Not all derivative contracts are created equal. That is the message mutual fund managers are giving the US Securities and Exchange Commission about its proposal to limit their exposure to derivatives. The SEC fears the growth in the use of derivatives by mutual funds and other registered investment fund advisers leading to greater financial losses. […]
The Derivatives ID Dilemma: Industry Accord Suggests an ISIN Solution
Is the International Securities Identification Number (ISIN) not fit for purpose for identifying certain types of derivatives, as claimed by some partisans for other identifiers or just “concerned citizens” of the derivatives realm? Or is the only possible solution for regulatory reporting requirements a Unique Product Identifier (UPI) based on the descriptive taxonomy developed by […]
Europe’s Revised Settlement Regime: Still Problematic?
latto nude venus3444 Just who is responsible for fixing a securities transaction which fails to settle on time? a. the securities depository b. the custodian of the injured counterparty c. the injured trading counterparty d. all of the above The European Securities and Markets Authority, the pan-European regulatory agency, recently decided that the answer should […]
US Braces for Testing T+2 Preparedness (Updated)
(Editor’s Note: After the publication of this article, DTCC published a document which outlines the testing requirements from its subsidiaries NSCC, DTC and Omgeo for impacted organizations and instruments. The paper entitled “T+2 Test Approach: DTCC’s High-Level Testing Framework” can be found here). Testing, testing, testing. That is the next critical focus for achieving a successful transition […]
Syndicated Loans Market: An Evolution is Coming
Nineteen days and counting. That’s the average time it takes to settle a US syndicated loan. It’s a far cry from the two or three days for other asset classes, but fund managers, broker-dealers, agent banks and even regulators are waking up to the fact the gap must be closed to reduce risks and costs. […]
Securities Finance Data: Useful or Not for European Regulators?
In asking market players to shed more light on their securities finance transactions, European regulators have unintentionally opened an operational and legal can of worms. The newly passed European Securities Financing Transactions (SFT) legislation includes a requirement that managers of new European traditional and alternative investment funds disclose their policies involving securities finance transactions in […]
FINRA’s TBA Margin Rule: No Meeting of Minds with Industry
The pleas of fund managers and broker-dealers for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to change proposed rules requiring the collateralization of agency mortgage-backed securities and other transactions are falling on deaf ears and time is running out. The SEC is requiring that final comments on FINRA’s new proposal published last month be submitted by […]
Fund Managers: On Countdown for New Uncleared Swaps Margins
US banking regulators might not have directly overseen the activities of fund management shops in the past, but when it comes to uncleared bilateral swap contracts, that stance is changing fast. The new arrangement will come at a hefty cost for heavy users of the bespoke deals. Under final rules released October 22, a host of […]
FCMs: Fund Managers Swap One Cost for Another
Fund managers can no longer assume all is well in their relationships with their futures commissions merchants. As many face changing or even lost relationships with their FCMs, the big question they are forced to answer: What do we do now? Their choices: either find another FCM, reduce the number of centrally-cleared swaps transactions they trade, or […]
US T+2 Settlement: The Long Journey Officially Begins
What a difference a day makes. Until September 16, the US financial industry had only been talking about a two-day settlement cycle. Only a preliminary roadmap of the stepping stones to T+2 had been completed, indicating that at least 30 operational workflows will be affected, requiring rule, behavioral and technology changes. On that day Securities and Exchange Commission […]