Self-Regulatory Organizations; Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed Rule Change Relating to the Implementation Date of Market Participant Identifier Requirements for Alternative Trading Systems, 62500-62502 [2014-24682]
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62500
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 201 / Friday, October 17, 2014 / Notices
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants or Others
No written comments were solicited
or received with respect to the proposed
rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for Web site 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
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of the filing also
will be available for inspection and
copying at the principal office of the
Exchange. All comments received will
be posted without change; the
Commission does not edit personal
identifying information from
submissions. You should submit only
information that you wish to make
available publicly. All submissions
should refer to File Number SR–
NYSEArca–2014–114 and should be
submitted on or November 7, 2014.
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.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.29
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
[FR Doc. 2014–24683 Filed 10–16–14; 8:45 am]
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:
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
Electronic Comments
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–73340; File No. SR–FINRA–
2014–042]
Self-Regulatory Organizations;
Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority, Inc.; Notice of Filing and
Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed
Rule Change Relating to the
Implementation Date of Market
Participant Identifier Requirements for
Alternative Trading Systems
Paper Comments
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
• Use the Commission’s Internet
comment form (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml); or
• Send an Email to rule-comments@
sec.gov. Please include File Number SR–
NYSEArca–2014–114 on the subject
line.
October 10, 2014.
• Send paper comments in triplicate
to Secretary, Securities and Exchange
Commission, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549–1090.
All submissions should refer to File
Number SR–NYSEArca–2014–114. 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 Web site (https://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
those that may be withheld from the
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:59 Oct 16, 2014
Jkt 235001
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 October
2, 2014, Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority, Inc. (‘‘FINRA’’) filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
(‘‘SEC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’) the proposed
rule change as described in Items I and
II below, which Items have been
prepared by FINRA. FINRA has
designated the proposed rule change as
constituting a ‘‘non-controversial’’ rule
change under paragraph (f)(6) of Rule
19b–4 under the Act,3 which renders
the proposal effective upon receipt of
this filing by the Commission. The
Commission is publishing this notice to
29 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
3 17 CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6).
1 15
PO 00000
Frm 00089
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
solicit comments on the proposed rule
change from interested persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
FINRA is proposing to postpone until
February 2, 2015, the implementation
date of the requirement that alternative
trading systems (‘‘ATSs’’) use unique
market participant identifiers (‘‘MPIDs’’)
when reporting order and trade
information to FINRA.
The proposed rule change does not
make any changes to the text of FINRA
rules.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission,
FINRA 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. FINRA has prepared
summaries, set forth in sections A, B,
and C below, of the most significant
aspects of such statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
On January 17, 2014, the Commission
approved SR–FINRA–2013–042, a
proposed rule change to (i) adopt Rule
4552 to require ATSs to report to FINRA
weekly volume information and number
of trades regarding securities
transactions within the ATS; and (ii)
amend Rules 6160, 6170, 6480, and
6720 to require each ATS to acquire and
use a single, unique MPID when
reporting information to FINRA.4 Rule
4552 was implemented on May 12,
2014, and the MPID requirement for
ATSs is currently scheduled to be
implemented on November 10, 2014.5
The proposed rule change postpones the
implementation date for ATSs to
4 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 71341
(January 17, 2014), 79 FR 4213 (January 24, 2014)
(Order Approving SR–FINRA–2013–042). On April
3, 2014, FINRA filed with the Commission for
immediate effectiveness a proposed rule change to
amend Rules 6160, 6170, 6480, and 6720 to permit
an ATS that trades both TRACE-Eligible Securities
and equity securities (OTC Equity Securities or
NMS stocks) to use two MPIDs, rather than a single
unique MPID, if each MPID is used exclusively for
either TRACE-Eligible Securities or equity
securities. See Securities Exchange Act Release No.
71911 (April 9, 2014), 79 FR 21316 (April 15, 2014).
