Stock Loan Program
OCC makes two stock loan programs available to its Clearing Members; the OCC Stock Loan Program and the AQS Securities Lending Marketplace. Overviews of each of the programs are detailed below.
OCC Stock Loan
In July 1993, The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) introduced a Stock Loan Program (formerly "Hedge") which allowed Clearing Members to use borrowed and loaned securities to reduce OCC margin requirements by reflecting the real risks of their intermarket hedged positions.
Since the program's creation, OCC has worked with Clearing Members and The Depository Trust Company (DTC) to expand the program and increase the operational efficiency of the Stock Loan System.
More importantly, with OCC's 'AAA' credit rating from Standard & Poor's and its role as Principal Counterparty, OCC becomes the lender to the borrower and the borrower to the lender for each transaction.
Features
OCC's Stock Loan System allows Members to:
- Use the current DTC stock delivery process to create stock loan/borrow positions.
- Elect to mark stock loans to the market at 100% or 102% by counterparty. Mark to market payments are guaranteed by OCC.
- Instruct OCC to automatically allocate Stock Loan positions against either equity or index stock positions for margin offset.
- Reallocate Stock Loan positions daily to achieve maximum margin relief at OCC.
- Maximize cost savings through periodic Margin/Stock Loan Analysis executed by OCC's Financial Surveillance Group.
Operations
- Borrower and lender negotiate stock loan transaction terms and rebate.
- Details of loan are sent to DTC using special OCC reason codes. Cash and securities are transferred through DTC.
- OCC processes new loan and return loan transactions daily, updates Clearing Members' stock inventories and automatically allocates new positions per Clearing Members' standing instructions.
- Each business evening, OCC marks to market each outstanding stock loan/borrow position. Intraday and end of day Stock Loan activity reports are distributed via ENCORE's Report facility.
- All output reports are available daily on-line.
- All Stock Loan data is available to participants in a machine-readable fashion via daily transmissions.
Benefits
These features, along with OCC's risk management practices and daily surveillance, create an environment in which Clearing Members can benefit from the following:
- Reduced OCC margin costs
- Expanded credit lines
- 'AAA' rated counterparty
- Expanded lending opportunities
- Continuous risk monitoring of all Stock Loan participants by OCC's Financial Surveillance Group
AQS Securities Lending Marketplace
In January 2009, Automated Equity Finance Markets, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quadriserv, Inc., announced its intention to begin operation of its securities lending marketplace after signing a clearing and settlement services agreement with The Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC"). The AQS marketplace for securities lending and borrowing is an SEC regulated Alternative Trading System ("ATS"). OCC has been chosen by AQS to act as the Central Counterparty ("CCP") to all transactions executed on its platform as well as guaranteeing all mark to market and rebate payments associated with those transactions.
Marketplace Features
The AQS Marketplace will provide:
- Price Discovery
- Trade Matching
- Clearance and Settlement Processing
- Open Contract Maintenance
- Market Data Services
- Regulatory Compliance processes and procedures
- Automated Rebate reconciliation
OCC Operations
As the CCP to AQS transactions, OCC will:
- Provide anonymous trading by becoming the borrower to the lender and the lender to the borrower
- Guarantee delivery of securities vs. cash, through DTC, in AQS approved transactions
- Guarantee daily mark to market payments
- Guarantee rebate payments
- Provide Risk Management and Financial Surveillance oversight of all OCC registered Clearing Member market participants
Benefits
With OCC as the CCP, the AQS Securities Lending Market Place will provide the following benefits:
- Anonymous trading
- "AAA"-rated CCP
- Reduced balance sheet/OTC credit exposure
- Guaranteed settlements, mark to market and rebate payments
- Reduced Operational costs
For more information about the AQS Marketplace, please visit www.tradeaqs.com.