Futures, Forward, and Option Contracts Section 2130.0 2130.0.1 INTRODUCTION (call), a specified quantity of an underlying security, money market instrument or commod- Effective March 1, 1983, the Board issued an ity at or before the stated expiration of the amended bank holding company policy state- contract. At expiration, if the value of the option ment entitled ‘‘Futures, Forward and Options on increases, the holder will exercise the option or U.S. Government and Agency Securities and close it at a profit. If the value of the option does Money Market Instruments.’’ Bank holding not increase, the holder would probably let the companies are now required to furnish written option expire (or close it out at a profit) and, notification to their District Federal Reserve consequently, will lose the cost (premium paid) Banks within 10 days after financial contract of (for) the option. Alternatively, the option may activities are begun by the parent or a nonbank be sold prior to expiration. subsidiary. The policy is consistent with the Clearing Corporation—A corporation orga- joint policy statement previously issued by the nized to function as the clearing house for an three federal bank regulators with regard to exchange. The clearing house registers, moni- banks participating in financial contracts, and tors, matches and guarantees trades on a futures reflects the Board’s judgment that bank holding market, and carries out financial settlement of companies, as sources of strength for their sub- futures transactions. The clearing house acts as sidiary banks, should not take speculative posi- the central counterparty to all trades executed tions in such activities. on the exchange. It substitutes as a seller to all If a bank holding company or nonbank sub- buyers and as a buyer to all sellers. In addition, sidiary is taking or intends to take positions in the clearing corporation serves to insure that all financial contracts, that company’s board of contracts will be honored in the event of a directors should approve written policies and counterparty default. establish appropriate limitations to ensure that Clearing Member—A member firm of the the activity is conducted in a safe and sound clearing house or corporation. Membership in manner. Also, appropriate internal control and clearing associations or corporations is restricted audit procedures should be in place to monitor to members of the respective commodity ex- the activity. The following discussion and changes, but not all exchange members are inspection procedures apply to futures contract clearing house members. All trades of a non- activity generally, but are intended to focus spe- clearing member must be registered with, and cifically on financial futures contracts. For a eventually settled through, a clearing member. discussion of currency futures and options and Commodities Futures Trading Commission— the examination procedures for those instru- The CFTC is a federal regulatory agency ments, see sections F and G in the Merchant and charged with regulation of futures trading in all Investment Bank Examination Manual. commodities. It has broad regulatory authority Information, instructions, and inspection pro- over futures trading. It must approve all future cedures have been provided for verifying com- contracts traded on U.S. commodity exchanges, pliance with the Board’s policy statement. It is ensure that the exchanges enforce their own intended that the policy statement will ensure rules (which it must review and approve), and that contract activities are conducted in accor- direct an exchange to take any action needed to dance with safe and sound banking practices. maintain orderly markets whenever it believes The task of evaluating BHC contract activities that an ‘‘emergency’’ exists. is the responsibility of System examiners. The Contract Activities—This term is used in this following information and inspection proce- manual to refer to banking organization partici- dures are intended to serve as a guide for Fed- pation in the futures, forward, standby contract, eral Reserve Bank staff in that effort. or options markets to purchase and sell U.S. government and agency securities or money market instruments, foreign currencies and other 2130.0.2 DEFINITIONS financial instruments. Convergence—The process by which the fu- Basis—Basis is defined as the difference tures market price and the cash market price of a between the futures contract price and the cash financial instrument or commodity converge as market price of the same underlying security, the futures contract approaches expiration. money market instrument, or commodity. Call Option—A contract that gives the buyer BHC Supervision Manual December 1992 (holder) the right, but not the obligation to buy Page 1 Futures, Forward, and Option Contracts 2130.0 Covered Call Options—This term refers to or commodity on a future date at a specified the issuance or sale of a call option where the price. While futures contracts traditionally spec- option seller owns the underlying deliverable ified a deliverable instrument, newer contracts security or