83_FR_932 83 FR 927 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Depository Trust Company; Notice of Filing of a Proposed Rule Change To Restore the Timeframe for Processing Credit Post-Payable Adjustments

83 FR 927 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Depository Trust Company; Notice of Filing of a Proposed Rule Change To Restore the Timeframe for Processing Credit Post-Payable Adjustments

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 5 (January 8, 2018)

Page Range927-929
FR Document2018-00081

Federal Register, Volume 83 Issue 5 (Monday, January 8, 2018)
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 5 (Monday, January 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 927-929]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00081]



[[Page 927]]

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-82433; File No. SR-DTC-2017-023]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Depository Trust Company; 
Notice of Filing of a Proposed Rule Change To Restore the Timeframe for 
Processing Credit Post-Payable Adjustments

January 2, 2018.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(``Act'') \1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given that 
on December 21, 2017, The Depository Trust Company (``DTC'') filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') the proposed 
rule change as described in Items I, II and III below, which Items have 
been prepared by the clearing agency. The Commission is publishing this 
notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested 
persons.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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I. Clearing Agency's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the 
Proposed Rule Change

    The proposed rule change by DTC would amend the Distributions 
Service Guide (``Guide'') \3\ to (i) restore a practice of DTC relating 
to the timeframe for accepting a request from an issuer or its agent 
(``Paying Agent'') for a post-payable adjustment (``PPA'') of principal 
and income payments (``P&I'') that results in the allocation of 
additional credits to Accounts of affected Participants (``Credit 
PPA''), and (ii) make technical changes to the Guide, as more fully 
described below.\4\
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    \3\ Available at http://www.dtcc.com/~/media/Files/Downloads/
legal/service-guides/Distributions-Service-Guide-FINAL-January-
2017.pdf.
    \4\ Each capitalized term not otherwise defined herein has its 
respective meaning as set forth in the Rules, By-Laws and 
Organization Certificate of The Depository Trust Company, available 
at http://www.dtcc.com/~/media/Files/Downloads/legal/rules/
dtc_rules.pdf; and in the Guide, supra note 3.
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II. Clearing Agency's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis 
for, the Proposed Rule Change

    In its filing with the Commission, the clearing agency included 
statements concerning the purpose of and basis for the proposed rule 
change and discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule 
change. The text of these statements may be examined at the places 
specified in Item IV below. The clearing agency has prepared summaries, 
set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most significant 
aspects of such statements.

(A) Clearing Agency's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis 
for, the Proposed Rule Change

