• CME Clearing Notice: October 1, 2012

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      • Clearing Member Firms
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      • CME Clearing
      • #
      • 12-428
      • Notice Date
      • 05 October 2012
      • Effective Date
      • 05 October 2012

    • NOTICE #: 12-428
      SUBJECT: CME Clearing Notice: October 1, 2012
      Topics in this issue include:
      *      Deliveries
      ·         Contact Information
       
      Critical System Updates
       
      Clearing member firms using the Legacy WAN environment are required to complete the conversion to the new server and, if necessary, convert from FTP to SFTP by March 1, 2013.
      The Legacy WAN environment includes the following addresses:
      · FTP: 198.212.145.45
      · SFTP: 198.212.145.46
      The new environment is available at the following addresses using SFTP:
      · Production: 167.204.41.33
      · Disaster Recovery: 167.204.21.33
      We recommend the use of a non-production file name convention when sending a test file.
      For clearing member firms that have not converted to the new SFTP IP address by March 1st, 2013, a $ 5,000 monthly maintenance fee will be assessed to use the old FTP server.
      We request that each clearing member firm, and any other organization connecting via FTP, to please provide CME Clearing with contact information (name, phone number and email) of the primary and back-up contacts for this conversion effort. Once firms have tested and converted activity to the new environment, credentials will be removed from the legacy server.
      For further information or assistance please contact Clearing Services at (312) 207-2525 or
      The start date for CMECE testing has been finalized. Following is the updated FEC+ deployment schedule:
      ·         Testing for ALL post-trade processing, including give-ups, average-priced give-ups, and cross-exchange allocations, using the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API, is currently available in New Release.
      This includes both outbound and inbound messaging capabilities. FECPlus in New Release is used to manage all post-trade processing transactions. The existing FIXML 4.4 API is not used for any post-trade processing in New Release.
      ·         Thursday, September 26: Testing for the migration of post-trade processing to FECPlus for CMECE will begin in the CMECE CERT test environment using the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API.
      ·         Monday, January 14, 2013: Production launch date for migration of post-trade processing to FECPlus for CMECE using the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API.
      ·         Monday, February 25, 2013: 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/DME using the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API.
      To help the clearing community prepare for the launch, the Clearing House will publish a test script for testing Post-Trade Processing on FECPlus by Mid-September. Firms should use this high-level test script, in addition to their own test scenarios, to verify their readiness for the Production Launch.
      Beginning in November, the Clearing House will check in periodically with firms on their testing status and to offer assistance with testing. Please contact CME Clearing Services (CCS) with any questions related to FECPlus testing or the overall FECPlus migration.
      For questions or further information please contact CME Clearing Services (CCS) at 312-207-2525 or ccs@cmegroup.com.
      SPAN Position File Converter Upgrade Available
      CME Clearing has released a new version of the Span Position File Converter, which is available to download at cme-ch.com/pcspan. The utility, which creates XML SPAN position files from CSV files, has been enhanced to net positions.
      For example, the old version of the utility was not able to properly convert the portfolio in myPort.csv into +60 September 2012 S&P 500 futures. Instead, to the extent that the portfolio contained similar trades of different quantity, the utility was only able to convert the 1st line item of those trades (in this example, only +100 September 2012 S&P 500 futures).
      With this enhancement, the new version of the utility is now able to convert the portfolio in this linked CSV file into +60 long September 2012 S&P 500 futures.
      Note that this utility can be used to convert exchange-traded, OTCFX, and CDS trades into XML SPAN position files.
      Also, at this link is additional documentation on the Span Position File Converter (SpanPosConvUtil.doc).
      Please contact the CME Clearing Risk Hotline at clearing.riskmanagement@cmegroup.com or 312.648.3888 if you have further questions.
      UPDATED: FECPlus FIXML 5.0 Production Deployment Schedule
      To comply with upcoming regulatory requirements, the Post-Trade Processing migration to FECPlus, using the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API, has been delayed. Following is the new deployment schedule:
      Testing for ALL post-trade processing, including give-ups, average-priced give-ups, and cross-exchange allocations, using the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API, is currently available in New Release.
      This includes both outbound and inbound messaging capabilities. FECPlus in New Release is used to manage all post-trade processing transactions. The existing FIXML 4.4 API is not used for any post-trade processing in New Release.
      End of September: Testing for the migration of post-trade processing to FECPlus for CMECE will begin in the CMECE CERT test environment using the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API. Another notice will be sent when a specific date is available.
      Monday, January 14, 2013: Production launch date for migration of post-trade processing to FECPlus for CMECE using the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API.
      Monday, February 25, 2013: 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/DME using the FPL-compliant FIXML 5.0 API.In order to help the clearing community prepare for the launch, the Clearing House will publish a test script for testing Post-Trade Processing on FECPlus by Mid-September. Firms should use this high-level test script, in addition to their own test scenarios, to verify their readiness for the Production Launch.
      Beginning in November, the Clearing House will check in periodically with firms on their testing status and to offer assistance with testing. Please contact CME Clearing Customer Support (CCS) with any questions related to FECPlus testing or the overall FECPlus migration.
      For questions or further information please contact CME Clearing Customer Support (CCS) at 312-207-2525 or ccs@cmegroup.com.
      Effective Monday, October 15th, Production FEC+ will be enhanced to provide full anonymity for all CME ClearPort and ITP trades, including CDS and OTCFX trades.
       
