Amendment to Securities Transaction Settlement Cycle

The Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') proposes to amend Rule 15c6-1(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Exchange Act'') to shorten the standard settlement cycle for most broker-dealer transactions from three business days after the trade date (``T+3'') to two business days after the trade date (``T+2''). The proposed amendment is designed to reduce a number of risks, including credit risk, market risk, and liquidity risk and, as a result, reduce systemic risk for U.S. market participants.