purchasing participant, 
    receiving participant, selling participant, settlement date, short 
    position, system, trade date, transactions, underlying collateral, unit 
    of trading, and variable terms.
        ``Contract'' will refer to both option contracts and repo 
    contracts. ``Options contracts'' will be defined to include puts and 
    calls issued by Delta to a purchasing participant and matching puts and 
    calls purchased by Delta from a writing participant. ``Repo contracts'' 
    will be defined to include repos and
    
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    reverse repos entered into by Delta with participants. ``Holder'' will 
    be defined to include the holder of an option or a repo contract.
        The Options Procedures use the term ``underlying treasury 
    securities'' to refer to the treasury securities underlying an option 
    contract. The Repo Procedures use the term ``underlying collateral'' to 
    refer to the treasury securities underlying a repo contract. The 
    Combined Procedures will use the term ``underlying collateral'' for 
    both options and repo transactions. ``Unit of trading'' will refer to 
    underlying collateral in the principal amount of $1,000,000 for a 
    single option contract or for a single repo contract.
        ``System'' will be defined in the Combined Procedures as the over-
    the-counter clearing system to facilitate clearance and settlement by 
    participants of transactions in options on treasury securities and 
    repos in treasury securities. ``Transactions'' will refer to all 
    transactions settled and cleared through the system, which includes all 
    options transactions and repo transactions cleared through the system. 
    Consistent with this definition, the term ``opening transaction'' will 
    include opening purchase and writing transactions in options and 
    opening repo and reverse repo transactions, and the term ``closing 
    transaction'' will include closing purchase and sale transactions in 
    options and closing repo and reverse repo transactions. Similarly, 
    ``delivering participant'' will include the participant to whom an 
    exercise notice has been assigned on a matching call, the exercising 
    participant on a put, the seller of the repo collateral on the on-date, 
    or the party responsible for returning the repo collateral on the off-
    date. ``Receiving participant'' will include the exercising participant 
    on a call, the participant to whom an exercise notice has been assigned 
    on a matching put, the holder of the reverse repo on the on-date, and 
    the holder of the repo on the off-date. ``Purchasing participant'' will 
    include the purchaser of an option contract or the purchaser of the 
    collateral on the on-date of a repo transaction. ``Selling 
    participant'' will include the seller of an option contract or the 
    seller of the collateral on the on-date of a repo transaction.
        The Combined Procedures will use the term ``positions'' to refer to 
    all options and repo positions of a participant. Consistent with this 
    definition, the term ``long position'' will include the interest of a 
    participant as the holder of one or more option contracts or reverse 
    repos, and the term ``short position'' will include the aggregate 
    obligations of a participant as a writer of one or more option 
    contracts and the interest of the holder of one or more repos.
        The Combined Procedures will use the term ``trade date'' to refer 
    to the date on which an option contract was written, sold, or purchased 
    or the date that a new repo contract was established. The Combined 
    Procedures will use the term ``settlement date'' to refer to the first 
    business day immediately following the day on which Delta receives 
    matching trade reports with respect to options transactions and the 
    business day upon which two participants agree to transfer underlying 
    collateral versus payment with respect to repo transactions.
        With respect to an option contract, ``variable terms'' will refer 
    to the exercise price, expiration date, premium, and either the 
    maturity date and coupon rate (if the underlying collateral are 
    treasury bonds or notes) or the maturity week (if the underlying 
    collateral are treasury bills). With respect to repo contracts, 
    ``variable terms'' will refer to the repo rate, net money, rights of 
    substitution, settlement date, maturity date, and coupon rate (if the 
    underlying collateral are treasury notes or bonds).
        b. Exposure Limit and MPSE: Delta currently sets exposure limits 
    for each participant in the system on an aggregate basis for options 
    and repo transactions that limit the amount of exposure such 