1. Purpose
    The proposed rule change by DTC would amend the Guide to (i) 
restore a practice of DTC relating to the timeframe for accepting a 
request from a Paying Agent for a Credit PPA, and (ii) make technical 
changes to the Guide, as more fully described below.
(i) Background
    One of the core asset services provided by DTC is the daily 
collection and allocation of funds distributions on Securities held by 
DTC. Commonly referred to as P&I, these funds include dividend, 
interest, periodic principal, redemption, and maturity payments arising 
from the servicing of Securities held by DTC. DTC provides centralized 
processing to facilitate this service, and, on each Business Day, 
communicates with Paying Agents regarding the P&I due that day, 
collects payments, and allocates entitlements to Participants.
    Occasionally, a Paying Agent may request a PPA at DTC due to an 
error on the part of the Paying Agent, trustee, issuer, or a change in 
the principle factor or rate. A PPA can result in debits (``Debit 
PPA'') and/or credits to Settlement Accounts of the affected 
Participants.
    When DTC receives a request for a PPA from a Paying Agent,\5\ DTC 
processes the debit and/or credit adjustments for the misapplied 
principal or income to the Settlement Accounts of affected 
Participants. Accordingly, affected Participants will need to process 
adjustments to their customers' accounts for any misapplied principal 
or income and any associated interest. In addition, affected 
Participants may need to process adjustments against any customer that 
traded the security after the initial payment had occurred.
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    \5\ A request for a Credit PPA will only be processed by DTC on 
receipt of associated funds.
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    Debit PPAs carry particular risks. When DTC processes a Debit PPA, 
it will automatically debit the Settlement Accounts of the affected 
Participants, which in turn must seek to collect the funds from their 
customers, which in turn may need to recover from end investors. This 
recovery process gets more difficult as time passes and creates 
significant credit exposure, as customers and the end investors may no 
longer have the funds to debit, or may have closed or moved their 
accounts.
    Historically, DTC accommodated Paying Agent adjustment requests by 
processing PPAs (whether a Debit PPA, a Credit PPA, or both) up to one 
year after the initial payment was made (``One Year Cutoff''). In 2012, 
the Commission approved a DTC rule filing that implemented a practice 
whereby DTC would not accept a request for a PPA from a Paying Agent 
beyond ninety calendar days after the initial payment date (``Ninety-
Day Cutoff'').\6\ The purpose of shortening the timeframe was to 
mitigate the risks associated with PPAs, in particular Debit PPAs, by 
reducing the volume of PPAs and to allocate the accountability to the 
Paying Agents responsible for the PPAs.
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    \6\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 67599 (August 6, 2012), 
77 FR 47898 (August 10, 2012) (SR-DTC-2012-03). The implementation 
was staggered over the course of 2014. The Ninety-Day Cutoff was 
effective as of January 1, 2015.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Under the current practice, if a Paying Agent wants to effectuate a 
PPA beyond the Ninety-Day Cutoff, it cannot be processed through DTC. 
The Paying Agent must request from DTC an allocation register listing 
all affected Participants and positions. Using the allocation register, 
the Paying Agent must then attempt to contact each affected Participant 
to make direct adjustments and/or payment arrangements outside of DTC.
(ii) Proposal To Restore the One Year Cutoff for Credit PPAs
    After the Ninety-Day Cutoff became effective on January 1, 2015, a 
post-payable adjustment task force (``Task Force''), formed by DTC and 
comprised of Paying Agents and representative members of the 
Association of Global Custodians (``AGC''), the American Bankers 
Association, and the Corporate Actions division of the Securities 
Industry and Financial Market Association (``SIFMA''), monitored the 
PPA landscape. From that review, the Task Force determined that all 
parties--Paying Agents, issuers, Participants, investors--would benefit 
from restoring the timeframe for the processing of Credit PPAs (but not 
Debit PPAs) from the Ninety-Day Cutoff back to the original One Year 
Cutoff. The restoration of the PPA timeframe back to a One Year Cutoff 
for Credit PPAs would allow Paying Agents more time to make correct 
allocations to Participants efficiently through DTC, rather than 
requiring the Paying Agent to make the adjustments bilaterally with 
each Participant, outside of DTC. This efficiency would allow 
Participants, their customers, and end investors to receive their funds 
more quickly.
    DTC and the Task Force determined to preserve the Ninety-Day Cutoff 
for

[[Page 928]]

Debit PPAs.\7\ As described above, Debit PPAs create significant credit 
risk exposure for Participants, customers, and investors as more time 
passes, because it becomes more difficult for Participants to recover 
debited funds from their customers that may no longer have an account, 
may not have available funds, or may no longer service the end 
investor. By retaining the Ninety-Day Cutoff for Debit PPAs, DTC would 
be (i) maintaining the appropriate allocation of risk among 
Participants, their clients, investors, issuers and Paying Agents, (ii) 
creating proactive incentives for Paying Agents and issuers to reduce 
the number of Debit PPAs, and (iii) promoting payment finality.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ Under the proposed rule change, if DTC receives a PPA that 
would result in both credits to and debits from affected Participant 
accounts after the Ninety-Day Cutoff but before the One Year Cutoff 
for Credit PPAs, DTC would only process the credits (assuming 
associated funds were also received), and the Paying Agent would 
have to collect the debits outside of DTC.
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    For the reasons set forth above, DTC proposes to restore the 
timeframe for the processing of Credit PPAs from the Ninety-Day Cutoff 
back to a One Year Cutoff.\8\ In addition, DTC proposes to modify the 
language of the Guide to (i) reflect a One Year Cutoff for Credit PPAs 
and a Ninety-Day Cutoff for Debit PPAs, and (ii) remove outdated 
language about the date of effectiveness of the Ninety-Day Cutoff.
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    \8\ No other DTC practices with regard to PPAs would change, 
including without limitation, DTC's practice of servicing all court-
directed adjustments (with appropriate supporting documentation), 
regardless of age.
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(iii) Technical Changes to the Guide
    DTC is also proposing to modify language in the Guide to (i) remove 
the statement that PPA adjustments will appear on Participant 
Statements, as adjustments can only be viewed using CA Web, ISO 20022 
messages and CCF Files, (ii) for consistency with the term ``P&I'', add 
the word ``principal'' to the list of payments that may be subject to a 
PPA, and (iii) remove an incorrect reference to CMO/ABS securities.\9\
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    \9\ There can be a change in the principal factor or rate on any 
security, not just a CMO/ABS security.
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Outreach
    DTC discussed the Task Force's recommendation to restore the 
timeframe for the processing of Credit PPAs to a One Year Cutoff with 
the SIFMA Corporate Action Section and AGC, which have agreed with the 
recommendation.
Implementation Date
    DTC will implement the proposed rule change upon approval of this 
filing by the Commission.
2. Statutory Basis
    DTC believes that the proposed rule change is consistent with the 
requirements of Section 17A(b)(3)(F) of the Act.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \10\ 15 U.S.C. 78q-1(b)(3)(F).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 17A(b)(3)(F) of the Act requires that the rules of the 
clearing agency be designed, inter alia, to promote the prompt and 
accurate clearance and settlement of securities transactions.\11\ By 
restoring the timeframe back to a One Year Cutoff for the processing of 
Credit PPAs through DTC, DTC is providing centralized processing for 
Credit PPAs for a longer period of time, whereas Paying Agents would 
otherwise have to process the Credit PPAs outside of DTC after ninety 
days. In addition, the proposed rule change would make technical 
changes to the Guide, as described above, which would help ensure that 
the procedures relating to PPAs are accurate and consistent. Therefore, 
DTC believes that the proposed rule change would facilitate a more 
efficient process for Paying Agents to allocate funds, and for 
Participants to receive funds owed to them, as well as allow 
Participants to have a clearer understanding of the related procedures, 
thereby removing impediments to and perfecting the mechanism of a 
national system for the prompt and accurate clearance and settlement of 
securities transactions, consistent with the requirements of the Act, 
in particular Section 17A(b)(3)(F), cited above.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \11\ Id.
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(B) Clearing Agency's Statement on Burden on Competition

