Article 305 Treatment of Clients' Exposures

1.

An institution that is a client shall calculate the own funds requirements for its CCP-related transactions with its clearing member in accordance with Sections 1 to 8 of this Chapter, with Section 4 of Chapter 4 of this Title and with Title VI as applicable.

2.

Without prejudice to the approach specified in paragraph 1, where an institution is a client, it may calculate the own funds requirements for its trade exposures for CCP-related transactions with its clearing member in accordance with Article 306 provided that all the following conditions are met:

  1. (a) the positions and assets of that institution related to those transactions are distinguished and segregated, at the level of both the clearing member and the CCP, from the positions and assets of both the clearing member and the other clients of that clearing member and as a result of that distinction and segregation those positions and assets are bankruptcy remote in the event of the default or insolvency of the clearing member or one or more of its other clients;
  2. (b) laws, regulations, rules and contractual arrangements applicable to or binding that institution or the CCP facilitate the transfer of the client's positions relating to those contracts and transactions and of the corresponding collateral to another clearing member within the applicable margin period of risk in the event of default or insolvency of the original clearing member. In such circumstance, the client's positions and the collateral shall be transferred at market value unless the client requests to close out the position at market value;
  3. (c) the client has conducted a sufficiently thorough legal review, which it has kept up to date, that substantiates that the arrangements that ensure that the condition set out in point (b) is met are legal, valid, binding and enforceable under the relevant laws of the relevant jurisdiction or jurisdictions;
  4. (d) the CCP is a QCCP.

When assessing its compliance with the condition set out in point (b) of the first subparagraph, an institution may take into account any clear precedents of transfers of client positions and of corresponding collateral at a CCP, and any industry intent to continue with that practice.

3.

By way of derogation from paragraph 2 of this Article, where an institution that is a clientt fails to meet the condition set out in point (a) of that paragraph because that institution is not protected from losses in case the clearing member and another client of the clearing member jointly default, provided that all the other conditions set out in points (a) to (d) of that paragraph are met, the institution may calculate the own funds requirements for its trade exposures for CCP-related transactions with its clearing member in accordance with Article 306, subject to replacing the 2% risk weight set out in point (a) of Article 306(1) with a 4% risk weight.

4.

In the case of a multi-level client structure, an institution that is a lower-level client accessing the services of a CCP through a higher-level client, may apply the treatment set out in paragraph 2 or 3 only where the conditions in each paragraph are met at every level of that structure.

[Note: This rule corresponds to Article 305 of the CRR as it applied immediately before revocation by the Treasury.]