      Currently in FEC+, the Opposite Firm field will display as blank for CME ClearPort and ITP trades unless the CMF is on both sides of the trade. With the full anonymity enhancement, the Opposite Firm field will always display as blank.
       
      This enhancement only applies to FEC+. Manually-entered transactions within FEC Classic, such as EFP/R/S, Blocks and Transfers will continue to display the opposite firm in all cases.
       
      Testing in the New Release environment for this change will be available beginning Thursday, October 4th.
       
      For questions or further information please contact CME Clearing Services (CCS) at 312-207-2525 or ccs@cmegroup.com.
      As outlined in the linked CME ClearPort advisory notice below (see CDSinRAVManager 20120927.pdf), CME Group will be enhancing CME Account Manager (RAV Manager) to allow Clearing Member Firms to establish credit limits for accounts permissioned to trade credit default swap (CDS) products. The purpose of this advisory is to communicate additional information regarding how this impacts the account setup process in both New Release (UAT) and Production (live).
       
      In Production, CME Clearing Members have the ability to view and edit RAV Limits within the Account Manager (RAV Manager) application. In the case that Clearing Members wish to update accounts in bulk (50 or more accounts), they may use the attached CME CDS Limits Loader spreadsheet (see CME CDS Limits Loader.xls). This CME CDS Limits Loader will allow Clearing Members to update existing accounts from Clearing Member Explicit Claim to CME Hosted (or vice-versa), add limit measures to new accounts and update existing limit measures.
       
      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.
      This link provides the relevant delivery dates for October 2012 Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc., Chicago Board of Trade, New York Mercantile Exchange, Dubai Mercantile Exchange, COMEX and GreenX contracts.
       
      This advisory describes CME’s new physically delivered FX futures on the exchange rate between the US Dollar and the Offshore Chinese Renminbi. These are referred to as Standard USD Offshore Renminbi (USD/CNH) Futures and E-micro USD Offshore Renminbi (USD/MNH) Futures. The Globex and clearing product codes for the two new futures are CNH and MNH, respectively.
       
      Effective on Sunday, November 18, 2012, for the trade date of Monday, November 19, 2012, CME is launching new Standard-size and E-micro-size U.S. Dollar/Offshore Chinese Renminbi (USD/CNH) Futures contracts on CME Globex and CME ClearPort. These futures contracts feature physical delivery of Offshore Chinese Renminbi (CNH), priced in interbank terms of Offshore Chinese Renminbi per U.S. dollar with associated daily settlement variation banked in Offshore Chinese Renminbi, and fungible (offsetting) on a 10 to 1 basis between the micro and the full-sized contracts.
       
      These two new contracts are in addition to CME’s other currently listed U.S. dollar vs. Chinese Renminbi products: Chinese Renminbi/U.S. Dollar futures and options priced in American-terms of U.S. dollars per Chinese Renminbi with daily pays and collects in U.S. dollars (product code = RMB), and Standard-size and E-micro-size U.S. Dollar/Chinese Renminbi futures (product codes, respectively, CNY and MNY) priced in interbank terms of Chinese Renminbi per U.S. dollar, but with daily implied pays and collects in RMB converted and banked into U.S. dollars. These currently listed dollar/Renminbi products are unchanged and continue to be listed for trading after introduction of the new contracts.
       
      From a clearing and bookkeeping point of view, there are no systems changes to trade, position or settlement processing associated with the two new products. On the Trade Register file and report, for example, the products will appear exactly like any other future, with variation amounts denominated in CNH. Additionally, in the daily settlement banking process, the money will be in CNH, the offshore Chinese Renminbi.
       
