Document ID: SEC-2022-0802-0001
Agency: sec
Document Type: Notice
Title: Self-Regulatory Organizations; Proposed Rule Changes: The Options Clearing Corp.
Posted Date: 2022-06-14T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 114 (Tuesday, June 14, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36028-36030]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12741]

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-95073; File No. SR-OCC-2022-007]

Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Options Clearing Corporation; 
Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change 
Concerning the Implementation of Changes to Settlement Timing 
Previously Approved in File No. SR-OCC-2022-004

June 8, 2022.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(``Exchange Act'' or ``Act''),\1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice 
is hereby given that on May 26, 2022, The Options Clearing Corporation 
(``OCC'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I, II, 
and III below, which Items have been prepared primarily by OCC. The 
Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the 
proposed rule change from interested persons.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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I. Clearing Agency's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the 
Proposed Rule Change

    This proposed rule change would amend the By-Laws and Rules to 
provide for delayed implementation of the prosed [sic] changes approved 
by the Commission in File No. SR-OCC-2022-004.\3\ The proposed changes 
to OCC's By-Laws and Rules are attached to File No. SR-OCC-2022-007 as 
Exhibit 5a and Exhibit 5b, respectively. Proposed changes to the 
Clearing Fund Methodology Policy and Liquidity Risk Management 
Framework are attached to File No. SR-OCC-2022-007 as confidential 
Exhibit 5c and confidential Exhibit 5d, respectively. Material added by 
File No. SR-OCC-2022-004 is marked by underlining and material deleted 
is marked with strikethrough text. Material proposed to be added to 
OCC's By-Laws and Rules as currently in effect is marked by double 
underlining and material proposed to be deleted is marked with double 
strikethrough text. All terms with initial capitalization that are not 
otherwise defined herein have the same meaning as set forth in the By-
Laws and Rules.\4\
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    \3\ See Notice of Filing of Partial Amendment No. 1 and Order 
Granting Accelerated Approval of a Proposed Rule Change, as Modified 
by Partial Amendment No. 1, by The Options Clearing Corporation 
Concerning Settlement Timing, available at https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro/occ/2022/34-94950.pdf.
    \4\ OCC's By-Laws and Rules can be found on OCC's public 
website: https://www.theocc.com/Company-Information/Documents-and-Archives/By-Laws-and-Rules.
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II. Clearing Agency's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis 
for, the Proposed Rule Change

    In its filing with the Commission, OCC 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. OCC has prepared summaries, set forth in sections (A), 
(B), and (C) below, of the most significant aspects of these 
statements.

(A) Clearing Agency's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis 
for, the Proposed Rule Change

(1) Purpose
Background
    On May 19, 2022, the Commission approved a proposed rule change by 
OCC to change the time frame for collecting margin and Clearing Fund 
deficits as well as increases in the Clearing Fund cash requirement. As 
OCC announced in Information Memo 50390, OCC currently plans to 
implement the changes to the time for collecting margin and general 
Clearing Fund deficits on the morning of Monday, June 27, 2022, and 
changes to the collection of Clearing Fund deficit resulting from the 
monthly re-sizing of the Clearing Fund on the morning of Friday, July 
1, 2022.\5\
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    \5\ See Information Memo 50390, available at https://infomemo.theocc.com/infomemos?number=50390. Any changes to the dates 
announced in that memo would be communicated via a subsequent 
Information Memo.

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[[Page 36029]]

