• CME Clearing Notice: April 30, 2012

      • To
      • Clearing Member Firms; Back Office Managers
      • From
      • CME Clearing
      • #
      • 12-189
      • Notice Date
      • 03 May 2012
      • Effective Date
      • 03 May 2012

    • Topics in this issue include:
      *      Deliveries
      ·         Japanese Government Bonds
       
      Following is the UPDATED deployment schedule for FECPlus in chronological Order:
      ·         Testing for the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API for ALL post-trade processing, including give-ups, average-priced give-ups, and cross-exchange allocations, is currently available in New Release.
      ·         Thursday, May 17, 2012: Testing for the migration of ClearPort trades to FECPlus for CME Clearing Europe (CMECE) will begin in the CMECE Certification Test Environment (CMECE CERT). NO API messaging changes for these trades.
      ·         Wednesday, May 23, 2012: Testing for the migration of trades from ClearPort and other Trading Platforms to FECPlus for CME/CBT/NYMEX/COMEX will begin in the Certification Test Environment (CERT). NO API messaging changes for these trades.
      ·         Thursday, May 24, 2012: Testing for the migration of CDS and OTCFX trades to FECPlus will begin in New Release. NO API messaging changes for these trades.
      ·         Wednesday, June 6, 2012: Testing for the migration of ALL post-trade processing to FECPlus for CMECE will begin in CMECE CERT using the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API.
      ·         Monday, June 11, 2012: Production launch date for migration of trades from ClearPort to FECPlus for CMECE. NO API messaging changes.
      ·         Monday, July 2, 2012: Production launch date for migration of trades from ClearPort and other Trading Platforms to FECPlus for CME/CBT/NYMEX/COMEX including CDS and OTCFX. NO API messaging changes.
      ·         Monday, July 2, 2012: Production launch date for migration of ALL post-trade processing to FECPlus for CMECE using the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API.
      ·         Monday, July 30, 2012: Production launch date for migration of ALL post-trade processing, including give-ups, average-priced give-ups, and cross-exchange allocations to FECPlus for CME/CBT/NYMEX/COMEX using the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API.
      ·         Q3 2012: Migration of Electronic Trades to FECPlus. Specific dates and details will be disseminated as they become available.
       
      If you have any questions or require further information please contact CME Clearing at 312-207-2525 or ccs@cmegroup.com.
      The effective date for CME ClearPort shifting from the current RAV (Risk Account Value) algorithm to SPAN (Standard Portfolio Analysis of Risk) as the algorithm used to calculate credit usage for CME ClearPort trades has changed from May 5, 2012 to June 2, 2012. SPAN calculates performance bond requirements by analyzing potential market scenarios and is the main margining tool employed by CME Clearing. There are some significant differences between the current RAV algorithm and the SPAN algorithm. In the current RAV calculation, an outright future is charged its maintenance margin rate while an option is calculated by taking the underlying future’s maintenance margin rate and multiplying it by the option’s delta. Intra-commodity spread rates are available; however, no intercommodity spread rates are defined in the current RAV calculation. The SPAN algorithm takes into account both intra-charges and inter-commodity spread rates as well as volatility, time to expiration and a variety of other factors with regard to calculating margins on options.
      Due to the differences between the RAV and SPAN algorithm calculations certain ClearPort accounts may see changes in their credit usage when the transition is made. Specifically, accounts trading many inter-commodity spreads will likely see a decline in their credit usage, while accounts trading options, specifically out of the money, will likely see an increase in their credit usage. It is recommended that clearing firms with accounts such as the above reevaluate their limits considering the items listed above.
      For more information on SPAN, please see the following link http://www.cmegroup.com/clearing/risk-management/span-overview.html#works, or reach out to the Clearing Risk Management at 312-648-3888 or at Clearing.Riskmanagement@cmegroup.com. 
      For information on adjusting credit limits within CME Clearport, please contact the ClearPort facilitations desk at +1 866 246 9639 or +1 212 299 2457 or through email at ClearPort@cmegroup.com.
       