    participant can have to Delta. In addition, the maximum potential 
    system exposure (``MPSE'') of the system is measured on an aggregate 
    basis for options and repo transactions. The Combined Procedures will 
    clarify that calculations of exposure limit and MPSE are to be 
    determined on an aggregate system-wide basis by providing for a single 
    uniform definition of these terms and by providing in Section 204 of 
    the Combined Procedures that each participant agrees to conduct all 
    transactions cleared through the system within such participant's 
    exposure limit. In the case of option contracts, a participant may have 
    exposure on its short positions but does not have exposure on its long 
    positions. In the case of repo contracts, a participant may have 
    exposure on both its long positions and its short positions. This 
    distinction will be reflected in the definitions of exposure limit and 
    MPSE.
        C. Participant Default:  The proposal will add to the Combined 
    Procedures the term ``participant default'' which will mean a payment 
    default, delivery default, premium default, and margin default. The 
    terms ``payment default'' and ``delivery default'' will be revised to 
    include a payment or delivery default with respect to options or repo 
    transactions. The effect of these changes and other conforming changes 
    in the Combined Procedures will be to clarify that a default by a 
    participant with respect to an options or a repo transaction may result 
    in remedies, including suspension and liquidation, which are applicable 
    to all transactions in a participant's account.
        Under Delta's current procedures, a default by a participant with 
    respect to an option contract would not constitute a default with 
    respect to the repo contracts to which the participant is a party, and 
    a default by a participant with respect to a repo contract would not 
    constitute a default with respect to the option contracts to which the 
    participant is a party. Under Section 212 of the Combined Procedures, a 
    default by a participant in the performance of any obligations with 
    respect to an option contract or a repo contract will constitute a 
    default by the participant with respect to all transactions of the 
    participant in the system, and Delta will be entitled, in such event, 
    to set off any obligations of Delta in respect of any of the 
    participant's transactions in the system against the participant's 
    obligations to Delta.\3\
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        \3\ The changes to Section 212 proposed by the Combined 
    Procedures are intended to broaden Delta's right of setoff in the 
    event of a participant default. However, the Combined Procedures are 
    not intended to affect Delta's operational netting.
        In general, Delta clears option transactions on a delivery 
    versus payment basis (Sections 2901 (b) and (c)). However, pursuant 
    to Section 2805, to the extent that a participant is both a 
    delivering and receiving participant for option contracts of the 
    same type (i.e., put or call), covering the same issue and unit of 
    trading of Treasury securities and having the same exercise price 
    and settlement date, the settlement (i.e., payment and delivery) 
    obligations of the participant with respect to such option contracts 
    will be netted.
        Similarly, Delta clears repo contracts on a delivery versus 
    payment basis (Section 3103 (b) and (c) with respect to on-date 
    settlement and Section 3604 (b) and (c) with respect to off-date 
    settlement). However, pursuant to Sections 3401 and 3402, if a 
    participant has a repo and reverse repo with the same underlying 
    collateral and the same on-date or off-date, as applicable, the 
    participant's payment and delivery obligations with respect to such 
    agreements will be netted. This means that if a participant is 
    required to deliver $3 million par amount of a specified security on 
    the off-date of a reverse repo and to receive on that same date $2 
    million par amount of the same security on the off-date of a repo, 
    these obligations will be netted and a net delivery of $1 million 
    par amount (the ``net par amount'') will be made by the participant. 
    Payment obligations for such transactions will also be netted. The 
    definition of net par amount will be amended to provide greater 
    clarity consistent with the foregoing description.
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        Consistent with the foregoing, Section 307 of the Combined 
    Procedures, which will replace Section 307 of the Options Procedures 
    and Section 2307 of the Repo Procedures, will provide that Delta will 
    have a security interest in all
    
