[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 17, Volume 3]
[Revised as of April 1, 2006]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 17CFR242.401]

[Page 554-556]
 
              TITLE 17--COMMODITY AND SECURITIES EXCHANGES
 
       CHAPTER II--SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (CONTINUED)
 
PART 242_REGULATIONS M, SHO, ATS, AC, AND NMS AND CUSTOMER MARGIN 
REQUIREMENTS FOR SECURITY FUTURES--Table of Contents
 
Sec.  242.401  Definitions.

    (a) For purposes of this Regulation (Sec. Sec.  242.400 through 
242.406) only, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth in 
this section.
    (1) Applicable margin rules and margin rules applicable to an 
account mean the rules and regulations applicable to financial relations 
between a security futures intermediary and a customer with respect to 
security futures and related positions carried in a securities account 
or futures account as provided in Sec.  242.402(a) of this Regulation 
(Sec. Sec.  242.400 through 242.406).
    (2) Broker shall have the meaning provided in section 3(a)(4) of the 
Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(4)).
    (3) Contract multiplier means the number of units of a narrow-based 
security index expressed as a dollar amount, in accordance with the 
terms of the security future contract.
    (4) Current market value means, on any day:
    (i) With respect to a security future:
    (A) If the instrument underlying such security future is a stock, 
theproduct of the daily settlement price of such security future as 
shown by any regularly published reporting or quotation service, and the 
applicable number of shares per contract; or
    (B) If the instrument underlying such security future is a narrow-
based security index, as defined in section 3(a)(55)(B) of the Act (15 
U.S.C. 78c(a)(55)(B)), the product of the daily settlement price of such 
security future as shown by any regularly published reporting or 
quotation service, and the applicable contract multiplier.
    (ii) With respect to a security other than a security future, the 
most recent closing sale price of the security, as shown by any 
regularly published reporting or quotation service. If there is no 
recent closing sale price, the security futures intermediary may use any 
reasonable estimate of the market value of the security as of the most 
recent close of business.
    (5) Customer excludes an exempted person and includes:
    (i) Any person or persons acting jointly:
    (A) On whose behalf a security futures intermediary effects a 
security futures transaction or carries a security futures position; or
    (B) Who would be considered a customer of the security futures 
intermediary according to the ordinary usage of the trade;
    (ii) Any partner in a security futures intermediary that is 
organized as a partnership who would be considered a customer of the 
security futures intermediary absent the partnership relationship; and
    (iii) Any joint venture in which a security futures intermediary 
participates and which would be considered a customer of the security 
futures intermediary if the security futures intermediary were not a 
participant.
    (6) Daily settlement price means, with respect to a security future, 
the settlement price of such security future determined at the close of 
trading each day, under the rules of the applicable exchange, clearing 
agency, or derivatives clearing organization.
    (7) Dealer shall have the meaning provided in section 3(a)(5) of the 
Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(5)).
    (8) Equity means the equity or margin equity in a securities or 
futures account, as computed in accordance with the margin rules 
applicable to the account and subject to adjustment under Sec.  
242.404(c), (d) and (e) of this Regulation (Sec. Sec.  242.400 through 
242.406).
    (9) Exempted person means:
    (i) A member of a national securities exchange, a registered broker 
or dealer, or a registered futures commission merchant, a substantial 
portion of whose business consists of transactions in securities, 
commodity futures, or commodity options with persons other

[[Page 555]]