       
      This link provides the stockyards and slaughter plants that have been approved for deliveries against the CME Group Live Cattle futures contract from February 1, 2012 through January 31, 2013. Delivery point information and contact numbers are listed for your reference.
      If there any questions, please contact the Deliveries Unit at (312) 930-3172.
      This link provides the relevant delivery dates for May 2012 Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc., Chicago Board of Trade, New York Mercantile Exchange, Dubai Mercantile Exchange, COMEX and GreenX contracts.
       
      This advisory details new reporting requirements for FCMs stemming from certain CFTC regulations going into effect on November 8, 2012. There are two inter-related functional areas: Customer Gross Margining (CGM) and LSOC (Legally Segregated, Operationally Commingled). Customer Gross Margining will apply both to products which are under the futures regulatory regime and to products which are classified as cleared swaps for regulatory purposes. LSOC will apply only to cleared swaps customer accounts.
      Reporting for Customer Gross Margining
      Customer Gross Margining will require a significant change in how derivatives clearing organizations (DCOs) calculate performance bond (initial margin) requirements for customer positions. Specifically, under CFTC Regulation 39.13(g)(8)(i), DCOs will be required to set minimum performance bond levels as the sum of requirements calculated for each individual customer account.
      This new method of customer gross margining will require CME Clearing and some other DCOs to switch from the “modified customer gross margining method” which has long been used. Under the existing method, clearing firms categorize individual customer account positions according to the degree to which risk offsets exist, and report this data twice daily (as the “spreads” information included in the PCS submission used to determine open interest). The new method will assure that client account risk offsets will be applied only for the benefit of each individual customer account. 
      The key operational implication of Customer Gross Margining is that the DCO must know positions for all customers. For interest rate swaps (IRS) and credit default swaps (CDS), CME Clearing already keeps positions customer by customer. For certain other cleared swaps and for futures, however, customer positions are held in the clearing system in position accounts which typically commingle positions of many individual customers.  
      For customer positions in futures and in these other types of cleared swaps, therefore, clearing firms must submit a datafile, to identify positions by individual customer, so that CME Clearing may calculate margins customer by customer. The file must be submitted for both the end-of-day settlement cycle and the intraday cycle. We are referring to this file as the Customer Gross Margin file, or simply the CGM file.
      The industry has selected FIXML as a standard format for the CGM file. The format is highly analogous to the FIXML PCS format widely in use. The “firm number” in the file should be provided in exactly the same manner as is currently used for PCS submissions, and the account ID will identify the individual customer account. Where multiple customer accounts have the same owner, the account ID may be provided as the “related master” account which ties all the detail accounts together.
      For positions in expiring options: clearing firms differ in the timing of when they process final exercises and assignments in books. Clearing firms have a choice, therefore, in how these positions are represented in the CGM file: either prior to final E&A processing, or after such processing.
      Reporting for LSOC
      Separately, new Part 22 of the CFTC Regulations, which also goes into effect on November 8, 2012, will implement a form of protection for customer cleared swaps and related collateral that has been referred to as “LSOC” (Legally Segregated, Operationally Commingled). LSOC poses a number of additional operational requirements for FCM clearing members. It requires that FCM clearing members report their customer positions in cleared swaps (the “portfolio of rights and obligations”, in the language of the CFTC regulation) to CME Clearing at least once per business day. Also, if the FCM transmits to CME Clearing any collateral posted by a cleared swaps customer in excess of the amount required by CME Clearing (as permitted under CME rules), the FCM must identify, for each such customer, the value of collateral posted with CME Clearing in addition to the minimum margin requirement.
      LSOC Position Reporting
      For IRS and CDS, FCM clearing members already do position reporting to CME Clearing in real time, as they submit trades identified by customer and do allocations to individual customers. But for other cleared swaps, the LSOC “portfolio of rights and obligations” mandate will require that FCM clearing firms submit an end-of-day datafile, identifying cleared swaps positions customer by customer.
      CME Clearing will not require a separate datafile to be submitted for this purpose. Rather, pending regulatory approval, the same CGM datafile of customer positions in these cleared swaps will serve two purposes: (a) for customer gross margining, and (b) for LSOC reporting of the “portfolio of rights and obligations”.
      Omnibus accounts and position reporting
