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[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 13 (Friday, January 18, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 4093-4094]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00820]

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COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION

17 CFR Parts 1, 3, 22, 30 and 140

RIN 3038-AD88

Extension of Comment Period for the Rulemaking Enhancing 
Protections Afforded Customers and Customer Funds Held by Futures 
Commission Merchants and Derivatives Clearing Organizations

AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

ACTION: Extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: On November 14, 2012, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission 
(``Commission'') published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed 
rulemaking (the ``Customer Protection Proposal'') \1\ to adopt new 
regulations and amend existing regulations to require enhanced customer 
protections, risk management programs, internal monitoring and 
controls, capital and liquidity standards, customer disclosures, and 
auditing and examination programs for futures commission merchants 
(``FCMs''). The Customer Protection Proposal also addressed certain 
related issues concerning derivatives clearing organizations (``DCOs'') 
and chief compliance officers (``CCOs''). In order to provide 
interested parties with an additional opportunity to comment on the 
Customer Protection Proposal, the Commission is extending the comment 
period for the Customer Protection Proposal.
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    \1\ See Enhancing Protections Afforded Customers and Customer 
Funds Held by Futures Commission Merchants and Derivatives Clearing 
Organizations, 77 FR 67866 (Nov. 14, 2012).

DATES: The comment period for the Customer Protection Proposal is 
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extended until February 15, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by RIN 3038-AD88, by any 
of the following methods:
     Agency Web site, via its Comments Online process at http://comments.cftc.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments 
through the Web site, and submit all comments through the ``submit 
comment'' link associated with this extension.
     Mail: Send to Natise Stowe, Office of the Secretariat, 
Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st 
Street NW., Washington, DC 20581.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: Same as mail above.
    Please submit your comments using only one method.
    All comments must be submitted in English, or if not, accompanied 
by an English translation. Comments will be posted as received to 
http://www.cftc.gov. You should submit only information that you wish 
to make available publicly. If you wish the Commission to consider 
information that may be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of 
Information Act, a petition for confidential treatment of the exempt 
information may be submitted according to the procedures established in 
Sec.  145.9 of the Commission's regulations, 17 CFR 145.9.\2\
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    \2\ Commission regulations referred to herein are found at 17 
CFR Ch. 1 (2012). Commission regulations are accessible on the 
Commission's Web site, www.cftc.gov.
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    The Commission reserves the right, but shall have no obligation, to 
review, pre-screen, filter, redact, refuse or remove any or all of your 
submission from http://www.cftc.gov that it may deem to be 
inappropriate for publication, such as obscene language. All 
submissions that have been redacted or removed that contain comments on 
the merits of the rulemaking will be retained in the public comment 
file and will be considered as required under the Administrative 
Procedure Act and other applicable laws, and may be accessible under 
the Freedom of Information Act.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Division of Swap Dealer and 
Intermediary Oversight: Gary Barnett, Director, 202-418-5977, 
gbarnett@cftc.gov; Thomas Smith, Deputy Director, 202-418-5495, 
tsmith@cftc.gov; Ward P. Griffin, Associate Chief Counsel, 202-418-
5425, wgriffin@cftc.gov, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three 
Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., Washington, DC 20581; 202-418-
5648; or Kevin Piccoli, Deputy Director, 646-746-9834, 
kpiccoli@cftc.gov, 140 Broadway, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10005.
    Division of Clearing and Risk: Robert B. Wasserman, Chief Counsel, 
202-418-5092, rwasserman@cftc.gov, Commodity Futures Trading 
Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., Washington, 
DC 20581. Office of the Chief Economist: Camden Nunery, Economist, 
cnunery@cftc.gov, 202-418-5723, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, 
Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., Washington, DC 20581.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The protection of customers--and the safeguarding of money, 
securities or

[[Page 4094]]

other property deposited by customers with an FCM--is a fundamental 
component of the Commission's disclosure and financial responsibility 
framework. Section 4d(a)(2) \3\ of the Commodity Exchange Act (``Act'') 
\4\ requires each FCM to segregate from its own assets all money, 
securities and other property deposited by futures customers to margin, 
secure, or guarantee futures contracts and options on futures contracts 
traded on designated contract markets. Section 4d(a)(2) further 
requires an FCM to treat and deal with futures customer funds as 
belonging to the futures customer, and prohibits an FCM from using the 
funds deposited by a futures customer to margin or extend credit to any 
person other than the futures customer that deposited the funds. 
Section 4d(f) of the Act, which was added by section 724(a) of the 
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, requires, 
subject to certain exceptions, each FCM to segregate from its own 
assets all money, securities and other property deposited by Cleared 
Swaps Customers to margin transactions in Cleared Swaps.
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    \3\ 7 U.S.C. 6d(a)(2).
    \4\ 7 U.S.C. 1 et seq.
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    The Commission issued the Customer Protection Proposal because 
market events had illustrated both the need to: (i) Require that care 
be taken about monitoring excess segregated and secured funds, and the 
conditions under and the extent to which such funds may be withdrawn; 
and (ii) place appropriate risk management controls around the other 
risks of the business to help relieve (A) the likelihood of an exigent 
event or, (B) if such an event occurs, the likelihood of a failure to 
prepare for such an event, which in either case could create pressures 
that might result in an inappropriate withdrawal of customer funds. 
Although the Commission stated that it believed that existing 
regulations provide an essential foundation to fostering a well-
functioning marketplace, wherein customers are protected and 
institutional risks are minimized, it noted that recent events had 
demonstrated the need for additional measures to effectuate the 
fundamental purposes of the statutory provisions discussed above. 
Further, the Commission believed that, concurrently with the enhanced 
responsibilities for FCMs contained in the Customer Protection 
Proposal, the oversight and examination systems should be enhanced to 
mitigate risks and effectuate the statutory purposes.

II. Reopening and Extension of Comment Periods and Request for Comment

    Subsequent to issuing the Customer Protection Proposal, the 
Commission has received a number of comments from interested parties 
requesting that the Commission extend the comment period for the 
proposal. Of particular note are the requests of the futures industry's 
self-regulatory organizations, which have requested an extension to the 
comment period to provide additional time for all interested parties to 
evaluate the costs and benefits of the Customer Protection Proposal, 
and to propose alternative measures to provide increased customer 
protection and enhanced monitoring of FCMs.
    In light of the comments received, the Commission is extending the 
comment period of the Customer Protection Proposal to provide the 
public with an additional opportunity to comment on the proposal's 
provisions. Given the emphasis of the comments received thus far on the 
potential costs of the Customer Protection Proposal, the Commission 
specifically seeks comments providing quantitative information 
addressing the costs and benefits of the proposed rulemaking.
    All comments that were received after the close of the originally 
established comment period of the Customer Protection Proposal will be 
treated as if they were received during the extended comment period and 
need not be resubmitted.

    Issued in Washington, DC, this 11th day of January 2013, by the 
Commission.
Stacy D. Yochum,
Counsel to the Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 2013-00820 Filed 1-17-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6351-01-P
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