    DTC does not believe that the proposed rule change with respect to 
the Ninety-Day Cutoff for Credit PPAs would have any impact on 
competition because it would apply to all Paying Agents and would allow 
all Participants to receive their correct P&I credit allocations in a 
more efficient manner, and therefore would not disproportionately 
impact any Paying Agent or Participant.
    DTC does not believe that the proposed rule change with respect to 
technical changes to the Guide would have any impact on competition 
because it would merely update the Guide to make changes for accuracy 
and consistency and therefore would not affect the rights and 
obligations of any Participant or other interested party.

(C) Clearing Agency's Statement on Comments on the Proposed Rule Change 
Received From Members, Participants, or Others

    Written comments relating to the proposed rule change have not been 
solicited or received. DTC will notify the Commission of any written 
comments received by DTC.

III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change, and Timing for 
Commission Action

    Within 45 days of the date of publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register or within such longer period up to 90 days (i) as the 
Commission may designate if it finds such longer period to be 
appropriate and publishes its reasons for so finding or (ii) as to 
which the self- regulatory organization consents, the Commission will:
    (A) By order approve or disapprove such proposed rule change, or
    (B) institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule 
change should be disapproved.

IV. Solicitation of Comments

    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views and 
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule 
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of 
the following methods:

Electronic Comments

     Use the Commission's internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
     Send an email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include 
File Number SR-DTC-2017-023 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

     Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities 
and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549.

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-DTC-2017-023. This file 
number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help 
the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, 
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on 
the Commission's internet website (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). 
Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all written 
statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with 
the Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed 
rule change between the Commission and any person, other than

[[Page 929]]

those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the 
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for website viewing and 
printing in the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE, 
Washington, DC 20549 on official business days between the hours of 
10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing also will be available 
for inspection and copying at the principal office of DTC and on DTCC's 
website (http://dtcc.com/legal/sec-rule-filings.aspx). All comments 
received will be posted without change. Persons submitting comments are 
cautioned that we do not redact or edit personal identifying 
information from comment submissions. You should submit only 
information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions 
should refer to File Number SR-DTC-2017-023 and should be submitted on 
or before January 29, 2018.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\12\
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    \12\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-00081 Filed 1-5-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P



                                                                                Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 5 / Monday, January 8, 2018 / Notices                                                       927