      For futures, the Customer Gross Margining mandate does not require any changes in how clearing firms handle omnibus accounts. Firms may continue to hold omnibus accounts on their books, and these may be fully disclosed, partially disclosed, or entirely non-disclosed.
      The CGM file format supports all three of these possibilities. If you provide an omnibus account with no detail subaccounts, this is the “entirely non-disclosed” case. If you provide an omnibus account with detail accounts, and the sum of the detail account positions is equal to the omnibus account positions, then the omnibus account is fully disclosed. If you provide detail accounts, but the sum of the positions in detail accounts is less than the positions in the omnibus account, then the omnibus account is partially disclosed.
      For Customer Gross Margining, the calculation of the margin requirement for an omnibus account will follow long-established practices. First, normal portfolio margin requirements are calculated for each disclosed subaccount. The remaining non-disclosed positions are considered “naked”, and are margined without recognizing any risk offsets. The total requirement for the omnibus account, then, is the sum of the portfolio requirements for the disclosed subaccounts, and the naked requirements for the non-disclosed positions.
      For customer cleared swaps, if a domestic omnibus account is utilized, the new CFTC LSOC regulations will require the non-clearing FCM (i.e., a “Depositing Futures Commission Merchant”) to disclose to the carrying FCM (i.e., a “Collecting Futures Commission Merchant”), which, in turn, must disclose to the DCO: (a) “information sufficient to identify” each Cleared Swaps Customer in the domestic omnibus account; and (b) on a daily basis, each Cleared Swaps Customer’s “portfolio of rights and obligations arising from the Cleared Swaps that the Depositing Futures Commission Merchant intermediates for such customer.” CME Clearing’s own policies require full disclosure of end customer positions for interest-rate swaps and credit default swaps. Note that other regulatory mandates may affect omnibus accounts and cleared swaps, and that additional information on this subject will be published in the future.
      LSOC reporting of additional collateral
      As noted above, LSOC requires that clearing firms provide an additional daily report to the DCO for customers with positions in cleared swaps. For each such customer, pending regulatory approval, the report will identify the value of collateral provided to CME Clearing that is in excess of the collateral meeting the clearing minimum margin requirement.
      CME Clearing has worked together with other DCOs to develop a scheme for this reporting that will provide firms with flexibility in how this additional collateral reporting will work.
      For each such cleared swaps customer, and for each currency in which margin requirements may be denominated and/or in which collateral may be deposited, the clearing firm may specify the customer’s additional collateral amount in several different ways:
      • The additional collateral amount may be specified either as a percentage of the minimum margin requirement, or as an absolute money amount, or both. 
      • In addition to the capabilities specified in the first bullet, and again for each currency, the clearing firm may specify a collateral floor amount. If provided, the collateral floor specifies a minimum value for collateral on deposit at the DCO for that customer.
      • Last, as an alternative to the methods described in the first two bullets, the clearing firm may specify a total value of collateral. The additional collateral value then is determined as the amount by which the total value exceeds the clearing minimum margin requirement.
      We’re calling this file the LSOC Additional Collateral file, and it must be reported at the end of each clearing business day. In a manner exactly analogous to that for the FIXML Customer Gross Margin file, we’ve worked together with other DCOs and through the FIA to develop a standard file format using FIXML.
      Testing and implementation
      CME Clearing’s goal is to provide our clearing firms with maximum time for implementation and testing, and we are working with service providers and the broader industry to develop an overall plan and schedule. We intend to begin accepting submissions of the Customer Gross Margin and LSOC Additional Collateral files on a date to be specified, and to require firms to begin submitting them by a date to be specified. 
      Daily reports will be provided to firms allowing the comparison of customer-origin requirements calculated the new way versus the existing way.
      For more information please contact CME Clearing’s Risk Department at 312-648-3888.
      Technical Details
      Customer Gross Margining Position Submission via FIXML
      <PosMntReq                                                     // position maintenance request message
                  ReqID=”123456789”                               // unique record ID
      TxnTyp=”4”                                         // position specification
      AdjTyp=”tbd”                                       // customer-specific submission
      Actn=”1”                                                // new submission
      BizDt=”2012-02-06”                                // clearing business date
      SetSesID=”EOD”                                   // settlement cycle (end-of-day)
      TxnTm=”2012-02-06T18:23:49”> // submission time
       