5 See Regulatory Notice 14–07 (February 2014).
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 201 / Friday, October 17, 2014 / Notices
comply with the new MPID requirement
until February 2, 2015.
At the time FINRA filed SR–FINRA–
2013–042, FINRA recognized that
‘‘given the potential systems changes
required by the MPID requirement,
FINRA will provide additional time for
firms to implement the MPID
requirement.’’ 6 Because of the time
necessary to make many of these
systems changes, FINRA also noted in
its response to comments on SR–
FINRA–2013–042 that ‘‘FINRA believes
increased transparency in the over-thecounter market is necessary and
beneficial and can be more readily
achieved through reporting
requirements before the MPID
requirement is implemented.
Consequently, FINRA declines to
eliminate the reporting requirement
from the first phase of the Proposal but
reaffirms its commitment to reassessing
its need following implementation of
the MPID requirement.’’ 7 The selfreporting requirements in Rule 4552
were implemented on May 12, 2014,
and FINRA began publishing ATS data
on June 2, 2014; consequently, the
transparency benefits of the new selfreporting rule are already in place, and
ATS volume information is currently
available on FINRA’s Web site.8
For the past several months, FINRA
staff has been discussing
implementation issues arising with the
MPID requirement with various ATSs
and industry trade groups. In large part,
these issues involved specific, detailed
scenarios ATSs must program for to
report trades to a FINRA trade reporting
facility or to report order information to
FINRA’s Order Audit Trail System
(‘‘OATS’’). In response to these
inquiries, FINRA published written
guidance for ATSs on trade reporting
and OATS reporting on September 15,
2014.9 As part of this guidance, FINRA
clarified ATSs’ trade reporting
obligations regarding the appropriate
indication of MPIDs in various trade
reporting scenarios, the use of tape and
non-tape reports for ATS transactions,
the capacity of ATSs on trade reports,
and the inclusion of short sale
indicators on trade reports.
Members have requested that FINRA
postpone the implementation date for
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
6 Securities
Exchange Act Release No. 70676
(October 11, 2013), 78 FR 62862, 62856 (October 22,
2013) (Notice of Filing of SR–FINRA–2013–042).
7 Letter from Brant K. Brown, Associate General
Counsel, FINRA, to Elizabeth Murphy, Secretary,
SEC, dated January 15, 2014, at 7.
8 FINRA has created a page on its Web site
dedicated to the new ATS requirements, including
a link to the ATS data reported pursuant to Rule
4552. See www.finra.org/ats.
9 See www.finra.org/Industry/Compliance/Market
Transparency/ATS/FAQ/.
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17:59 Oct 16, 2014
Jkt 235001
the ATS MPID requirement so that
members can ensure that their trade
reports and OATS reports comply with
this guidance. FINRA believes that it
would be beneficial to postpone the
implementation date by approximately
three months to provide firms with
sufficient time to incorporate this
guidance into their coding for the MPID
requirement. A postponement should
help ensure that firms are consistently
reporting similar information to FINRA
and that FINRA’s audit trail information
is correct and reliable. FINRA believes
that, if additional time is not provided,
firms may not be ready to comply with
the new guidance by November 10,
2014, and FINRA’s audit trail could be
less accurate as a result.
FINRA has filed the proposed rule
change for immediate effectiveness. The
effective date and the implementation
date will be the date of filing, October
2, 2014.
2. Statutory Basis
FINRA believes that the proposed rule
change is consistent with the provisions
of Section 15A(b)(6) of the Act,10 which
requires, among other things, that
FINRA rules must be designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative
acts and practices, to promote just and
equitable principles of trade, and, in
general, to protect investors and the
public interest. FINRA believes
postponing the implementation date of
the ATS MPID requirement by three
months will provide firms with
sufficient time to incorporate FINRA’s
new trade reporting and OATS guidance
into their coding for the MPID
requirement. This additional time
should help ensure that firms are
reporting information to FINRA so that
FINRA’s audit trail information is
consistent, correct, and reliable. FINRA
believes that, if additional time is not
provided, firms may not be ready to
comply with the new guidance and
FINRA’s audit trail could be less
accurate. Inconsistent reporting of ATS
order and trade information could also
adversely affect FINRA’s ability to rely
on automated surveillance patterns to
detect potential misconduct.
