CCP
WHAT IS THIS? A central counterparty (CCP) manages default risk by collecting initial and variation margin from both parties to a trade. Spill-over losses are absorbed via a default fund to which all members contribute – introducing a degree of mutualised risk – and by the CCP’s own capital. The concept is an old one that was extended to over-the-counter derivatives in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
The bespoke conundrum
The dealer community has pushed towards standardisation of credit default swaps contracts, enabling them to meet a regulatory goal of ensuring a large chunk of the credit derivatives market is cleared through central counterparties. What implications…
Banks repay $68bn in Tarp funds to US Treasury
Ten of the largest US financial institutions that have received public funds under the Troubled Assets Relief Program (Tarp) scheme are to pay back $68 billion after they were approved to reimburse the funds to the federal government yesterday.
The push to CCP
Feature
US to regulate OTC derivatives
Daily news headlines
Japanese exchanges move to set up CCPs next year
Risk mitigation systems for over-the-counter derivatives set to go live in 2010
Piloting policy
The privately negotiated derivatives industry congregated in Beijing last month for the International Swaps and Derivatives Association's annual general meeting. Top of the agenda were efforts to formulate a strategic response to calls for more…
Fed approval leaves Ice/TCC on brink of CDS clearing
Intercontinental Exchange's (Ice) application to become a member of the Federal Reserve System has been approved by the US central bank, overcoming one of the final obstacles preventing the firm from launching its central clearing platform for credit…
Portal combat
The first central clearing houses for credit default swaps were expected to start business in December, but regulatory hold-ups delayed the launch in the US and are also causing issues in Europe. Although four ventures are planned, some dealers expect…
Breath of Liffe
Amid fierce competition and regulatory scrutiny, the combined initiative by derivatives exchange Liffe and clearing house LCH.Clearnet for clearing credit default swaps was launched on December 22. Will the two companies have a first-mover advantage? By…
Portal combat
The first central clearing houses for credit default swaps were expected to start business at the beginning of December, but hold-ups in regulatory approval delayed the launch in the US. With four ventures now due to take off within months of each other…
Collateral management
Sponsored Statement
CDS clearing house to miss November 30 deadline
The November 30 target for central clearing of index credit default swap (CDS) trades set by a consortium of industry associations and investment banks is unlikely to be met, sources within the Federal Reserve Bank of New York have said.
Rocked by counterparty risk
The demise of Lehman Brothers has triggered fresh concerns about counterparty risk, creating a wave of novations and forcing dealers to think harder about the possibility of another major derivatives counterparty defaulting. Mark Pengelly reports
EC demands centralised clearing by year end
At a meeting with industry groups and regulators on October 22, the European Commissioner for internal markets and services, Charlie McCreevy, outlined his intentions to move credit derivatives away from the over-the-counter (OTC) market and under…
UK Treasury proposes clearing solvency reforms
Daily news headlines
Dealers work towards clearing house for credit default swaps
A group of dealers hoping to avoid the systemic implications of counterparty risk is working with the Clearing Corporation on establishing a central clearing house for certain credit derivatives products.