      <Pty ID=”CME” R=”21”/>                                                // clearing organization
      <Pty ID=”111” R=”4”/>                                        // clearing member firm ID
      <Pty ID=”NYMEX” R=”22”/>                                           // firm exchange
      <Pty ID=”111” R=”1”/>                                        // trade mgmt firm ID
      <Pty ID=”ABC12345” R=”24”>                          // customer account
      <Sub ID=”1” Typ=”26”/>                                  // customer origin
      <Sub ID=”ACCT NAME” Typ=”5”/>      // account name
      <Sub ID=”H” Typ=”tbd”/>                                // customer account type
      <Sub ID=”OMNIACCT” Typ=”tbd”/>     // omnibus account, if relevant
      </Pty>
       
      <Instrmt                                                            // contract data
      Exch=”NYMEX”
      ID=”CL”
      SecTyp=”FUT”
      MMY=”201203”/>
      <Qty Typ=”TQ” Long=”4250” Short=”1243”/> // long and/or short quantity
      </PosMntReq>
      Notes on the party specifications:
      For CME, the clearing member firm ID (party role 4) is optional, and may be omitted. OCC and NYPC require it, however.
      The account name is as specified on the firm’s books and is optional for the purposes of customer gross margining reporting.
      The customer account type indicates whether the account is member, hedge, spec or omnibus. If not provided, the default is spec.
      If the account is a disclosed subaccount of an omnibus account, the “omnibus account” role specifies that omnibus account. It should not be provided for detail accounts that are not disclosed subaccounts of an omnibus account.
      There is variability across the CCP’s in the usage of the “position account” role (role number 38) in FIXML. (CCP’s use the term “position account” in the same manner, but differ in how the value is assigned.) For the sake of discussion, we’ll denote this as the “CME usage” and the “ICE usage”.
      For CME:
      Position account is a value, typically three or four alphanumeric bytes, which clearing firms typically do not know and do not use. It is provided by CME on output back to the firm, but again, firms typically do not know and do not use it.
      Rather, CME derives the position account from the submitted data: (a) the trade management firm ID; (b) the product; (c) the customer account and origin code. 
      Note that the origin is submitted as a sub role of the customer account.
      For ICE:
      Position account is a single byte, roughly corresponding to the origin and regulatory class of the account and product. It is a required part of the submission.
      For ICE, then, the origin is not provided as a sub role of the customer account.
      So the party submission for ICE would look something like this:
      <Pty ID=”ICE” R=”21”/>                                      // clearing organization
      <Pty ID=”111” R=”4”/>                                        // clearing member firm ID
      <Pty ID=”ICE” R=”22”/>                                      // firm exchange
      <Pty ID=”111” R=”1”/>                                        // trade mgmt firm ID
      <Pty ID=”C” R=”38”>                                      // position account
      <Pty ID=”ABC12345” R=”24”>                          // customer account
      <Sub ID=”ACCT NAME” Typ=”5”/>      // account name
      <Sub ID=”H” Typ=”tbd”                                   // customer account type
      <Sub ID=”OMNIACCT” Typ=”tbd”/>     // omnibus account, if relevant
      </Pty>
      Note that position account may be submitted for CME, but if so, it must correspond to the CME usage, not the ICE usage.
      Notes on the instrument block
      The instrument block usage is standard. The example above shows how it looks for a future.
      Here’s an example of how it would look for a vanilla option on future, where underlying need not be specified:
      <Instrmt           
      Exch=”NYMEX”
      ID=”LC”
      SecTyp=”OOF”
      PutCall=”1”
      StrkPx=”32.75”
      MMY=”201203”/>
      For an option, such as a flexible option, where the underlying must be explicitly enumerated, the “Undly” sub element must be included:
      <Instrmt           
      Exch=”CME”
      ID=”XP”
      SecTyp=”OOF”
      PutCall=”1”
      StrkPx=”32.75”
      MMY=”20120327”>
      <Undly
      Exch=”CME”
      ID=”SP”
      SecTyp=”FUT”
      MMY=”201412”/>
      </Instrmt>
      The Src attribute is optional, and may be provided, as: Src=”H”, indicating that the value is the clearing product code.
      Again, nothing different from existing usage.
      LSOC Collateral Report Submission via FIXML
      Customer-specific report:
      <CollRpt                                                           // collateral report
                  RptID=”123456789”                                // unique record ID
      BizDt=”2012-02-06”                                // clearing business date
      SetSesID=”EOD”                                   // settlement cycle (end-of-day)
      TxnTm=”2012-02-06T18::49”                    // submission time
       