B. Organization’s Statement on Burden
on Competition
FINRA does not believe that the
proposed rule change will result in any
burden on competition that is not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purposes of the Act. FINRA
believes that extending the
implementation date of the new ATS
MPID requirement will provide firms
10 15
PO 00000
U.S.C. 78o–3(b)(6).
Frm 00090
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
62501
with needed additional time so that they
can better comply with recently-issued
FINRA guidance on an ATS’s trade
reporting and OATS obligations.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants or Others
Written comments were neither
solicited nor received.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
Because the foregoing proposed rule
change does not: (i) Significantly affect
the protection of investors or the public
interest; (ii) impose any significant
burden on competition; and (iii) become
operative for 30 days from the date on
which it was filed, or such shorter time
as the Commission may designate, it has
become effective pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(A) of the Act 11 and Rule 19b–
4(f)(6) thereunder.12
FINRA has requested that the
Commission waive the 30-day operative
delay, so that the proposed rule change
would be operative on filing. The
Commission believes that waiving the
30-day operative delay is consistent
with the protection of investors and the
public interest. By making the proposed
rule change operative immediately
FINRA’s ATS members can immediately
be afforded notice of the additional time
available for compliance with the MPID
requirement. Therefore, the Commission
hereby waives the 30-day operative
delay and designates the proposed rule
change operative upon filing.13
At any time within 60 days of the
filing of the proposed rule change, the
Commission summarily may
temporarily suspend such rule change if
it appears to the Commission that such
action is necessary or appropriate in the
public interest, for the protection of
investors, or otherwise in furtherance of
the purposes of the Act. If the
Commission takes such action, the
Commission shall institute proceedings
to determine whether the proposed rule
should be approved or disapproved.
11 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6). In addition, Rule 19b–
4(f)(6) requires a self-regulatory organization to give
the Commission written notice of its intent to file
the proposed rule change along with a brief
description and text of the proposed rule change at
least five business days prior to the date of filing
of the proposed rule change, or such shorter time
as designated by the Commission. The Exchange
has satisfied this requirement.
13 For purposes only of waiving the 30-day
operative delay, the Commission has considered the
proposed rule’s impact on efficiency, competition,
and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 78c(f).
12 17
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62502
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 201 / Friday, October 17, 2014 / Notices
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:
[FR Doc. 2014–24682 Filed 10–16–14; 8:45 am]
• Use the Commission’s Internet
comment form (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml); or
• Send an email to rule-comments@
sec.gov. Please include File Number SR–
FINRA–2014–042 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
• Send paper comments in triplicate
to Brent J. Fields, Secretary, Securities
and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street
NE., Washington, DC 20549.
All submissions should refer to File
Number SR–FINRA–2014–042. 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 Web site (https://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
those that may be withheld from the
public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for Web site 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
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of such filing
also will be available for inspection and
copying at the principal office of
FINRA. All comments received will be
posted without change; the Commission
does not edit personal identifying
information from submissions. You
should submit only information that
you wish to make available publicly. All
submissions should refer to File
Number SR–FINRA–2014–042 and
should be submitted on or before
November 7, 2014.