                                                SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE                                 (A) Clearing Agency’s Statement of the                 processing PPAs (whether a Debit PPA,
                                                COMMISSION                                              Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the               a Credit PPA, or both) up to one year
                                                                                                        Proposed Rule Change                                   after the initial payment was made
                                                [Release No. 34–82433; File No. SR–DTC–
                                                                                                                                                               (‘‘One Year Cutoff’’). In 2012, the
                                                2017–023]                                               1. Purpose
                                                                                                                                                               Commission approved a DTC rule filing
                                                Self-Regulatory Organizations; The                         The proposed rule change by DTC                     that implemented a practice whereby
                                                Depository Trust Company; Notice of                     would amend the Guide to (i) restore a                 DTC would not accept a request for a
                                                Filing of a Proposed Rule Change To                     practice of DTC relating to the                        PPA from a Paying Agent beyond ninety
                                                Restore the Timeframe for Processing                    timeframe for accepting a request from                 calendar days after the initial payment
                                                Credit Post-Payable Adjustments                         a Paying Agent for a Credit PPA, and (ii)              date (‘‘Ninety-Day Cutoff’’).6 The
                                                                                                        make technical changes to the Guide, as                purpose of shortening the timeframe
                                                January 2, 2018.                                        more fully described below.                            was to mitigate the risks associated with
                                                   Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the                                                                         PPAs, in particular Debit PPAs, by
                                                Securities Exchange Act of 1934                         (i) Background
                                                                                                                                                               reducing the volume of PPAs and to
                                                (‘‘Act’’) 1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2                    One of the core asset services                      allocate the accountability to the Paying
                                                notice is hereby given that on December                 provided by DTC is the daily collection                Agents responsible for the PPAs.
                                                21, 2017, The Depository Trust                          and allocation of funds distributions on                  Under the current practice, if a Paying
                                                Company (‘‘DTC’’) filed with the                        Securities held by DTC. Commonly                       Agent wants to effectuate a PPA beyond
                                                Securities and Exchange Commission                      referred to as P&I, these funds include                the Ninety-Day Cutoff, it cannot be
                                                (‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule                      dividend, interest, periodic principal,                processed through DTC. The Paying
                                                change as described in Items I, II and III              redemption, and maturity payments                      Agent must request from DTC an
                                                below, which Items have been prepared                   arising from the servicing of Securities               allocation register listing all affected
                                                by the clearing agency. The Commission                  held by DTC. DTC provides centralized                  Participants and positions. Using the
                                                is publishing this notice to solicit                    processing to facilitate this service, and,            allocation register, the Paying Agent
                                                comments on the proposed rule change                    on each Business Day, communicates                     must then attempt to contact each
                                                from interested persons.                                with Paying Agents regarding the P&I                   affected Participant to make direct
                                                I. Clearing Agency’s Statement of the                   due that day, collects payments, and                   adjustments and/or payment
                                                Terms of Substance of the Proposed                      allocates entitlements to Participants.                arrangements outside of DTC.
                                                                                                           Occasionally, a Paying Agent may
                                                Rule Change                                                                                                    (ii) Proposal To Restore the One Year
                                                                                                        request a PPA at DTC due to an error on
                                                   The proposed rule change by DTC                      the part of the Paying Agent, trustee,                 Cutoff for Credit PPAs
                                                would amend the Distributions Service                   issuer, or a change in the principle                      After the Ninety-Day Cutoff became
                                                Guide (‘‘Guide’’) 3 to (i) restore a                    factor or rate. A PPA can result in debits             effective on January 1, 2015, a post-
                                                practice of DTC relating to the                         (‘‘Debit PPA’’) and/or credits to                      payable adjustment task force (‘‘Task
                                                timeframe for accepting a request from                  Settlement Accounts of the affected                    Force’’), formed by DTC and comprised
                                                an issuer or its agent (‘‘Paying Agent’’)               Participants.
                                                for a post-payable adjustment (‘‘PPA’’)                                                                        of Paying Agents and representative
                                                                                                           When DTC receives a request for a                   members of the Association of Global
                                                of principal and income payments                        PPA from a Paying Agent,5 DTC
                                                (‘‘P&I’’) that results in the allocation of                                                                    Custodians (‘‘AGC’’), the American
                                                                                                        processes the debit and/or credit                      Bankers Association, and the Corporate
                                                additional credits to Accounts of                       adjustments for the misapplied
                                                affected Participants (‘‘Credit PPA’’),                                                                        Actions division of the Securities
                                                                                                        principal or income to the Settlement                  Industry and Financial Market
                                                and (ii) make technical changes to the                  Accounts of affected Participants.
                                                Guide, as more fully described below.4                                                                         Association (‘‘SIFMA’’), monitored the
                                                                                                        Accordingly, affected Participants will                PPA landscape. From that review, the
                                                II. Clearing Agency’s Statement of the                  need to process adjustments to their                   Task Force determined that all parties—
                                                Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the                customers’ accounts for any misapplied                 Paying Agents, issuers, Participants,
                                                Proposed Rule Change                                    principal or income and any associated                 investors—would benefit from restoring
                                                                                                        interest. In addition, affected                        the timeframe for the processing of
                                                   In its filing with the Commission, the
                                                                                                        Participants may need to process                       Credit PPAs (but not Debit PPAs) from
                                                clearing agency included statements
                                                                                                        adjustments against any customer that                  the Ninety-Day Cutoff back to the
                                                concerning the purpose of and basis for
                                                                                                        traded the security after the initial                  original One Year Cutoff. The
                                                the proposed rule change and discussed
                                                                                                        payment had occurred.                                  restoration of the PPA timeframe back to
                                                any comments it received on the
                                                                                                           Debit PPAs carry particular risks.                  a One Year Cutoff for Credit PPAs
                                                proposed rule change. The text of these
                                                                                                        When DTC processes a Debit PPA, it                     would allow Paying Agents more time
                                                statements may be examined at the
                                                                                                        will automatically debit the Settlement                to make correct allocations to
                                                places specified in Item IV below. The
                                                                                                        Accounts of the affected Participants,                 Participants efficiently through DTC,
                                                clearing agency has prepared
                                                                                                        which in turn must seek to collect the                 rather than requiring the Paying Agent
                                                summaries, set forth in sections A, B,
                                                                                                        funds from their customers, which in                   to make the adjustments bilaterally with
                                                and C below, of the most significant
                                                                                                        turn may need to recover from end                      each Participant, outside of DTC. This
                                                aspects of such statements.
                                                                                                        investors. This recovery process gets                  efficiency would allow Participants,
                                                  1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
                                                                                                        more difficult as time passes and creates              their customers, and end investors to
                                                  2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.                                   significant credit exposure, as customers              receive their funds more quickly.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES




                                                  3 Available at http://www.dtcc.com/∼/media/           and the end investors may no longer                       DTC and the Task Force determined
                                                Files/Downloads/legal/service-guides/Distributions-     have the funds to debit, or may have                   to preserve the Ninety-Day Cutoff for
                                                Service-Guide-FINAL-January-2017.pdf.                   closed or moved their accounts.
                                                  4 Each capitalized term not otherwise defined
                                                                                                           Historically, DTC accommodated
                                                herein has its respective meaning as set forth in the                                                            6 Securities Exchange Act Release No. 67599

                                                Rules, By-Laws and Organization Certificate of The      Paying Agent adjustment requests by                    (August 6, 2012), 77 FR 47898 (August 10, 2012)
                                                Depository Trust Company, available at http://                                                                 (SR–DTC–2012–03). The implementation was
                                                www.dtcc.com/∼/media/Files/Downloads/legal/               5 A request for a Credit PPA will only be            staggered over the course of 2014. The Ninety-Day
                                                rules/dtc_rules.pdf; and in the Guide, supra note 3.    processed by DTC on receipt of associated funds.       Cutoff was effective as of January 1, 2015.



                                           VerDate Sep<11>2014   16:29 Jan 05, 2018   Jkt 244001   PO 00000   Frm 00145   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\08JAN1.SGM   08JAN1


                                                928                            Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 5 / Monday, January 8, 2018 / Notices

