2010-28747. Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change Relating to Fees and Rebates for Adding and Removing Liquidity

November 9, 2010.

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 October 26, 2010, the International Securities Exchange, LLC (the “Exchange” or the “ISE”) filed with the Securities and Exchange 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 the Substance of the Proposed Rule Change

The ISE is proposing to amend its transaction fees and rebates for adding and removing liquidity. The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's Web site (http://www.ise.com), at the principal office of the Exchange, and at the Commission's Public Reference Room.

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 currently assesses a per contract transaction charge to market participants that add or remove liquidity from the Exchange (“maker/taker fees”) in 100 options classes (the “Select Symbols”).^[3] The Exchange currently charges a take fee of: (i) $0.25 per contract for Market Maker, Market Maker Plus,^[4] Firm Proprietary and Customer (Professional) ^[5] orders; (ii) $0.35 per contract for Non-ISE Market Maker ^[6] orders; (iii) $0.20 per contract for Priority Customer ^[7] orders for 100 or more contracts. Priority Customer orders for less than 100 contracts are not assessed a fee for removing liquidity. The Exchange proposes to increase the take fee to $0.40 per contract for Market Maker, Market Maker Plus, Firm Proprietary, Customer (Professional) and Non-ISE Market Maker interest that responds to special orders.^[8] A special order is an order submitted for execution in the Exchange's Facilitation Mechanism, Solicited Order Mechanism, Block Order Mechanism and Price Improvement Mechanism. A response to a special order is any contra-side interest submitted after the commencement of an auction in the Exchange's Facilitation Mechanism, Solicited Order Mechanism, Block Order Mechanism and Price Improvement Mechanism.^[9]

Additionally, to incentivize members, the Exchange currently offers a rebate of $0.15 per contract to contracts that do not trade with the contra order in the Exchange's Facilitation Mechanism and Price Improvement Mechanism. The Exchange proposes to (i) extend that $0.15 per contract rebate to contracts that do not trade with the contra order in the Exchange's Solicited Order Mechanism, and (ii) increase the rebate applied to contracts that do not trade with the contra order in the Exchange's Price Improvement Mechanism from $0.15 per contract to $0.25 per contract.

Finally, the Exchange currently charges Non-ISE Market Maker orders a fee of $0.20 per contract for adding liquidity. The Exchange proposes to lower this fee to $0.10 per contract. With this proposed fee reduction, the fee charged to Non-ISE Market Maker orders that add liquidity shall be equal to all other non-Priority Customer orders that add liquidity.

The Exchange also proposes to change the symbol for UAL Corporation on the Schedule of Fees from “UAUA” to “UAL” to reflect a recent corporate action.^[10]

The Exchange has designated this proposal to be operative on November 1, 2010.

2. Statutory Basis

The basis under the Exchange Act for this proposed rule change is the requirement under Section 6(b)(4) ^[11] that an exchange have an equitable allocation of reasonable dues, fees and other charges among its members and other persons using its facilities. The impact of the proposal upon the net fees paid by a particular market participant will depend on a number of variables, most important of which will be its propensity to add or remove liquidity in options overlying the Select Symbols. The Exchange operates in a highly competitive market in which market participants can readily direct order flow to another exchange if they deem fee levels at a particular exchange to be excessive. The Exchange believes that the proposed fees are within the range assessed by other exchanges ^[12] and therefore continue to be reasonable and equitably allocated to those members that opt to direct orders to the Exchange rather than to a competing exchange. The Exchange's maker/taker fees, which are currently applicable to each market participant, will continue to apply to the Select Symbols.

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

The foregoing rule change has become effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A)(ii) of the Act.^[13] At any time within 60 days of the filing of such proposed rule change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule should be approved or disapproved.

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

• Use the Commission's Internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/​rules/​sro.shtml); or
• Send an e-mail to [e-mail]. Please include File Number SR-ISE-2010-106 on the subject line.

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-2010-106. 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, 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 website viewing and printing in the Commission's Public Reference Room 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 offices 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 available publicly. All submissions should refer to File Number SR-ISE-2010-106, and should be submitted on or before December 7, 2010.

For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.^[14]

Florence E. Harmon,

Deputy Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).

2.  17 CFR 240.19b-4.

3.  Options classes subject to maker/taker fees are identified by their ticker symbol on the Exchange's Schedule of Fees.

4.  A Market Maker Plus is a market maker who is on the National Best Bid or National Best Offer 80% of the time for series trading between $0.03 and $5.00 (for options whose underlying stock's previous trading day's last sale price was less than or equal to $100) and between $0.10 and $5.00 (for options whose underlying stock's previous trading day's last sale price was greater than $100) in premium in each of the front two expiration months and 80% of the time for series trading between $0.03 and $5.00 (for options whose underlying stock's previous trading day's last sale price was less than or equal to $100) and between $0.10 and $5.00 (for options whose underlying stock's previous trading day's last sale price was greater than $100) in premium across all expiration months in order to receive the rebate. The Exchange determines whether a market maker qualifies as a Market Maker Plus at the end of each month by looking back at each market maker's quoting statistics during that month. If at the end of the month, a market maker meets the Exchange's stated criteria, the Exchange rebates $0.10 per contract for transactions executed by that market maker during that month. The Exchange provides market makers a report on a daily basis with quoting statistics so that market makers can determine whether or not they are meeting the Exchange's stated criteria.

5.  A Customer (Professional) is a person who is not a broker/dealer and is not a Priority Customer.

6.  A Non-ISE Market Maker, or Far Away Market Maker (“FARMM”), is a market maker as defined in Section 3(a)(38) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), registered in the same options class on another options exchange.

7.  A Priority Customer is defined in ISE Rule 100(a)(37A) as a person or entity that is not a broker/dealer in securities, and does not place more than 390 orders in listed options per day on average during a calendar month for its own beneficial account(s).

8.  The proposed fee for responses to special orders is similar to fees currently in place at other options exchanges. See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 62632 (August 3, 2010), 75 FR 47869 (August 9, 2010) (Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change To Amend the Fee Schedule of the Boston Options Exchange Facility) (SR-BX-2010-049).

9.  Pre-existing Market Maker, Market Maker Plus, Firm Proprietary and Customer (Professional) interest that trades with special orders in the Exchange's various auctions will continue to be charged $0.25 per contract.

10.  On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation announced that as a result of a merger between UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines, Inc. that it would change its name and underlying symbol. UAL Corporation is now known as United Continental Holding, Inc.

11.  15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).

12.  See supra note 8.

13.  15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(ii).

14.  17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).