[Release No. 34–73338; File No. SR–CBOE–
2014–076]
Self-Regulatory Organizations;
Chicago Board Options Exchange,
Incorporated; Notice of Filing and
Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed
Rule Change To Extend a Pilot
Program
October 10, 2014.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
‘‘Act’’),1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2
notice is hereby given that on October
3, 2014, Chicago Board Options
Exchange, Incorporated (the ‘‘Exchange’’
or ‘‘CBOE’’) filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the
‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule
change as described in Items I and II
below, which Items have been prepared
by the Exchange. The Commission is
publishing this notice to solicit
comments on the proposed rule change
from interested persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to extend a
pilot program. The text of the proposed
rule change is available on the
Exchange’s Web site (https://
www.cboe.com/AboutCBOE/
CBOELegalRegulatoryHome.aspx), at
the Exchange’s Office of the Secretary,
and at the Commission’s Public
Reference Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
Exchange 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
Exchange has prepared summaries, set
forth in sections A, B, and C below, of
14 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
1 15
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:11 Oct 16, 2014
Jkt 235001
the most significant aspects of such
statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Electronic Comments
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.14
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
PO 00000
Frm 00091
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
1. Purpose
On February 8, 2013, the Exchange
received approval of a rule change that
established a Pilot Program that allows
the Exchange to list options on the S&P
500 Index whose exercise settlement
value is derived from closing prices on
the last trading day prior to expiration
(‘‘SPXPM’’).3 On July 31, 2013, the
Exchange received approval of a rule
change that amended the Pilot Program
to allow the Exchange to list options on
the Mini-SPX Index (‘‘XSP’’) whose
exercise settlement value is derived
from closing prices on the last trading
day prior to expiration (‘‘P.M.-settled’’) 4
(together, SPXPM and P.M.-settled XSP
to be referred to herein as the ‘‘Pilot
Products’’).5 In January 2014, the
Exchange filed a proposed rule change
that extended the pilot period from
February 8, 2014 to November 3, 2014.6
The Exchange hereby proposes to
extend the duration of this pilot period
to end on May 3, 2016.
During the course of the Pilot Program
and in support of the extension of the
Pilot Program, the Exchange has
submitted to the Commission reports
regarding the Pilot Program which detail
the Exchange’s experience with the Pilot
Program, pursuant to the SPXPM
Approval Order and the P.M.-settled
XSP Approval Order. Specifically, the
Exchange has submitted a Pilot Program
report to the Commission (the ‘‘annual
report’’). The annual report has
contained an analysis of volume, open
interest, and trading patterns. The
analysis examines trading in Pilot
Products as well as trading in the
securities that comprise the underlying
index. In addition, for series that exceed
certain minimum open interest
parameters, the annual report provides
analysis of index price volatility and
share trading activity. In addition to the
annual report, the Exchange provides
the Commission with periodic interim
3 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 68888
(February 8, 2013), 78 FR 10668 (February 14, 2013)
(SR–CBOE–2012–120) (the ‘‘SPXPM Pilot Program
Approval Order’’).
4 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 70087
(July 31, 2013), 78 FR 47809 (August 6, 2013) (SR–
CBOE–2013–055) (the ‘‘P.M.-settled XSP Approval
Order’’).
5 For more information on SPXPM, P.M.-settled
XSP or the Pilot Program, see the SPXPM Approval
Order and the P.M.-settled XSP Approval Order.
6 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 71424
(January 28, 2014), 79 FR 6249 (February 3, 2014)
(SR–CBOE–2014–004).
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 201 (Friday, October 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62500-62502]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-24682]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-73340; File No. SR-FINRA-2014-042]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a
Proposed Rule Change Relating to the Implementation Date of Market
Participant Identifier Requirements for Alternative Trading Systems
October 10, 2014.
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 October 2, 2014, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.
(``FINRA'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC''
or ``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I and
II below, which Items have been prepared by FINRA. FINRA has designated
the proposed rule change as constituting a ``non-controversial'' rule
change under paragraph (f)(6) of Rule 19b-4 under the Act,\3\ which
renders the proposal effective upon receipt of this filing by the
Commission. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit
comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
\3\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
FINRA is proposing to postpone until February 2, 2015, the
implementation date of the requirement that alternative trading systems
(``ATSs'') use unique market participant identifiers (``MPIDs'') when
reporting order and trade information to FINRA.