                                                Debit PPAs.7 As described above, Debit                  2. Statutory Basis                                       (C) Clearing Agency’s Statement on
                                                PPAs create significant credit risk                                                                              Comments on the Proposed Rule
                                                exposure for Participants, customers,                      DTC believes that the proposed rule                   Change Received From Members,
                                                and investors as more time passes,                      change is consistent with the                            Participants, or Others
                                                because it becomes more difficult for                   requirements of Section 17A(b)(3)(F) of
                                                                                                        the Act.10                                                 Written comments relating to the
                                                Participants to recover debited funds
                                                                                                                                                                 proposed rule change have not been
                                                from their customers that may no longer                    Section 17A(b)(3)(F) of the Act                       solicited or received. DTC will notify
                                                have an account, may not have available                 requires that the rules of the clearing                  the Commission of any written
                                                funds, or may no longer service the end                 agency be designed, inter alia, to                       comments received by DTC.
                                                investor. By retaining the Ninety-Day                   promote the prompt and accurate
                                                Cutoff for Debit PPAs, DTC would be (i)                 clearance and settlement of securities                   III. Date of Effectiveness of the
                                                maintaining the appropriate allocation                                                                           Proposed Rule Change, and Timing for
                                                                                                        transactions.11 By restoring the
                                                of risk among Participants, their clients,                                                                       Commission Action
                                                                                                        timeframe back to a One Year Cutoff for
                                                investors, issuers and Paying Agents, (ii)                                                                         Within 45 days of the date of
                                                creating proactive incentives for Paying                the processing of Credit PPAs through
                                                                                                        DTC, DTC is providing centralized                        publication of this notice in the Federal
                                                Agents and issuers to reduce the
                                                                                                        processing for Credit PPAs for a longer                  Register or within such longer period
                                                number of Debit PPAs, and (iii)
                                                                                                        period of time, whereas Paying Agents                    up to 90 days (i) as the Commission may
                                                promoting payment finality.
                                                   For the reasons set forth above, DTC                 would otherwise have to process the                      designate if it finds such longer period
                                                proposes to restore the timeframe for the               Credit PPAs outside of DTC after ninety                  to be appropriate and publishes its
                                                processing of Credit PPAs from the                      days. In addition, the proposed rule                     reasons for so finding or (ii) as to which
                                                Ninety-Day Cutoff back to a One Year                    change would make technical changes                      the self- regulatory organization
                                                Cutoff.8 In addition, DTC proposes to                   to the Guide, as described above, which                  consents, the Commission will:
                                                modify the language of the Guide to (i)                                                                            (A) By order approve or disapprove
                                                                                                        would help ensure that the procedures
                                                reflect a One Year Cutoff for Credit                                                                             such proposed rule change, or
                                                                                                        relating to PPAs are accurate and
                                                PPAs and a Ninety-Day Cutoff for Debit                                                                             (B) institute proceedings to determine
                                                                                                        consistent. Therefore, DTC believes that                 whether the proposed rule change
                                                PPAs, and (ii) remove outdated language                 the proposed rule change would
                                                about the date of effectiveness of the                                                                           should be disapproved.
                                                                                                        facilitate a more efficient process for
                                                Ninety-Day Cutoff.                                      Paying Agents to allocate funds, and for                 IV. Solicitation of Comments
                                                (iii) Technical Changes to the Guide                    Participants to receive funds owed to                      Interested persons are invited to
                                                   DTC is also proposing to modify                      them, as well as allow Participants to                   submit written data, views and
                                                language in the Guide to (i) remove the                 have a clearer understanding of the                      arguments concerning the foregoing,
                                                statement that PPA adjustments will                     related procedures, thereby removing                     including whether the proposed rule
                                                appear on Participant Statements, as                    impediments to and perfecting the                        change is consistent with the Act.
                                                adjustments can only be viewed using                    mechanism of a national system for the                   Comments may be submitted by any of
                                                CA Web, ISO 20022 messages and CCF                      prompt and accurate clearance and                        the following methods:
                                                Files, (ii) for consistency with the term               settlement of securities transactions,                   Electronic Comments
                                                ‘‘P&I’’, add the word ‘‘principal’’ to the              consistent with the requirements of the
                                                list of payments that may be subject to                 Act, in particular Section 17A(b)(3)(F),                   • Use the Commission’s internet
                                                a PPA, and (iii) remove an incorrect                    cited above.                                             comment form (http://www.sec.gov/
                                                reference to CMO/ABS securities.9                                                                                rules/sro.shtml); or
                                                                                                        (B) Clearing Agency’s Statement on                         • Send an email to rule-comments@
                                                Outreach                                                Burden on Competition                                    sec.gov. Please include File Number SR–
                                                  DTC discussed the Task Force’s                                                                                 DTC–2017–023 on the subject line.
                                                recommendation to restore the                              DTC does not believe that the
                                                                                                        proposed rule change with respect to                     Paper Comments
                                                timeframe for the processing of Credit
                                                PPAs to a One Year Cutoff with the                      the Ninety-Day Cutoff for Credit PPAs                      • Send paper comments in triplicate
                                                SIFMA Corporate Action Section and                      would have any impact on competition                     to Secretary, Securities and Exchange
                                                AGC, which have agreed with the                         because it would apply to all Paying                     Commission, 100 F Street NE,
                                                recommendation.                                         Agents and would allow all Participants                  Washington, DC 20549.
                                                                                                        to receive their correct P&I credit                      All submissions should refer to File
                                                Implementation Date
                                                                                                        allocations in a more efficient manner,                  Number SR–DTC–2017–023. This file
                                                  DTC will implement the proposed                       and therefore would not                                  number should be included on the
                                                rule change upon approval of this filing                disproportionately impact any Paying                     subject line if email is used. To help the
                                                by the Commission.                                      Agent or Participant.                                    Commission process and review your
                                                  7 Under the proposed rule change, if DTC receives        DTC does not believe that the                         comments more efficiently, please use
                                                a PPA that would result in both credits to and          proposed rule change with respect to                     only one method. The Commission will
                                                debits from affected Participant accounts after the     technical changes to the Guide would                     post all comments on the Commission’s
                                                Ninety-Day Cutoff but before the One Year Cutoff
                                                                                                        have any impact on competition                           internet website (http://www.sec.gov/
                                                for Credit PPAs, DTC would only process the                                                                      rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the
                                                credits (assuming associated funds were also            because it would merely update the
                                                                                                                                                                 submission, all subsequent
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                                                received), and the Paying Agent would have to           Guide to make changes for accuracy and
                                                collect the debits outside of DTC.                                                                               amendments, all written statements
                                                                                                        consistency and therefore would not
                                                  8 No other DTC practices with regard to PPAs                                                                   with respect to the proposed rule
                                                would change, including without limitation, DTC’s       affect the rights and obligations of any                 change that are filed with the
                                                practice of servicing all court-directed adjustments    Participant or other interested party.                   Commission, and all written
                                                (with appropriate supporting documentation),
                                                regardless of age.                                                                                               communications relating to the
                                                  9 There can be a change in the principal factor or      10 15    U.S.C. 78q–1(b)(3)(F).                        proposed rule change between the
                                                rate on any security, not just a CMO/ABS security.        11 Id.                                                 Commission and any person, other than