      Stat=”2“                                               // status = assigned to this customer
      ApplTyp=”0”>                                      // customer-specific report type
       
      <Pty ID=”CME” R=”21”/>                                    // clearing organization
      <Pty ID=”111” R=”4”/>                                        // clearing member firm ID
      <Pty ID=”NYMEX” R=”22”/>                               // firm exchange
      <Pty ID=”111” R=”1”/>                                        // trade mgmt firm ID
      <Pty ID=”ABC12345” R=”24”>                          // customer account
      <Sub ID=”1” Typ=”26”/>                      // customer origin
      <Sub ID=”ACCT NAME” Typ=”5”/>      // account name
      <Sub ID=”H” Typ=”tbd”/>                    // customer account type
      </Pty>
       
      <CollAmt Typ=”1” Amt=”10000000” Pct=”0.10” Ccy=”USD”/>
      <CollAmt Typ=”2” Amt=”30000000” Ccy=”USD”/>
      <CollAmt Typ=”1” Amt=”20000000” Pct=”0.20” Ccy=”EUR”/>
      <CollAmt Typ=”1” Pct=”0.30” Ccy=”JPY”/>
      <CollAmt Typ=”2” Amt=”40000000” Ccy=”CHF”/>
      <CollAmt Typ=”3” Amt=”50000000” Ccy=”GBP”/>
       