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    money and securities of a participant as security for payment of any 
    liability of such participant to Delta arising from participation in 
    the system. For example, Delta will have a security interest in margin 
    deposited for repo transactions which will be security for payment of a 
    liability resulting from a default by a participant on an option or a 
    repo contract.
        Upon the occurrence of a participant default, Delta may liquidate a 
    participant's account through a liquidating settlement account 
    established for such participant. The term ``liquidating settlement 
    account'' will be defined in the Combined Procedures as the account 
    established for the orderly liquidation of a suspended participant's 
    positions. Because ``positions'' will be defined to include positions 
    in both options and repo contracts, the Combined Procedures will 
    clarify that Delta will effect any liquidation of a participant through 
    one settlement account rather than through separate accounts for 
    liquidation of options and repo positions.
        d. Multiple Brokers: On June 30, 1997, the Commission approved 
    proposed changes to Delta's Options Procedures to provide for the 
    introduction of multiple brokers to the clearance system for options 
    transactions.\4\ Under the Combined Procedures, the provisions of 
    Article XX of the Options Procedures (``Authorize Brokers'') will be 
    incorporated into the Combined Procedures as Article 12 and thus made 
    applicable to both options and repo transactions.\5\ In addition, other 
    changes made by such filing will be incorporated into Article 23 of the 
    Combined Procedures with respect to trade reporting for options 
    transactions, and such changes will be incorporated for trade reporting 
    of repo transactions by comparable amendments to Article 30 of the 
    Combined Procedures. Other changes made by the filing, such as the 
    definitions of ``authorized broker'' and ``authorized broker trade 
    report,'' will be incorporated in the Combined Procedures and thus will 
    be made applicable to options and repo transactions.
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        \4\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 38796 (June 30, 1997), 
    62 FR 37326 [File No. SR-DCC-97-02] (order approving proposed rule 
    change).
        \5\ Such provisions establish qualification requirements for 
    brokers, including compliance with Rule 17a-23 under the Act, 
    maintenance of books and records, and necessary operational 
    capacity.
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        e. Margin: The Combined Procedures will combine in Article 22 of 
    the procedures the margin provisions currently set forth in Article VI 
    of the Options Procedures and Article XXVI of the Repo Procedures. 
    Prior to 8:00 a.m. of each business day, participants receive a ``daily 
    margin report'' showing the net positive or negative exposure on their 
    aggregate positions as of the end of the prior business day. This net 
    positive or negative exposure takes into account a participant's 
    options positions and term repo positions; margin for a participant's 
    positions in overnight repos is calculated separately.\6\ The 
    amendments are not intended to change existing participant margin 
    requirements. By combining Articles VI and XXVI, the Combined 
    Procedures will clarify that a participant is required to deposit 
    margin based upon its aggregate net exposure on its options positions 
    and its positions in term repos.
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        \6\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 38471 (April 2, 1997), 
    62 FR 17257 [File No. SR-DCC-96-12] (order approving proposed rule 
    change).
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        ``Settlement time'' is defined in the Options Procedures as 11:00 
    a.m. New York time or the earliest time practicable following the 
    opening of the Federal Reserve wire on the settlement day. Section 602 
    of the Options Procedures requires the deposit of margin other than 
    intraday additional margin at or before the settlement time on each 
    business day. Section 2602.1 of the Repo Procedures provides for the 
    deposit of margin other than supplemental or intraday additional margin 
    at or before 11:00 a.m. The Combined Procedures will conform the 
    Options and Repo Procedures by providing in Section 2204, which is 
    applicable to options and repo positions, that margin deficits shown on 
    the daily margin report must be deposited at or before the later of 
    11:00 a.m. or the earliest time practicable following the opening of 
    the Federal Reserve System.
        Section 2202 of the Combined Procedures (the equivalent to Section 
    601.1 of the Options Procedures and 2601.1 of the Repo Procedures) will 
    incorporate for options transactions the recently approved rule change 
    \7\ under the Repo Procedures permitting participants to deposit 
    treasury notes and treasury bonds as margin and incorporating the 
    schedule of applicable haircuts found in Rule 15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)(A)(1) 
    under the Act. Consistent with this change, the defined term ``cash 
    margin'' will be changed to ``margin'' in certain sections of the 
    Combined Procedures.
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        \7\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 37639 (September 4, 
    1996), 61 FR 48186 [File No. SR-DCC-96-09] (order granting approval 
    of proposed rule change relating to acceptable forms of collateral).
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        Section 602 of the Options Procedures currently provides that 
    deposits of additional margin in respect of margin deficits shown on 
    the daily margin report are not required if the amount to be deposited 
    by the participant is $5,000 or less. The Repo Procedures in Section 
    2602.1 currently provide that deposits are not required if such amount 
    is $50,000 or less. Consistent with the current Repo Procedures, 
    section 2204 of the Combined Procedures will provide that deposits are 
    not required if the margin deficit shown on the daily margin report is 
    $50,000 or less. However, as discussed above, the daily margin report 
    will aggregate options positions and positions in term repo agreements.
        f. Business Day: The Combined Procedures will conform the 
    definition of business day for options and repo transactions. As 
    currently written, the Repo Procedures define business day to exclude 
    ``a Saturday, Sunday, or a day on which banking institutions in the 
    City of New York are authorized by law to close,'' while the Options 
    Procedures also exclude ``any day on which government securities 
    dealers in the City of New York are not open for business.'' The 
    Combined Procedures will conform the definition of this term in the 
    Repo Procedures to the definition in the Options Procedures.
        g. Sanctions for Late Trade Reports: Section 3301 of the Repo 
    Procedures provides that the sanction for filing a late trade report in 
    an amount not to exceed $500. In contrast, the Options Procedures in 
    Section 1301 provide for sanctions of $100 for the first violation, 
    $200 for any second violation occurring within three months of the 
    first violation, and $300 for any subsequent violation occurring within 
    three months of a prior violation. The Combined Procedures will retain 
    the graduated fee schedule of Section 1301 and will apply that schedule 
    to late trade reports involving repos.
        h. Central Bank Wire System; Federal Reserve System: The Repo 
    Procedures in various places use the terms ``central bank funds'' and 
    ``central bank wire system'' in place of the terms ``Federal Reserve 
    System'' and ``Fed Funds'' which are used in the Options Procedures. 
    The use of these terms was intended to cover the situation where Delta 
    had received authorization to clear trades to be effected by 
    participants through central banks other than the Federal Reserve. 
    Because Delta has not yet applied for nor received any such 
    authorization, Delta proposes in the Combined Procedures to replace the
    