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                                                                               Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 5 / Monday, January 8, 2018 / Notices                                                        929

                                                those that may be withheld from the                     I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s                      Commission.4 The Adviser, as defined
                                                public in accordance with the                           Statement of the Terms of Substance of                 below, is also registered as a Commodity
                                                provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be                     the Proposed Rule Change                               Pool Operator.
                                                available for website viewing and                                                                                 First Trust Advisors L.P. is the
                                                printing in the Commission’s Public                        The Exchange filed a proposal to list               investment adviser (the ‘‘Adviser’’) to
                                                Reference Room, 100 F Street NE,                        and trade shares of the First Trust                    the Funds and a commodity pool
                                                Washington, DC 20549 on official                        Bitcoin Strategy ETF and the First Trust               operator (‘‘CPO’’). The Funds will be
                                                business days between the hours of                      Inverse Bitcoin Strategy ETF (each a                   operated in accordance with applicable
                                                10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the                  ‘‘Fund’’ and, collectively, the ‘‘Funds’’),            Commodity Futures Trading
                                                filing also will be available for                       each a series of the First Trust                       Commission (‘‘CFTC’’) rules, as well as
                                                inspection and copying at the principal                 Exchange-Traded Fund VII (the                          the regulatory scheme applicable to
                                                office of DTC and on DTCC’s website                     ‘‘Trust’’), under Rule 14.11(i) (‘‘Managed             registered investment companies.
                                                (http://dtcc.com/legal/sec-rule-                        Fund Shares’’). The shares of the Funds                Registration as a CPO imposes
                                                filings.aspx). All comments received                    are referred to herein as the ‘‘Shares.’’              additional compliance obligations on
                                                will be posted without change. Persons                     The text of the proposed rule change                the Adviser and the Funds related to
                                                submitting comments are cautioned that                  is available at the Exchange’s website at              additional laws, regulations, and
                                                we do not redact or edit personal                       www.markets.cboe.com, at the principal                 enforcement policies.
                                                identifying information from comment                    office of the Exchange, and at the                        Rule 14.11(i)(7) provides that, if the
                                                submissions. You should submit only                     Commission’s Public Reference Room.                    investment adviser to the investment
                                                information that you wish to make                       II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s                     company issuing Managed Fund Shares
                                                available publicly. All submissions                     Statement of the Purpose of, and                       is affiliated with a broker-dealer, such
                                                should refer to File Number SR–DTC–                     Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule                 investment adviser shall erect a ‘‘fire
                                                2017–023 and should be submitted on                     Change                                                 wall’’ between the investment adviser
                                                or before January 29, 2018.                                                                                    and the broker-dealer with respect to
                                                                                                          In its filing with the Commission, the               access to information concerning the
                                                  For the Commission, by the Division of
                                                Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
                                                                                                        Exchange included statements                           composition and/or changes to such
                                                authority.12                                            concerning the purpose of and basis for                investment company portfolio.5 In
                                                Eduardo A. Aleman,
                                                                                                        the proposed rule change and discussed
                                                                                                        any comments it received on the                           4 See Registration Statement on Form N–1A for
                                                Assistant Secretary.
                                                                                                        proposed rule change. The text of these                the Trust, dated December 11, 2017 (File Nos. 333–
                                                [FR Doc. 2018–00081 Filed 1–5–18; 8:45 am]                                                                     184918 and 811–22767). The descriptions of the
                                                                                                        statements may be examined at the
                                                BILLING CODE 8011–01–P                                                                                         Funds and the Shares contained herein are based,
                                                                                                        places specified in Item IV below. The                 in part, on information in the Registration
                                                                                                        Exchange has prepared summaries, set                   Statement. The Commission has issued an order,
                                                                                                        forth in Sections A, B, and C below, of                upon which the Trust may rely, granting certain
                                                SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE                                 the most significant parts of such                     exemptive relief under the Investment Company
                                                COMMISSION                                              statements.
                                                                                                                                                               Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a–1) (‘‘1940 Act’’) (the
                                                                                                                                                               ‘‘Exemptive Order’’). See Investment Company Act
                                                                                                                                                               Release No. 30029, April 10, 2012 (File No. 812–
                                                [Release No. 34–82429; File No. SR–                     (A) Self-Regulatory Organization’s                     13795). In addition, on December 6, 2012, the staff
                                                CboeBZX–2017–021]                                       Statement of the Purpose of, and                       of the Commission’s Division of Investment
                                                                                                        Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule                 Management (‘‘Division’’) issued a no-action letter
                                                Self-Regulatory Organizations; Cboe                     Change                                                 (‘‘No-Action Letter’’) relating to the use of
                                                                                                                                                               derivatives by actively-managed exchange-traded
                                                BZX Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing of
                                                                                                        1. Purpose                                             funds (‘‘ETFs’’). See No-Action Letter dated
                                                a Proposed Rule Change To List and                                                                             December 6, 2012 from Elizabeth G. Osterman,
                                                Trade Shares of the First Trust Bitcoin                    The Exchange proposes to list and                   Associate Director, Office of Exemptive
                                                Strategy ETF and the First Trust                        trade shares of the First Trust Bitcoin                Applications, Division of Investment Management.
                                                                                                                                                               The No-Action Letter stated that the Division would
                                                Inverse Bitcoin Strategy ETF, Each a                    Strategy ETF (the ‘‘Long Bitcoin Fund’’)               not recommend enforcement action to the
                                                Series of the First Trust Exchange-                     and the First Trust Inverse Bitcoin                    Commission under applicable provisions of and
                                                Traded Fund VII, Under Rule 14.11(i),                   Strategy ETF (the ‘‘Inverse Bitcoin                    rules under the 1940 Act if ETFs operating in
                                                Managed Fund Shares                                     Fund’’) under Rule 14.11(i), which                     reliance on specified orders (which include the
                                                                                                                                                               Exemptive Order) invest in options contracts,
                                                                                                        governs the listing and trading of                     futures contracts, or swap agreements provided that
                                                January 2, 2018.
                                                                                                        Managed Fund Shares on the                             they comply with certain representations stated in
                                                   Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the                  Exchange.3                                             the No-Action Letter.
                                                Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the                       The Shares will be offered by the
                                                                                                                                                                  5 An investment adviser to an open-end fund is