      </CollRpt>
      The report is used to specify: (a) for a given customer of an FCM, (b) for collateral deposited by the FCM with this DCO, that is (c) denominated in a particular currency, (d) the additional collateral value over and above the minimum margin requirement, that (e) is attributable to this customer.
      Any number of Collateral Amount elements may be provided, one per currency and type.
      A collateral amount of type 1 means: the additional collateral amount is specified as either a percentage of the minimum margin requirement denominated in this currency, or an absolute amount, or both.
      A collateral amount of type 2 means: a floor below which the total value of collateral attributable to that currency may not be allowed to drop.
      A collateral amount of type 3 means: the total value of collateral including the minimum margin requirement and any additional amount.
      For the different currencies, these different types of Collateral Amount elements may be mixed and matched by the FCM as desired and appropriate. For any given currency, however, the message may contain either (a) types 1 or 2 or both, or (b) type 3.
      For a given customer and currency, if the report is provided via type 1 and/or 2, then the total value of collateral attributable to that customer and denominated in that currency is calculated as: 
      • Take the minimum margin requirement.
      • Add on the specified percentage of the minimum and the specified absolute amount.
      • Take the larger of this value and the floor.
      A report can also be provided as a percentage without specifying a currency, which means that the percentage applies to all currencies in which minimum margin requirements are denominated.
      “Minimum margin” in this context means the contribution for that customer of the minimum margin assessed by the DCO to the FCM – not the minimum assessed by the FCM to the customer, which may be higher.
      “Value” in this context means haircutted market value as determined by the DCO.
      In these examples, the FCM is saying:
      • For USD, add in an additional 10% of the minimum margin, plus another $10M, and in any event don’t let the collateral attributable to this customer go below $30M.
      • For EUR, add in an additional 20% of the minimum margin, plus another 20M.
      • For JPY, add in an additional 30% of the minimum margin.
      • For CHF, don’t let the total value of collateral on deposit go below 40M.
      • For GBP, the total value of collateral on deposit is 50M.
      In all cases, the additional collateral attributable to a customer is calculated as the total collateral value less the minimum margin requirement.
      The value of collateral attributable to the FCM that is not attributable to any specific customer, then, is equal to the total value of collateral deposited by the FCM for cleared swaps customers, less the sum across customers of total collateral value attributable to each customer.
      In response to requests from clearing firms, and in conjunction with an initiative of the Futures Industry Association (FIA), CME Group is planning to introduce a new field to allow clearing firms to identify on each trade in books, the source of the order which resulted in that trade. This in turn will allow firms to charge appropriately differentiated rates for orders entered directly by customers versus orders phoned into an order desk, as well as other order distinctions a firm may want to recognize for differentiating customer fees and commissions.
      The formal name of the new field is the Execution Source Code. More typically, it is called the Rate Identifier, and it is informally referred to as the Voice/Director Indicator. In summary:
      ·         The new field may be submitted on Globex orders.
      ·         Submitted values will be provided to clearing firms on all FIXML trade confirmation messages and allocation messages generated by CME Clearing. Note that when a trade is given up, the original value submitted with the trade will flow along with the give-up.
      ·         The values will be carried with the trade into the Give-up Payment System (GPS), where they can be used to drive processing at different rates according to the different values.
      FIA has defined the following set of values for the indicator:
      A          Phone simple
      B          Phone complex
      C          FCM-provided screen
      D          Other-provided screen
      E          Client-provided platform controlled by FCM
      F          Client-provided platform direct to exchange
      G          FCM API or FIX
      H          Algo Engine
      J          Price at Execution (price added at Initial order entry, trading, middle office or time of give-up)
      W         Desk – Electronic
      X          Desk – Pit
      Y          Client – Electronic
      Z          Client – Pit
      An existing FIX attribute called the Customer Order Handling instruction will be used for this purpose. On iLink messages for CME Globex, this is FIX tag 1031. In FIXML, the attribute name is CustOrdHdlInst. For example: CustOrdHdlInst=”W”
      The new field is expected to be available in CME’s “New Release” testing environment for CME Globex and clearing in the second quarter of 2012, and available in production also in the second quarter (exact dates will be announced soon).
      FIXML message samples are available at:
      For the CME Globex notice, please see:
      For more information, please contact CME Clearing at 312-207-2525.
      Note: The original version of this advisory was misleading regarding the applicability of the new rule and the manner in which “initial to maintenance ratios” work. 