The proposed rule change does not make any changes to the text of
FINRA rules.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
In its filing with the Commission, FINRA 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. FINRA has prepared summaries, set forth in sections A,
B, and C below, of the most significant aspects of such statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
On January 17, 2014, the Commission approved SR-FINRA-2013-042, a
proposed rule change to (i) adopt Rule 4552 to require ATSs to report
to FINRA weekly volume information and number of trades regarding
securities transactions within the ATS; and (ii) amend Rules 6160,
6170, 6480, and 6720 to require each ATS to acquire and use a single,
unique MPID when reporting information to FINRA.\4\ Rule 4552 was
implemented on May 12, 2014, and the MPID requirement for ATSs is
currently scheduled to be implemented on November 10, 2014.\5\ The
proposed rule change postpones the implementation date for ATSs to
[[Page 62501]]
comply with the new MPID requirement until February 2, 2015.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 71341 (January 17,
2014), 79 FR 4213 (January 24, 2014) (Order Approving SR-FINRA-2013-
042). On April 3, 2014, FINRA filed with the Commission for
immediate effectiveness a proposed rule change to amend Rules 6160,
6170, 6480, and 6720 to permit an ATS that trades both TRACE-
Eligible Securities and equity securities (OTC Equity Securities or
NMS stocks) to use two MPIDs, rather than a single unique MPID, if
each MPID is used exclusively for either TRACE-Eligible Securities
or equity securities. See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 71911
(April 9, 2014), 79 FR 21316 (April 15, 2014).
\5\ See Regulatory Notice 14-07 (February 2014).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the time FINRA filed SR-FINRA-2013-042, FINRA recognized that
``given the potential systems changes required by the MPID requirement,
FINRA will provide additional time for firms to implement the MPID
requirement.'' \6\ Because of the time necessary to make many of these
systems changes, FINRA also noted in its response to comments on SR-
FINRA-2013-042 that ``FINRA believes increased transparency in the
over-the-counter market is necessary and beneficial and can be more
readily achieved through reporting requirements before the MPID
requirement is implemented. Consequently, FINRA declines to eliminate
the reporting requirement from the first phase of the Proposal but
reaffirms its commitment to reassessing its need following
implementation of the MPID requirement.'' \7\ The self-reporting
requirements in Rule 4552 were implemented on May 12, 2014, and FINRA
began publishing ATS data on June 2, 2014; consequently, the
transparency benefits of the new self-reporting rule are already in
place, and ATS volume information is currently available on FINRA's Web
site.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 70676 (October 11,
2013), 78 FR 62862, 62856 (October 22, 2013) (Notice of Filing of
SR-FINRA-2013-042).
\7\ Letter from Brant K. Brown, Associate General Counsel,
FINRA, to Elizabeth Murphy, Secretary, SEC, dated January 15, 2014,
at 7.
\8\ FINRA has created a page on its Web site dedicated to the
new ATS requirements, including a link to the ATS data reported
pursuant to Rule 4552. See www.finra.org/ats.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the past several months, FINRA staff has been discussing
implementation issues arising with the MPID requirement with various
ATSs and industry trade groups. In large part, these issues involved
specific, detailed scenarios ATSs must program for to report trades to
a FINRA trade reporting facility or to report order information to
FINRA's Order Audit Trail System (``OATS''). In response to these
inquiries, FINRA published written guidance for ATSs on trade reporting
and OATS reporting on September 15, 2014.\9\ As part of this guidance,
FINRA clarified ATSs' trade reporting obligations regarding the
appropriate indication of MPIDs in various trade reporting scenarios,
the use of tape and non-tape reports for ATS transactions, the capacity
of ATSs on trade reports, and the inclusion of short sale indicators on
trade reports.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ See www.finra.org/Industry/Compliance/MarketTransparency/ATS/FAQ/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Members have requested that FINRA postpone the implementation date
for the ATS MPID requirement so that members can ensure that their
trade reports and OATS reports comply with this guidance. FINRA
believes that it would be beneficial to postpone the implementation
date by approximately three months to provide firms with sufficient
time to incorporate this guidance into their coding for the MPID
requirement. A postponement should help ensure that firms are
consistently reporting similar information to FINRA and that FINRA's
audit trail information is correct and reliable. FINRA believes that,
if additional time is not provided, firms may not be ready to comply
with the new guidance by November 10, 2014, and FINRA's audit trail
could be less accurate as a result.