Proposed Change
    Because the proposed changes as described in File No. SR-OCC-2022-
004 did not discuss delayed implementation of those proposed rule 
changes, OCC is proposing to amend its By-Laws and Rules to retain the 
marked changes from File No. SR-OCC-2022-004 in its By-Laws and Rules 
until after the settlement time on the business day before the 
implementation date, which OCC will announce no less than two weeks 
prior to the implementation date. As discussed above, the 
implementation date will be no earlier than June 27, 2022. For clarity, 
OCC is also proposing a note to be placed before the affected By-Law 
and Rules provisions disclosing that the marked changes are not 
effective until that time, after which OCC will apply the marked 
changes and the notes automatically will be deleted.\6\ At that time, 
OCC will also implement the changes to the Clearing Fund Methodology 
Policy and the Liquidity Risk Management Framework discussed in File 
No. SR-OCC-2022-004. For purposes of this filing, OCC is proposing to 
add the same note to those policies.
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    \6\ The affected By-Laws are the definition of ``settlement 
time'' in Article I, Section 1 and Article XV, Section 1. The 
affected Rules are OCC Rules 101, 605, 1002, 1004, 1005, and 1006.
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(2) Statutory Basis
    OCC believes the proposed rule changes are consistent with Section 
17A of the Securities Exchange Act and the rules and regulations 
thereunder. Section 17A(b)(3)(F) \7\ of the Exchange Act requires, 
among other things, that the rules of a clearing agency be designed to 
promote the prompt and accurate clearance and settlement of securities 
and derivatives transactions and protect investors and the public 
interest. By clarifying that certain By-Laws and Rules changes approved 
by the Commission are not yet implemented, the proposed rule changes 
facilitate the administration of existing rules intended to promote the 
prompt and accurate clearance and settlement of securities and 
derivatives transactions and protect investors and the public interest.
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    \7\ 15 U.S.C. 78q-1(b)(3)(F).
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    In addition, Rule 17Ad-22(e)(1) requires OCC to, among other 
things, maintain written policies and procedures reasonably designed to 
ensure a well-founded, clear, transparent, and enforceable legal basis 
for each aspect of OCC's activities.\8\ By clarifying that the By-Laws 
and Rules in effect prior to File No. SR-OCC-2022-004 will remain in 
effect until the implementation of the changes approved therein, OCC 
would ensure that it maintains a well-founded, clear, transparent and 
enforceable legal basis for the collection of margin and Clearing Fund 
deficits prior to implementation of the changes approved in File No. 
SR-OCC-2022-004.
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    \8\ 17 CFR 240.17Ad-22(e)(1).
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(B) Clearing Agency's Statement on Burden on Competition

    Section 17A(b)(3)(I) of the Act \9\ requires that the rules of a 
clearing agency not impose any burden on competition not necessary or 
appropriate in furtherance of the Act. OCC does not believe that the 
proposed rule change would impact or impose any burden on competition. 
The proposed rule change would provide for the By-Laws and Rules 
governing collection of margin and Clearing Fund deposits that existed 
prior to File No. SR-OCC-2022-004 to persist until the changes from 
that filing are ready to be implemented. The proposed rule change would 
not affect the competitive dynamics between Clearing Members in that it 
would apply to all Clearing Members equally. The proposed rule change 
also would not inhibit access to OCC's services or disadvantage or 
favor any particular user in relationship to another. In this regard, 
as described above, the proposed rule change is designed to further 
facilitate the prompt and accurate clearance and settlement of 
securities transactions.
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    \9\ 15 U.S.C. 78q-1(b)(3)(I).
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(C) Clearing Agency's Statement on Comments on the Proposed Rule Change 
Received From Members, Participants or Others

    Written comments were not and are not intended to be solicited with 
respect to the proposed rule change and none have been received.

III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for 
Commission Action

    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A)(i) \10\ of the Act, and Rule 19b-
4(f)(1) thereunder,\11\ the proposed rule change is filed for immediate 
effectiveness. 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. The proposal shall 
not take effect until all regulatory actions required with respect to 
the proposal are completed.\12\
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    \10\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(i).
    \11\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(1).
    \12\ Notwithstanding its immediate effectiveness, implementation 
of this rule change will be delayed until this change is deemed 
certified under CFTC Regulation 40.6.
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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 email to [email protected]. Please include 
File Number SR-OCC-2022-007 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

     Send paper comments in triplicate to Vanessa Countryman, 
Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE, 
Washington, DC 20549-1090.

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-OCC-2022-007. This file 
number should be included on the subject line if email 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 website (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, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 
20549, on official business days between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 
3:00 p.m. Copies of such filing also will be available for inspection 
and copying at the principal office of OCC and on OCC's website at 
https://www.theocc.com/Company-Information/Documents-and-Archives/By-Laws-and-Rules.
    All comments received will be posted without change. Persons 
submitting comments are cautioned that we do not redact or edit 
personal identifying

[[Page 36030]]

information from comment submissions. You should submit only 
information that you wish to make available publicly.
    All submissions should refer to File Number SR-OCC-2022-007 and 
should be submitted on or before July 5, 2022.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\13\
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    \13\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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J. Matthew DeLesDernier,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-12741 Filed 6-13-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P