      Effective this Monday, May 7, new CFTC Regulation 39.13(g)(ii) mandates each DCO to require its clearing members to apply “initial to maintenance ratios” for customer accounts with non-hedged positions. There is no exception for speculative customer accounts of exchange members that fall within the Regulation.  The Regulation applies equally to positions that are regulated as futures and to positions regulated as swaps.
      Note: The requirement only applies to non-hedged member accounts. Member accounts containing hedged portfolios are always assessed only at the maintenance requirement level. Most CME Group members engage in hedging activity on a routine basis -- for example, they make a market in one set of our products and lay off their risk in another set of products at CME Group or other markets. Such positions are still subject to hedge treatment. Note, however, that if you are a member and you have only outright positions you will be subject to the new rule.
      For example, suppose you are a member and you qualify for hedge treatment. You have a portfolio with a maintenance requirement level of $100. The sole requirement you have is that $100 level.
      On the other hand, suppose you do not qualify for hedge treatment, and your portfolio has a maintenance requirement level of $100 and an initial requirement level of $110. As long as you have $100 worth of value in your account, no margin call is issued. But if your collateral value falls below $100, then a margin call is issued to bring you back up to $110.
      Previously, for futures, the use of “initial to maintenance ratios” applied only to accounts that were neither hedge nor member. Accounts are coded by FCMs as member, hedge or spec, and only accounts coded as spec had an “initial” requirement level that was higher than the “maintenance” level.
      Note also that even for non-hedged member accounts, the higher “initial” requirement level only applies if (a) the account had no positions on the prior day, or (b) the value of collateral on deposit has fallen below the lower “maintenance” requirement. On all other days, it is the lower “maintenance requirement” which applies – which is the same level that the FCM is assessed – and so long as the account maintains a cushion of collateral value over the maintenance requirement, there is no margin call.
      We believe that FCMs will be able to accomplish this change for member accounts which do not qualify for hedge treatment, simply by changing the account type that drives the margin calculation in books, from member to spec.
      We apologize for the short notice about this change. See also Clearing Advisory 12-136, published March 28, about the use of initial to maintenance ratios for non-hedged positions in swaps, at:
      For more information please contact CME Clearing at 312-648-3888.
      At the request of Clearing Member Firms, we are extending the conversion deadline for WAN (Leased Line) connections from FTP to SFTP (secured FTP) until June 1st, 2012.
      Please reference Advisory Notice number 12-038 at this link for additional detail.
      Please be aware, firms that have not converted to the new SFTP IP address by June 1st, 2012 will incur a monthly maintenance fee to use the old FTP server. Updated notices will follow to outline fees.
      For further information or assistance please contact Clearing Services at (312) 207-2525 or
      CME Clearing (CME) is pleased to announce the addition of Japanese Government Bonds to our acceptable collateral list for foreign sovereign debt effective May 1, 2012. This will be applicable for CDS, IRS and listed derivatives. Please see the table below for haircut information.
      Japanese Government bonds will be accepted in the local market. The settlement platform in Japan is the JGB Book-Entry system.
      CME Clearing will need clearing member firm’s local market JGB Book Entry system delivery instructions prior to firm’s intent to pledge. Please contact CME Clearing for more information. Japanese Government bonds typically settle in T+2. Please allow enough time to enter your Clearing 21 transaction on trade date two days prior to expected settlement date. The asset type will be BILL or BOND and selecting currency JPY to enter these transactions into Clearing 21. CME Clearing may have to add your ISIN to the available securities list. Please email chfin@cmegroup.com with your ISIN request.
      Effective May 1, 2012, CME Clearing will include offshore Chinese Renminbi (CNH) in the range of instruments permissible to meet performance bond requirements for futures products. All CNH deposits will be handled through CME’s Far East custodian, HSBC Hong Kong, and clearing firms should deliver funds to CME’s accounts at the bank in order to receive performance bond credit. Clearing members should call the Clearing House Banking Team at 312-207-2594 to obtain detailed banking instructions. 
      Clearing Member Firms must also have default withdrawal banking information on file with CME Clearing and maintain these accounts at an approved CME custodial bank. For a full listing of approved CME custodial banks, please contact the CME Clearing Banking Team at 312-207-2594.
      Haircuts & Limits
      •       The initial haircut will be 10% and is subject to regular review by CME Clearing.
      •       Offshore Chinese Renminbi deposits will initially be limited to 200mm USD equivalent.
      Asset Management Deposit/Withdrawal Characteristics
      Asset Management is available via CME Connect. All firms are required to enter their transactions into Asset Management in order to receive performance bond credit. Deposit transactions must be entered into Asset Management on the business day prior to deposit. Deposit transactions will not be finalized until confirmation of receipt into CME’s account has been confirmed via the custodian. Withdrawal requests made prior to 2:30 p.m. CST will be processed on a T+1 basis.
      •       Please use the asset type CASH
      •               Currency code will be CNH
      Operational Flow
       