FINRA has filed the proposed rule change for immediate
effectiveness. The effective date and the implementation date will be
the date of filing, October 2, 2014.
2. Statutory Basis
FINRA believes that the proposed rule change is consistent with the
provisions of Section 15A(b)(6) of the Act,\10\ which requires, among
other things, that FINRA rules must be designed to prevent fraudulent
and manipulative acts and practices, to promote just and equitable
principles of trade, and, in general, to protect investors and the
public interest. FINRA believes postponing the implementation date of
the ATS MPID requirement by three months will provide firms with
sufficient time to incorporate FINRA's new trade reporting and OATS
guidance into their coding for the MPID requirement. This additional
time should help ensure that firms are reporting information to FINRA
so that FINRA's audit trail information is consistent, correct, and
reliable. FINRA believes that, if additional time is not provided,
firms may not be ready to comply with the new guidance and FINRA's
audit trail could be less accurate. Inconsistent reporting of ATS order
and trade information could also adversely affect FINRA's ability to
rely on automated surveillance patterns to detect potential misconduct.
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\10\ 15 U.S.C. 78o-3(b)(6).
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B. Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
FINRA does not believe that the proposed rule change will result in
any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in
furtherance of the purposes of the Act. FINRA believes that extending
the implementation date of the new ATS MPID requirement will provide
firms with needed additional time so that they can better comply with
recently-issued FINRA guidance on an ATS's trade reporting and OATS
obligations.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants or Others
Written comments were neither solicited nor received.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
Because the foregoing proposed rule change does not: (i)
Significantly affect the protection of investors or the public
interest; (ii) impose any significant burden on competition; and (iii)
become operative for 30 days from the date on which it was filed, or
such shorter time as the Commission may designate, it has become
effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) of the Act \11\ and Rule 19b-
4(f)(6) thereunder.\12\
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\11\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
\12\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6). In addition, Rule 19b-4(f)(6)
requires a self-regulatory organization to give the Commission
written notice of its intent to file the proposed rule change along
with a brief description and text of the proposed rule change at
least five business days prior to the date of filing of the proposed
rule change, or such shorter time as designated by the Commission.
The Exchange has satisfied this requirement.
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FINRA has requested that the Commission waive the 30-day operative
delay, so that the proposed rule change would be operative on filing.
The Commission believes that waiving the 30-day operative delay is
consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest. By
making the proposed rule change operative immediately FINRA's ATS
members can immediately be afforded notice of the additional time
available for compliance with the MPID requirement. Therefore, the
Commission hereby waives the 30-day operative delay and designates the
proposed rule change operative upon filing.\13\
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\13\ For purposes only of waiving the 30-day operative delay,
the Commission has considered the proposed rule's impact on
efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C.
78c(f).
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At any time within 60 days of the filing of the proposed rule
change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission
takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings to
determine whether the proposed rule should be approved or disapproved.
[[Page 62502]]
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 (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
Send an email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include
File Number SR-FINRA-2014-042 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
Send paper comments in triplicate to Brent J. Fields,
Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549.
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-FINRA-2014-042. 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 Web site (https://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 those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site 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
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of such filing also will be available for
inspection and copying at the principal office of FINRA. All comments
received will be posted without change; the Commission does not edit
personal identifying information from submissions. You should submit
only information that you wish to make available publicly. All
submissions should refer to File Number SR-FINRA-2014-042 and should be
submitted on or before November 7, 2014.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\14\
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\14\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-24682 Filed 10-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P