      The products will be margined in SPAN normally. The margin currency as defined in SPAN will be CNH. As with any initial margin (performance bond) requirement, the requirement may be met with any assets, denominated in any currency, which CME Clearing accepts. Page 2 #12-400/September 19, 2012
      Settlement Banking
      Firms which will clear these new products must establish accounts at CME-approved settlement banks for banking of settlement variation amounts denominated in Offshore Renminbi. Note that CME also accepts Offshore Renminbi cash as performance bond collateral. CNH-denominated settlement variation amounts will be banked on a T+2 value-date convention. Normal “combined cash flow” processing will be used to minimize banking transactions. In other words, for firms receiving CNH (“variation collects”), the currency will be deposited as performance bond collateral rather than paid to the firm; and for firms owing CNH (“variation pays”), the cash will be taken from CNH collateral on deposit to the extent possible.
       
      Delivery Processing
      The CNH and MNH contracts’ delivery will occur on the business day following the third Wednesday of the contract month. For each contract, trading will cease at 11:00 a.m. Hong Kong time on the first Hong Kong business day preceding the third Wednesday of the contract month. This corresponds to 9:00pm Chicago time (or 10:00pm Chicago time when daylight savings time is in effect). Delivery commitments are due to the Clearing House by 10:00am Chicago time on Tuesday. Wire transfers denominated in USD and orders-to-pay denominated in USD or CNH will be due to CME’s US agent bank by 1:00pm Chicago time on Wednesday. Wire transfers denominated in CNH are due to CME’s agent bank by 12 midnight on Tuesday. Delivery will occur on Thursday. Note that these new contracts are not CLS eligible. Any firm involved in a delivery will be required to submit wire transfer instructions or orders-to-pay to satisfy the delivery. Sellers must deliver the CNH from an offshore Chinese Renminbi account at a commercial bank in Hong Kong, and buyers must similarly take delivery at such an account.
       
      Testing opportunities: These new products will be available in the New Release testing environment starting October 22, 2012.
       
      For more information: For more information, contact CME Clearing at 312-207-2525, and please see:
      ·         CME’s web pages on the new Offshore Renminbi contracts, at: www.cmegroup.com/trading/fx/usd-renminbi-futures.html
      ·         TheCME Globex noticeabout the new contracts,at:http://www.cmegroup.com/tools-information/lookups/advisories/electronic-trading/20120914.html
      ·         The Clearing Advisory 12-185, published April 30.2012, regarding Offshore Renminbi as performance bond collateral, at: www.cmegroup.com/tools-information/lookups/advisories/clearing/files/Chadv12-185.pdf
       
      Effective Monday, October 1, 2012, CME Clearing will no longer generate the POS595 report (the Non Give-up Trade Register) which is currently generated for CME, CBOT NYMEX and COMEX exchanges. After that date, the report will not be available in EREP or included in the reports package firms receive via FTP.
      Please contact CME Clearing at 312-207-2525 or ccs@cmegroup.com if you have further questions or concerns.
      On Monday, October 15, 2012, CME Group will introduce an important enhancement to the clearing processing for its USDRMB futures contract – the USD Renminbi future with USD banking.
      This is the CNY contract where the contract size is 100,000 USD, the price is quoted in CNY (Chinese Renminbi Yuan) per US dollar, and the settlement variation amounts are converted from CNY back to USD by dividing by the current spot exchange rate between CNY and USD.
      Currently, the trade register report and data file for this product provide values in CNY. With the change, the values will be provided in USD, and attributes will be provided to drive the conversion of the variation amounts from one currency to another.
      The goal is of this enhancement is to simplify bookkeeping processing and reconciliation for clearing firms. This methodology will be applied to other products in the future.
      CME Group recognizes that with the Thursday, November 8, 2012 deadline for LSOC implementation fast approaching, it is important that the industry receive clear specifications from CME, sufficient to clarify important details of our implementation of LSOC. At the same time, CME remains committed to listening to the industry so that our implementation plan can incorporate sensible feedback to ease implementation burdens as much as reasonably possible.
      CME Group will implement LSOC in a two-phase process. As previously indicated, LSOC will apply to FCM clearing member firms of CME holding customer positions in cleared swaps.
      The first phase will begin on Monday, November 5, 2012. In this initial period, LSOC will be implemented in an unallocated excess mode.
      The second phase will begin on Monday, February 4, 2013. On that date, CME clearing firms may begin operating in a client-specific excess mode. Firms will have until Monday May 27, 2013 to complete the transition; beginning on that date, all CME clearing firms with customer positions in cleared swaps must operate in a client-specific mode.
      The advisory at the link below 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.
      Clearing Advisory 12-353 at this link details new reporting requirements and timelines for clearing firms stemming from CFTC regulations going into effect on November 8, 2012. Customer Gross Margining (CGM) will apply both to products which are under the futures regulatory regime and to products which are classified as cleared swaps for regulatory purposes. The original CME Group Clearing Advisory regarding CGM was published on March 29, 2012, and is Advisory Number 12-139.
      There are three key dates that firms should keep in mind relating to Customer Gross Margining, as explained below: Tuesday September 4, 2012 – the date on which CME will begin accepting daily CGM data files from firms; Monday October 8, 2012 – the date by which all firms must be submitting daily CGM data files; and Monday November 5, 2012, when CME will go live with Customer Gross Margining (four days prior to the November 8 deadline.)
      The Division of Clearing and Risk (“DCR”) of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“Commission”) on Friday, September 21, 2012 set forth its expectations with regard to Futures Commission Merchant (“FCM”) compliance with Commission Regulation 1.74, Futures Commission Merchant acceptance for clearing.
      The effective date for compliance with Regulation 1.74 is October 1, 2012.
      This CME Clearing Advisory Notice provides important clarification and guidance regarding the implementation of Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Regulation 39.13(g)(8)(ii), Customer Initial Margin Requirements.
      CME Clearing has received an interpretation from CFTC concerning Regulation 39.13(g)(8)(ii). CME Clearing requested that the CFTC clarify four key items that have a material impact in the implementation of Regulation 39.13(g)(8)(ii).
      In conjunction with regular review of market volatility to ensure adequate collateral coverage, please find the current acceptable collateral and haircuts for CME Clearing below. CME Clearing reports no additions or deletions to the acceptable collateral list. Please see CME Clearing website for more details. http://www.cmegroup.com/clearing/financial-and-collateral-management/
       