      As with all collateral, customers of a Clearing Member Firm are encouraged to work with their Clearing Member Firm regarding specific deposit procedures and acceptability.
      The holiday schedule for CNH/USD will reflect the holiday schedule in Hong Kong. As is current practice, settlement deadline changes for all assets are communicated via a CME Clearing holiday advisory.
      For collateral related questions, please contact CME Clearing Financial Unit at (312) 207-2594 or via email Clearinghousefinancial@cmegroup.com.
      FAQs
      What is the account structure that CME has in place with HSBC Hong Kong for offshore-Renminbi?
      CME operates omnibus accounts (Customer Segregated or House) to facilitate the deposit of CNH to CME Clearing for margin. Clearing firms should deliver the cash to CME accounts for margin credit. Please contact CME Clearing at 312-207-2594 for detailed banking information.
      How does my Clearing Member Firm deliver offshore-Renminbi to CME Clearing for Performance Bond credit?
      Please notify CME Clearing in Asset Management of any deposit. Once the transaction has been entered into Asset Management, funds should be delivered to the desired CME omnibus account (Customer Segregated or House).
      What are the limits and haircuts?
      At this time, there is a 200mm USD equivalent limit for offshore-Renminbi. Additionally, a 10% haircut will be applied to the currency. These limits and haircuts will continue to be evaluated. 
      Are there any custodial fees involved with pledging offshore-Renminbi?
      No. Please contact your bank with regards to any fees that they may charge.
      Is offshore-Renminbi eligible for Initial Margin for cleared swaps?
      At this time, CNH is only available for margin on Futures & Options products.
      Do I need to have accounts open at HSBC Hong Kong in order to pledge offshore-Renminbi to CME Clearing?
      Although CME has chosen HSBC Hong Kong as its Far-East custodian, CMFs may chose to have accounts open at a different bank. CMFs interested in opening up bank accounts at HSBC Hong Kong should contact Andrew Gibson at 201-795-7571 Andrew.gibson@hsbc.com or Ali Tariq at 852-2822-3087 alitariq@hsbc.com.hk for more information.
      In 2009, CME Group listed several S&P-GSCI cleared commodity index swaps in response to concerns about counterparty credit risk. Exchange fees were charged according to open interest and length of time the cleared swap was held. Both buyers and sellers were charged 5 basis points/annum. 
      Effective May 1, 2012, the Interest Rate Pass-Through Fees feature for the S&P-GSCI cleared commodity index swaps will be discontinued.
      The CME Group will now charge both the buyer and seller of its S&P-GSCI cleared commodity index swaps $0.60 per side per transaction. 
      This would be only applicable for the following indexes: S&P-GSCI ER Cleared Swaps, S&P-GSCI ER 2 Month Forward Cleared Swaps, S&P-GSCI ER 3 Month Forward Cleared Swaps, S&P-GSCI ER Gold Cleared Swaps, and S&P-GSCI ER Crude Oil Cleared Swaps. 
      Contract Name
      Code
      Chapter
      S&P-GSCI ER Cleared Swaps
      SES
      415A
      S&P-GSCI ER 2 Month Forward Cleared Swaps
      SE2
      415E
      S&P-GSCI ER 3 Month Forward Cleared Swaps
      SE3
      415F
      S&P-GSCI ER Gold Cleared Swaps
      GDI
      415C
      S&P-GSCI ER Crude Oil Cleared Swaps
      GCO
      415D
       
      Information Contacts
      cmegroup.com Inquiries
      Customer Service
      (800) 331-3332
      General Information
      Products & Services
      (312) 930-8213
      Clearing House
      (312) 207-2525
      Globex Information
      Globex Control Center
      (312) 456-2391
      Performance Bond Information
      Risk Management Dept.
      (312) 648-3888
      Position Limits
      Market Regulation
      (312) 341-7970
      Clearing Fees
      Clearing Fee Hotline
      (312) 648-5470

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