The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is revising the “living will” for covered clearing agencies (CCAs) through rule amendments and a new rule —approved late last month — all intended to boost the resilience, recovery, and wind-down planning for CCAs, officials say. “CCAs are registered clearing agencies that act as central counterparties, meaning that they… Read More >>
Many Firms Unclear About Treasury Clearing Mandate
Almost half of the participants in a recent survey do not yet understand that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued regulations that have mandated centralized clearing of key U.S. Treasury transactions, according to the study commissioned by specialist professional services provider Davies Consulting. The SEC has decided that “a treasury central counterparty… Read More >>
FICC Sets a T-Bonds Record as Costs to Rise
The Government Securities Division (GSD) of the Fixed Income Clearing Corp. (FICC) cleared $9.2 trillion in U.S. Treasury activity on September 3, a record-setting milestone that could bode well for the mandated centralized clearing to come next year. The steady industry movement to centralized clearing is a sign that industry players are embracing the reforms… Read More >>
U.S. Treasury Clearing Rules Jolt Firms Into Action
Clearing is coming the U.S. Treasury market and buy- and sell-side firms are beginning to get the message. New SEC clearing rules for the U.S. Treasury market, which take effect next year and in 2026, will spur more sell-side firms to offer Treasury clearing via prime brokerage, agency clearing, and futures commission merchant (FCM) services… Read More >>
FICC & SEC Settle Backtesting Case for $8M
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission reports that Fixed Income Clearing Corp. (FICC), a clearing agency that is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. (DTCC), will pay an $8 million penalty in a settlement of the commission’s charges that it “failed to have adequate risk management policies” within its… Read More >>
Global Uncertainty Boosts Profits for U.S. Banks
U.S. banks enjoyed a bumper crop of results during the third quarter thanks to volatile conditions in fixed income trading. While some attribute the healthy performance to the so-called Brexit bounce, others point to a wider range of factors behind the better-than-predicted numbers. Analysts had forecast a downbeat earnings season for the U.S. banking sector,… Read More >>