financial instrument. have been developed that are based on various Cross Hedging—The process of hedging a indexes. Futures contracts based on indexes set- ‘‘cash’’ or derivative instrument position with tle in cash and never result in delivery of an another cash or derivative instrument that has underlying instrument; some traditional con- significantly different characteristics. For exam- tracts that formerly specified delivery of an ple, an investor who wants to hedge the sales underlying instrument have been redesigned to price of long-term corporate bonds might hedge specify cash settlement. New financial futures by establishing a short position in a treasury contracts are continually being proposed and bond or treasury bond futures contract, but since adopted for trading on various exchanges. the corporate bonds cannot be delivered to sat- Futures Commission Merchant (FCM)—An isfy the contract, the hedge would be a cross FCM functions like a broker in securities. An hedge. To be successful, the price movements of FCM must register with the Commodities the hedged instrument must be highly correlated Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in order to that of the position being hedged. to be eligible to solicit or accept orders to buy or Difference Check—A difference check is sent sell futures contracts. The services provided by by the party which recognizes a loss when a an FCM include a communications system for forward contract is closed out by the execution transmittal of orders, and may include research of an offsetting forward contract pursuant to a services, trading strategy suggestions, trade exe- pair-off clause. In essence, the difference check cution, and recordkeeping services. represents a net cash settlement on offsetting Financial Futures Contracts—Standardized transactions between the same two parties and contracts traded on organized exchanges to pur- replaces a physical delivery and redelivery of chase or sell a specified security, money market the underlying securities pursuant to offsetting instrument, or foreign currency on a future date contracts. at a specified price on a specified date. Futures Financial Contract—This term is used in the contracts on GNMA mortgage-backed securities manual to refer to financial futures, forward, and Treasury bills were the first interest rate standby contracts, and options to purchase and futures contracts. Other financial futures con- sell U.S. government and agency securities, tracts have been developed, including contracts money market instruments, foreign currency on Eurodollars, currencies, and Euro-Rate dif- futures and other financial instruments. ferentials. It is anticipated that new and similar Firm Forward Contract—This term is used financial futures contracts will continue to be to describe a forward contract under which de- proposed and adopted for trading on various livery of a security is mandatory. See ‘‘Standby exchanges. Contract’’ for a discussion of optional delivery Futures Exchange—Under the Commodities forward contracts. Exchange Act (CEA), a ‘‘board of trade’’ desig- Forward Contracts—Over-the-counter con- nated by the Commodity Futures Trading Com- tracts for forward placement or delayed delivery mission as a contract market. Trading occurs on of securities in which one party agrees to pur- the floor of the exchange and is conducted by chase and another to sell a specified security at a open auction in designated trading areas. specified price for future delivery. Contracts GNMA or GINNIE MAE—Either term is used specifying settlement in excess of 30 days fol- to refer to the Government National Mortgage lowing trade date shall be deemed to be forward Association. Ginnie Mae is a government corpo- contracts. Forward contracts are usually non- ration within the U.S. Department of Housing standardized and are not traded on organized and Urban Development. In creating GNMA, exchanges, generally have no required margin Congress authorized it to grant a full faith and payments, and can only be terminated by agree- credit guaranty of the U.S. government to ment of both parties to the transaction. The term mortgage-backed securities issued by private also applies to derivative contracts such as sector organizations. swaps, caps, and collars. Hedge—The process of entering transactions Futures Contracts—Standardized contracts that will protect against loss through compensa- traded on organized commodity exchanges to tory price movement. A hedge transaction is one purchase or sell a specified financial instrument which reduces the organization’s overall level of risk. BHC Supervision Manual December 1992 Initial Futures Margin—In the futures mar- Page 2 ket, a deposit held by an FCM on behalf of a Futures, Forward, and Option Contracts 2130.0 client against which daily gains and losses on rities positions in proprietary trading and invest- futures positions are added or subtracted. A ment accounts. Futures positions are typically futures margin represents a good-faith deposit marked-to-market at the end of each trading or performance bond to guarantee a partici- session.