      Should you have any questions, please contact the Risk Management department at 312-648-3888 or Financial Management group at 312-207-2594.
      Effective Thursday, November 8, 2012, pending regulatory review, CME Clearing will adjust the value-date convention for settling non-USD variation margin obligations for cleared interest-rate swaps. With this adjustment, the value-date for these non-dollar variation moves will be determined solely by the banking calendar of the currency in which the variation is denominated, without any reference to the USD banking calendar. This change will harmonize the value-date convention with OTC market conventions for rate swaps. CME Clearing will settle non-USD currencies on US holidays; the first holiday this will occur for is Veterans Day which is observed Monday, November 12.
      Starting November 18, CME Globex Trading Day for Equity Index Products to End at 4:15 p.m. CT
      Change to CME Globex trading hours will coordinate with switch to daily price limits for U.S. Equity Index Products
      Settlement time will remain unchanged (3:15 p.m. CT)
      Effective Sunday, November 18 (for first trade date Monday, November 19), the end of the CME Globex trading day for electronically traded equity index futures and options contracts will change from 3:15 p.m. CT to 4:15 p.m. CT. Settlement times will remain unchanged.
      Under the revised hours:
      ·         There will be a 15-minute halt in electronic trading from 3:15 p.m.to 3:30 p.m. CT.
      ·         Trading for equity index contracts listed on CME Globex will resume at 3:30 p.m. CT for the same trade date for 45 minutes, closing at 4:15 p.m. CT. This includes Fridays, meaning that the end of trading week on CME Globex will also be changed to 4:15 p.m. CT.
      ·         CME Globex trades that take place during the 3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. time frame will be subject to the daily settlement prices calculated at 3:15 p.m. CT (i.e., settlement times will not change).
      ·         Trading of equity index contracts on CME Globex will be closed from 4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. CT.
      ·         Trading re-opens at 5:00 p.m. on CME Globex (Sundays-Thursdays) for the new trade date.
      At the link below is the clearing schedule for the Columbus Day holiday.
      October 1, 2012, the New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (NYMEX or Exchange) delisted contract days through October 19, 2012, for the Daily European Union Allowance (EUA) futures contract (commodity code EUL, chapter 1260). The delisted contract days had no open interest.
       
      This action was taken due to the implementation of upgrades to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme’s Union Registry. Starting on September 27, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. Central European Summer Time (“CEST”), operations of the Union Registry were partially suspended. Registry users will continue to have access to their registry accounts but it will not be possible to initiate transfers or modify personal details. Additionally, access to the Union Registry and its registry accounts will be completely suspended until October 2, 2012. The Union Registry will resume full operation on October 2, 2012.
      Please refer questions on this subject to:
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