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    terms ``central bank funds'' and ``central bank wire system'' with the 
    terms ``Fed Funds'' and ``Federal Reserve System.'' For purposes of 
    consistency, the Combined Procedures will amend Delta's existing 
    procedures by using the term ``Federal Reserve System'' in various 
    sections in place of the term ``Federal Wire System'' and the term 
    ``Fed Funds'' in various sections in place of the term ``Federal 
    Reserve Funds.''
        i. Suspension or Termination of Operations: The Repo Procedures 
    provide that the suspension or termination of the operation of the 
    system will not affect the terms of any existing repo agreement. The 
    Options Procedures provide that the suspension or termination of the 
    system will not affect the terms of any existing option contract absent 
    the consent of the participant which is party to such contract. The 
    Combined Procedures will adopt the language set forth in the Options 
    Procedures which will be made applicable to option and repo contracts. 
    Delta does not believe that this constitutes a material change because 
    the parties could agree to modify a contract under either provision.
    2. Timing of Margin Collection and Monetization of Net Positive 
    Exposure
        The Options Procedures currently provide that a participant may 
    borrow from Delta on an overnight basis up to 35% of the participant's 
    net positive exposure on its options positions, adjusted for 
    ``performance margin.'' \8\ Under the Combined Procedures, a 
    participant will be able to borrow from Delta on an overnight basis up 
    to 35% of the participant's net positive exposure on its options 
    positions and positions in term repos.
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        \8\ Performance margin represents an estimate of the net 
    shortfall from the liquidation of a participant's positions at the 
    close of the next business day.
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        Each morning at approximately 8:00 a.m. of each business day, Delta 
    sends to each participant a daily margin report which includes a 
    statement of the participant's net positive or negative exposure as of 
    the close of the prior business day.\9\ Delta requires that any 
    participant with a negative exposure deposit with Delta any required 
    margin by 11:00 a.m. of the morning on which the report is sent. Under 
    proposed Section 2212, if the daily margin report shows that the 
    participant has a net positive exposure after adjustment for 
    performance margin, the participant may request on or before 11:00 a.m. 
    of the morning on which the report is sent that Delta lend to it on an 
    overnight basis cash or treasury securities to the extent available to 
    Delta with a value of not more than 35% of the participant's net 
    positive exposure after adjustment for performance margin. In order to 
    make such overnight loans, Delta will generally transmit securities by 
    3:00 p.m. that day or will transmit funds by 5:00 p.m. that day.
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        \9\ This discussion excludes overnight repos which are not 
    included within proposed Section 2212.
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        Participants may wish to borrow against their net positive exposure 
    in order to reduce their exposure to Delta, to obtain working capital, 
    or for other purposes. Delta does not believe that permitting such 
    borrowing exposes the clearing system to any material additional risk 
    because participants borrowing against their net positive exposure 
    remain over-collateralized with Delta to the extent of 65% of their net 
    positive exposure with Delta after adjusting for performance margin.
    3. Waiver of Suspension
        Delta proposes that the waiver of suspension provisions of Section 
    401 be revised to provide that suspension may be deferred not more than 
    two hours in the event of a margin, premium, or payment default and for 
    such period as Delta determines appropriate in the event of a delivery 
    default if Delta determines that the participant required to make 
    delivery has been unable to obtain the security required to be 
    delivered after good faith effort and that such failure to delivery is 
    not the result of a change in the participant's financial condition. 
    The proposed change will not allow deferral of suspension beyond the 
    two hour period in the case of a margin, premium, or payment default, 
    which all involve the failure to make payment. In the case of a 
    delivery default, however, Delta believes that there may be situations 
    where the failure to deliver is unrelated to the participant's 
    financial condition but instead results from the scarcity of the 
    security required to be delivered.
    4. Annual List of Participants
        Section 213 of the Combined Procedures will provide that Delta will 
    on an annual basis send a list of current participants in the system to 
    all participants. Section 213 will make this requirement, currently 
    applicable for repo participants, applicable for both options and repo 
    participants. This is in addition to the existing requirement that 
    participants be notified upon the admission or withdrawal of a 
    participant.
    5. Audited Report of Internal Accounting Controls
        Delta's existing procedures provide that each participant is 
    required to deliver to Delta within forty-five days after the end of 
    its fiscal year an audited report of its financial condition and its 
    internal accounting controls prepared in accordance with generally 
    accepted accounting principles. Certain participants have indicated 
    that an audited report of ``internal accounting controls'' is not a 
    standard requirement. Delta proposes in Section 206 of the Combined 
    Procedures to eliminate the requirement that participants deliver 
    audited reports of their internal accounting controls. Participants 
    will continue to be obligated to deliver to Delta annual audited 
    financial statements.
    6. Allocation of Duties Between Delta and the Clearing Bank
        Delta has determined to undertake various duties related to 
    operation of the clearing system instead of delegating those duties to 
    the clearing bank. The Combined Procedures will identify where the 
    change in responsibilities affects participants. Under the proposed 
    procedures, Delta, rather than the clearing bank, will assume the 
    authority and obligation to receive, compare, and transmit trade 
    reports and other reports (Articles 23 and 30); to accept trades for 
    clearance (Sections 2303 and 3003); to provide system software (Section 
    303); to calculate and maintain margin (Article 22); to transmit, 
    receive, and assign exercise notices and to accept exercise notices for 
    clearance (Article 28); and to reconcile differences with participants 
    (Sections 2303 and 3003).
    7. Miscellaneous Changes
        Section 2403 of the current Repo Procedures provides that Delta 
    will accept a transaction only if it is designated as delivery versus 
    payment. The Combined Procedures will clarify in Section 3003 that 
    delivery versus payment is not required in the event that positions in 
    repo contracts are netted pursuant to Section 3401 or 3402 of the 
    Combined Procedures (currently Sections 2901 and 2902 of the Repo 
    Procedures).
        Section 304 of the Combined Procedures will provide that inspection 
    by Delta of participants' records will be at such time as may be 
    reasonably requested by Delta and that the scope of such inspections 
    will be limited to matters related to the procedures, the participant's 
    transactions in the system, and other matters related to Delta's 
    business. Sections 209(b) and 2209(b) of
    
