2011-26535. Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change Relating to Fees and Rebates for Certain Orders Executed on the Exchange

October 7, 2011.

Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Act”) ^[1] and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,^[2] notice is hereby given that, on September 23, 2011, the International Securities Exchange, LLC (the “Exchange” or the “ISE”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) the proposed rule change as described in Items I and II below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. 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 ISE is proposing to amend transaction fees and rebates for certain orders executed on the Exchange. 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 103 options classes (the “Select Symbols”).^[3] For removing liquidity in the Select Symbols, the Exchange currently charges a take fee of: (i) $0.25 per contract for Market Maker and Market Maker Plus orders.^[4] The Exchange now proposes to change the take fees for Market Maker and Market Maker Plus orders in the Select Symbols from $0.25 per contract to $0.26 per contract.

As an incentive for members to direct customer order flow to the Exchange, Priority Customer complex orders in a select number of options classes (“Designated Symbols”),^[5] currently receive a rebate of $0.26 per contract on all legs when these orders trade with non-customer orders in the Exchange's complex order book. The Exchange proposes to increase this rebate to $0.27 per contract. The Exchange believes it is necessary to increase the rebate for Priority Customer complex orders in the Designated Symbols in order to continue to attract Priority Customer complex order flow to the Exchange as NASDAQ OMX PHLX, Inc. (“PHLX”) recently increased a similar rebate from $0.26 to $0.27 per contract.^[6]

2. Statutory Basis

The Exchange believes that its proposal to amend its Schedule of Fees is consistent with Section 6(b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Act”) ^[7] in general, and furthers the objectives of Section 6(b)(4) of the Act ^[8] in particular, in that it is an equitable allocation of reasonable dues, fees and other charges among Exchange 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 and Designated Symbols, as applicable.

The Exchange believes that the proposed rebate for options overlying the Designated Symbols remain competitive with fees charged by other exchanges and are therefore reasonable and equitably allocated to those members that opt to direct orders to the Exchange rather than to a competing exchange. The Exchange believes that its proposal to assess a $0.26 per contract take fee for Market Maker and Market Maker Plus orders in the Select Symbols is reasonable and equitably allocated because the fee is within the range of fees assessed by other exchanges employing similar pricing schemes and the proposed nominal increase will bring this fee closer to the fee the Exchange currently charges to other market participants that employ a similar trading strategy. The Exchange further notes that with this proposed increase, the fee charged to Market Maker and Market Maker Plus orders will remain lower than the fee currently charged by the Exchange to other market participants. The Exchange believes that the price differentiation between the various market participants is justified because market makers have obligations to the market that the other market participants do not. The Exchange believes that it is equitable to assess a nominally higher fee to market participants that do not have the quoting requirements that Exchange market makers do.

The Exchange also believes that it is reasonable and equitable to provide a rebate for Priority Customer complex orders in the Designated Symbols because paying a rebate would continue to attract additional order flow to the Exchange and thereby create liquidity in the Designated Symbols that ultimately will benefit all market participants who trade on the Exchange. The proposed increased rebate of $0.27 per contract for Priority Customer complex orders in the Designated Symbols is identical to a proposal recently submitted by PHLX.^[9]

Moreover, the Exchange believes that the proposed fees are fair, equitable and not unfairly discriminatory because the proposed fees are consistent with price differentiation that exists today at other options exchanges. Additionally, the Exchange believes it remains an attractive venue for market participants to trade complex orders despite its proposed fee change as its fees remain competitive with those charged by other exchanges for similar trading strategies. 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. For the reasons noted above, the Exchange believes that the proposed fees are fair, equitable and not unfairly discriminatory.

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.^[10] At any time within 60 days of the filing of the 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-2011-56 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-2011-56. 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 Web site viewing and printing 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 the 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 available publicly. All submissions should refer to File Number SR-ISE-2011-56 and should be submitted on or before November 4, 2011.

For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.^[11]

Elizabeth M. Murphy,

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. See Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 61869 (April 7, 2010), 75 FR 19449 (April 14, 2010) (SR-ISE-2010-25), 62048 (May 6, 2010), 75 FR 26830 (May 12, 2010) (SR-ISE-2010-43), 62282 (June 11, 2010), 75 FR 34499 (June 17, 2010) (SR-ISE-2010-54), 62319 (June 17, 2010), 75 FR 36134 (June 24, 2010) (SR-ISE-2010-57), 62508 (July 15, 2010), 75 FR 42809 (July 22, 2010) (SR-ISE-2010-65), 62507 (July 15, 2010), 75 FR 42802 (July 22, 2010) (SR-ISE-2010-68), 62665 (August 9, 2010), 75 FR 50015 (August 16, 2010) (SR-ISE-2010-82), 62805 (August 31, 2010), 75 FR 54682 (September 8, 2010) (SR-ISE-2010-90), 63283 (November 9, 2010), 75 FR 70059 (November 16, 2010) (SR-ISE-2010-106), 63534 (December 13, 2010), 75 FR 79433 (December 20, 2010) (SR-ISE-2010-114); 63664 (January 6, 2011), 76 FR 2170 (January 12, 2011) (SR-ISE-2010-120); 64303 (April 15, 2011), 76 FR 22425 (April 21, 2011) (SR-ISE-2011-18); 64992 (July 29, 2011), 76 FR 47279 (August 4, 2011) (SR-ISE-2011-43); 65021 (August 3, 2011), 76 FR 48933 (August 9, 2011) (SR-ISE-2011-45); 65087 (August 10, 2011), 76 FR 50783 (August 16, 2011) (SR-ISE-2011-47); 65327 (September 13, 2011), 76 FR 58068 (September 19, 2011) (SR-ISE-2011-48); 65084 (August 10, 2011), 76 FR 50805 (September August 16, 2011) (SR-ISE-2011-49); and 65297 (September 8, 2011), 76 FR 56844 (September 14, 2011) (SR-ISE-2011-54).

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.  The Designated Symbols are AAPL, BAC, C, F, GLD, INTC, IWM, JPM, QQQ, SLV, SPY and XLF.

6.  See Securities and Exchange Act Release No. 65312 (September 9, 2011) (SR-PHLX-2011-126).

7.  15 U.S.C. 78f(b).

8.  15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).

9.  See supra note 6.

10.  15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(ii).

11.  17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).