                                                ‘‘Act’’),1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2                                                                         required to be registered under the Investment
                                                                                                        Trust, which was organized as a                        Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the ‘‘Advisers
                                                notice is hereby given that on December                 Massachusetts business trust on                        Act’’). As a result, the Adviser and its related
                                                19, 2017, Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the                  November 6, 2012. The Trust is                         personnel are subject to the provisions of Rule
                                                ‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘BZX’’) filed with the                 registered with the Commission as an                   204A–1 under the Advisers Act relating to codes of
                                                Securities and Exchange Commission                                                                             ethics. This Rule requires investment advisers to
                                                                                                        open-end investment company and has                    adopt a code of ethics that reflects the fiduciary
                                                (‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule                      filed a registration statement on behalf               nature of the relationship to clients as well as
                                                change as described in Items I and II                   of the Funds on Form N–1A                              compliance with other applicable securities laws.
                                                below, which Items have been prepared                   (‘‘Registration Statement’’) with the                  Accordingly, procedures designed to prevent the
                                                                                                                                                               communication and misuse of non-public
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                                                by the Exchange. The Commission is
                                                                                                                                                               information by an investment adviser must be
                                                publishing this notice to solicit                          3 The Commission originally approved BZX Rule       consistent with Rule 204A–1 under the Advisers
                                                comments on the proposed rule change                    14.11(i) in Securities Exchange Act Release No.        Act. In addition, Rule 206(4)–7 under the Advisers
                                                from interested persons.                                65225 (August 30, 2011), 76 FR 55148 (September        Act makes it unlawful for an investment adviser to
                                                                                                        6, 2011) (SR–BATS–2011–018) and subsequently           provide investment advice to clients unless such
                                                                                                        approved generic listing standards for Managed         investment adviser has (i) adopted and
                                                  12 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).                            Fund Shares under Rule 14.11(i) in Securities          implemented written policies and procedures
                                                  1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).                                Exchange Act Release No. 78396 (July 22, 2016), 81     reasonably designed to prevent violation, by the
                                                  2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.                                   FR 49698 (July 28, 2016) (SR–BATS–2015–100).                                                     Continued




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Document Created: 2018-01-06 02:32:02
Document Modified: 2018-01-06 02:32:02
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
FR Citation83 FR 927 

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