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    Delta's existing Options and Repo Procedures provide that as a 
    condition to participating in the system, a participant must agree to 
    permit inspection of its books and records. The Combined Procedures 
    will provide that a participant agrees to permit inspection subject to 
    Section 304. This means that a participant only will be required to 
    permit inspections which relate to the Combined Procedures, the 
    participant's transactions in the system, and other matters related to 
    Delta's business.
        The Repo Procedures currently use the terms ``repo'' and 
    ``repurchase agreement'' interchangeably. The Combined Procedures will 
    provide for more uniform use of these terms. The term ``repurchase 
    agreement'' will be used in the following defined terms: repurchase 
    agreement, reverse repurchase agreement, matching repurchase agreement, 
    matching reverse repurchase agreement, term repurchase and reverse 
    repurchase agreements, and overnight repurchase and reverse repurchase 
    agreements. The term ``repo'' will be used in the following defined 
    terms: repo transaction, opening repo transaction, closing repo 
    transaction, repo contract, repo position, repo interest, and repo 
    rate.
        In the definition of ``closing price,'' the reference to the New 
    York Fed publishing quotations will be revised to include any other 
    similar reputable pricing source. This is in anticipation of Delta's 
    understanding that the New York Fed will cease publishing such 
    quotations. Delta intends to use a pricing source such as Muller Data, 
    Telerate, Reuters, or Bloomberg which is widely known and accepted by 
    brokers and dealers in treasury securities. Delta will notify the 
    Division of Market Regulation prior to designating a new pricing 
    source.
        The definitions of ``letter of credit'' and ``surety bond'' will be 
    revised to conform to one another. Redundant language in Section 2303 
    of the existing Repo Procedures (Section 303 of the Combined 
    Procedures) will be deleted. The definitions of ``daily margin report'' 
    and ``daily position activity report'' will be amended to more 
    accurately reflect the titles and contents of such reports.
        Delta's current Options and Repo Procedures contain various 
    references to custodian bank and margin accounts for investment 
    companies, but the use of such terms is not consistent. However, at 
    present, there are no registered investment companies which have 
    applied to become participants in the clearing system. Delta is not 
    seeking authority currently to admit registered investment companies as 
    participants in the system. The Combined Procedures will revise the 
    existing Options and Repo Procedures by deleting all references to 
    registered investment company, margin account, and custodian bank.
        The Combined Procedures will add a definition of ``correspondent 
    bank'' which is a term used but not defined by the Options and Repo 
    Procedures. ``Correspondent bank'' will refer to a bank designated by a 
    participant pursuant to Section 302 of the Combined Procedures for 
    receipt and delivery of money and securities. The Combined Procedures 
    will make other definitional, conforming, cross-referencing, spelling, 
    and grammatical changes which do not constitute material amendments to 
    Delta's procedures, including changing article headings from roman 
    numerals to arabic numbers.
    8. Benefit to Participants
        The Combined Procedures will benefit participants because a 
    participant's exposure for option and term repo transactions and the 
    margin required to be deposited and maintained by the participant will 
    be based upon a single calculation.\10\ For example, if a participant 
    has a negative exposure of $3 million as a result of option 
    transactions entered into by the participant in the clearing system and 
    a positive exposure of $1 million as a result of term repo transactions 
    entered into by the participant in the clearing system, the 
    participant's margin requirements will be determined based upon a net 
    short position of $2 million rather than $3 million.
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        \10\ The discussion in this paragraph relates to option and term 
    repo transactions. Exposures with respect to overnight repos are 
    subject to a separate margin requirement.
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        Delta believes the proposed rule changes are consistent with the 
    requirements of Act and the rules and regulations thereunder applicable 
    to Delta and in particular with Section 17A(b)(3)(F) of the Act which 
    requires that a clearing agency be organized and its rules be designed 
    to promote the prompt and accurate clearance and settlement or 
    securities transactions, to safeguard funds and securities in Delta's 
    possession and control, and to remove impediments to and perfect the 
    mechanism of a national system for the prompt and accurate clearance 
    and settlement of securities transactions. Delta believes that the 
    combining of the Options and Repo Procedures will permit wider 
    utilization of the clearing system by participants.
    