than brokers, dealers, futures commission merchants, floor brokers, or 
floor traders, and includes a person who:
    (A) Maintains at least 1000 active accounts on an annual basis for 
persons other than brokers, dealers, persons associated with a broker or 
dealer, futures commission merchants, floor brokers, floor traders, and 
persons affiliated with a futures commission merchant, floor broker, or 
floor trader that are effecting transactions in securities, commodity 
futures, or commodity options;
    (B) Earns at least $10 million in gross revenues on an annual basis 
from transactions in securities, commodity futures, or commodity options 
with persons other than brokers, dealers, persons associated with a 
broker or dealer, futures commission merchants, floor brokers, floor 
traders, and persons affiliated with a futures commission merchant, 
floor broker, or floor trader; or
    (C) Earns at least 10 percent of its gross revenues on an annual 
basis from transactions in securities, commodity futures, or commodity 
options with persons other than brokers, dealers, persons associated 
with a broker or dealer, futures commission merchants, floor brokers, 
floor traders, and persons affiliated with a futures commission 
merchant, floor broker, or floor trader.
    (ii) For purposes of paragraph (a)(9)(i) of this section only, 
persons affiliated with a futures commission merchant, floor broker, or 
floor trader means any partner, officer, director, or branch manager of 
such futures commission merchant, floor broker, or floor trader (or any 
person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), any 
person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under 
common control with such futures commission merchant, floor broker, or 
floor trader, or any employee of such a futures commission merchant, 
floor broker, or floor trader.
    (iii) A member of a national securities exchange, a registered 
broker or dealer, or a registered futures commission merchant that has 
been in existence for less than one year may meet the definition of 
exempted person based on a six-month period.
    (10) Exempted security shall have the meaning provided in section 
3(a)(12) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(12)).
    (11) Floor broker shall have the meaning provided in Section 1a(16) 
of the CEA (7 U.S.C. 1a(16)).
    (12) Floor trader shall have the meaning provided in Section 1a(17) 
of the CEA (7 U.S.C. 1a(17)).
    (13) Futures account shall have the meaning provided in Sec.  
240.15c3-3(a) of this chapter.
    (14) Futures commission merchant shall have the meaning provided in 
Section 1a of the CEA (7 U.S.C. 1a).
    (15) Good faith, with respect to making a determination or accepting 
a statement concerning financial relations with a person, means that the 
security futures intermediary is alert to the circumstances surrounding 
such financial relations, and if in possession of information that would 
cause a prudent person not to make the determination or accept the 
notice or certification without inquiry, investigates and is satisfied 
that it is correct.
    (16) Listed option means a put or call option that is:
    (i) Issued by a clearing agency that is registered under section 17A 
of the Act (15 U.S.C. 17q-1) or cleared and guaranteed by a derivatives 
clearing organization that is registered under Section 5b of the CEA (7 
U.S.C. 7a-1); and
    (ii) Traded on or subject to the rules of a self-regulatory 
authority.
    (17) Margin call means a demand by a security futures intermediary 
to a customer for a deposit of cash, securities or other assets to 
satisfy the required margin for security futures or related positions or 
a special margin requirement.
    (18) Margin deficiency means the amount by which the required margin 
in an account is not satisfied by the equity in the account, as computed 
in accordance with Sec.  242.404 of this Regulation (Sec. Sec.  242.400 
through 242.406).
    (19) Margin equity security shall have the meaning provided in 
Regulation T.
    (20) Margin security shall have the meaning provided in Regulation 
T.
    (21) Member shall have the meaning provided in section 3(a)(3) of 
the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(3)), and shall include persons registered 
under section 15(b)(11) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78o(b)(11)) that are

[[Page 556]]

permitted to effect transactions on a national securities exchange 
without the services of another person acting as executing broker.
    (22) Money market mutual fund means any security issued by an 
investment company registered under section 8 of the Investment Company 
Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-8) that is considered a money market fund 
under Sec.  270.2a-7 of this chapter.
    (23) Persons associated with a broker or dealer shall have the 
meaning provided in section 3(a)(18) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(18)).
    (24) Regulation T means Regulation T promulgated by the Board of 
Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 12 CFR part 220, as amended 
from time to time.
    (25) Regulation T collateral value, with respect to a security, 
means the current market value of the security reduced by the percentage 
of required margin for a position in the security held in a margin 
account under Regulation T.
    (26) Related position, with respect to a security future, means any 
position in an account that is combined with the security future to 
create an offsetting position as provided in Sec.  242.403(b)(2) of this 
Regulation (Sec. Sec.  242.400 through 242.406).
    (27) Related transaction, with respect to a position or transaction 
in a security future, means:
    (i) Any transaction that creates, eliminates, increases or reduces 
an offsetting position involving a security future and a related 
position, as provided in Sec.  242.403(b)(2) of this Regulation 
(Sec. Sec.  242.400 through 242.406); or
    (ii) Any deposit or withdrawal of margin for the security future or 
a related position, except as provided in Sec.  242.405(b) of this 
Regulation (Sec. Sec.  242.400 through 242.406).
    (28) Securities account shall have the meaning provided in Sec.  
240.15c3-3(a) of this chapter.
    (29) Security futures intermediary means any creditor as defined in 
Regulation T with respect to its financial relations with any person 
involving security futures.
    (30) Self-regulatory authority means a national securities exchange 
registered under section 6 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78f), a national 
securities association registered under section 15A of the Act (15 
U.S.C. 78o-3), a contract market registered under Section 5 of the CEA 
(7 U.S.C. 7) or Section 5f of the CEA (7 U.S.C. 7b-1), or a derivatives 
transaction execution facility registered under Section 5a of the CEA (7 
U.S.C. 7a).
    (31) Special margin requirement shall have the meaning provided in 
Sec.  242.404(e)(1)(ii) of this Regulation (Sec. Sec.  242.400 through 
242.406).
    (32) Variation settlement means any credit or debit to a customer 
account, made on a daily or intraday basis, for the purpose of marking 
to market a security future or any other contract that is:
    (i) Issued by a clearing agency that is registered under section 17A 
of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78q-1) or cleared and guaranteed by a derivatives 
clearing organization that is registered under Section 5b of the CEA (7 
U.S.C. 7a-1); and
    (ii) Traded on or subject to the rules of a self-regulatory 
authority.
    (b) Terms used in this Regulation (Sec. Sec.  242.400 through 
242.406) and not otherwise defined in this section shall have the 
meaning set forth in the margin rules applicable to the account.
    (c) Terms used in this Regulation (Sec. Sec.  242.400 through 
242.406) and not otherwise defined in this section or in the margin 
rules applicable to the account shall have the meaning set forth in the 
Act and the CEA; if the definitions of a term in the Act and the CEA are 
inconsistent as applied in particular circumstances, such term shall 
have the meaning set forth in rules, regulations, or interpretations 
jointly promulgated by the Commission and the CFTC.