    (B) Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
    
        Delta does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose 
    any burden on competition 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
    
        Comments were neither solicited nor received.
    
    III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for 
    Commission Action
    
        Within thirty-five days of the date of publication of this notice 
    in the Federal Register or within such longer period (i) as the 
    Commission may designate up to ninety days of such date if it finds 
    such longer period to be appropriate and publishes its reasons for so 
    finding or (ii) as to which Delta consents, the Commission will:
        (A) By order approve such proposed rule change or
        (B) Institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule 
    change should be disapproved.
    
    IV. Solicitation of Comments
    
        Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and 
    arguments concerning the foregoing. Persons making written submissions 
    should file six copies thereof with the Secretary, Securities and 
    Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. 
    Copies of the submission, 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, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, 
    D.C. 20549. Copies of such filing will also be available for inspection 
    and copying at the principal office of Delta. All submissions should 
    refer to the file number SR-DCC-97-04 and should be submitted by 
    September 24, 1997.
    
        For the Commission by the Division of Market Regulation, 
    pursuant to delegated authority.\11\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \11\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
    
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    [[Page 46535]]
    
    Margaret H. McFarland,
    Deputy Secretary.
    [FR Doc. 97-23261 Filed 9-2-97; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 8010-01-M
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
09/03/1997
Department:
Securities and Exchange Commission
Entry Type:
Notice
Document Number:
97-23261
Pages:
46530-46535 (6 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Release No. 34-38971, File No. SR-DCC-97-04
PDF File:
97-23261.pdf