The terms used in this part have the following meanings:

Terms Used In 12 CFR 1320.2

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Federal Reserve System: The central bank of the United States. The Fed, as it is commonly called, regulates the U.S. monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve System is composed of a central governmental agency in Washington, D.C. (the Board of Governors) and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks in major cities throughout the United States. Source: OCC
  • financial transaction: includes —

    (i) Funds transfers;

    (ii) Securities contracts;

    (iii) Contracts of sale of a commodity for future delivery;

    (iv) Forward contracts;

    (v) Repurchase agreements;

    (vi) Swaps;

    (vii) Security-based swaps;

    (viii) Swap agreements;

    (ix) Security-based swap agreements;

    (x) Foreign exchange contracts;

    (xi) Financial derivatives contracts; and

    (xii) Any similar transaction that the Council determines to be a financial transaction for purposes of this part. See 12 CFR 1320.2

  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • Supervisory Agency: means the Federal agency that—

    (i) Has primary jurisdiction over a designated financial market utility under Federal banking, securities, or commodity futures laws as follows—

    (A) The Securities and Exchange Commission, with respect to a designated financial market utility that is a clearing agency registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission;

    (B) The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, with respect to a designated financial market utility that is a derivatives clearing organization registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission;

    (C) The appropriate Federal banking agency, with respect to a designated financial market utility that is an institution described in section 3(q) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act;

    (D) The Board of Governors, with respect to a designated financial market utility that is otherwise not subject to the jurisdiction of any agency listed in paragraphs (1)(i), (ii), and (iii) of this definition; or

    (ii) Would have primary jurisdiction over a financial market utility if the financial market utility were a designated financial market utility under paragraph (1) of this definition. See 12 CFR 1320.2

  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.

Appropriate Federal banking agency. The term “appropriate Federal banking agency” has the same meaning as in section 3(q) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. § 1813(q)), as amended.

Board of Governors. The term “Board of Governors” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Council. The term “Council” means the Financial Stability Oversight Council.

Designated clearing entity. The term “designated clearing entity” means a designated financial market utility that is a derivatives clearing organization registered under section 5b of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. §§ 7a-1) or a clearing agency registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. §§ 78q1).

Designated financial market utility. The term “designated financial market utility” means a financial market utility that the Council has designated as systemically important under § 1320.13.

Financial institution. The term “financial institution”

(1) Means—

(i) A depository institution as defined in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. § 1813);

(ii) A branch or agency of a foreign bank, as defined in section 1(b) of the International Banking Act of 1978 (12 U.S.C. § 3101);

(iii) An organization operating under section 25 or 25A of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. §§ 601604a and 611 through 631);

(iv) A credit union, as defined in section 101 of the Federal Credit Union Act (12 U.S.C. § 1752);

(v) A broker or dealer, as defined in section 3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. § 78c);

(vi) An investment company, as defined in section 3 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. §§ 80a-3);

(vii) An insurance company, as defined in section 2 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. §§ 80a-2);

(viii) An investment adviser, as defined in section 202 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. §§ 80b-2);

(ix) A futures commission merchant, commodity trading advisor, or commodity pool operator, as defined in section 1a of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. § 1a); and

(x) Any company engaged in activities that are financial in nature or incidental to a financial activity, as described in section 4 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. § 1843(k)).

(2) Does not include designated contract markets, registered futures associations, swap data repositories, and swap execution facilities registered under the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1 et seq.), or national securities exchanges, national securities associations, alternative trading systems, securities information processors solely with respect to the activities of the entity as a securities information processor, security-based swap data repositories, and swap execution facilities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. § 78a et seq.), or designated clearing entities, provided that the exclusions in this paragraph apply only with respect to the activities that require the entity to be so registered.

Financial market utility. The term “financial market utility”—

(1) Means any person that manages or operates a multilateral system for the purpose of transferring, clearing, or settling payments, securities, or other financial transactions among financial institutions or between financial institutions and the person; and

(2) Does not include—

(i) Designated contract markets, registered futures associations, swap data repositories, and swap execution facilities registered under the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1 et seq.), or national securities exchanges, national securities associations, alternative trading systems, security-based swap data repositories, and swap data execution facilities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. § 78a et seq.), solely by reason of their providing facilities for comparison of data respecting the terms of settlement of securities or futures transactions effected on such exchange or by means of any electronic system operated or controlled by such entities, provided that the exclusions in this clause apply only with respect to the activities that require the entity to be so registered; and

(ii) Any broker, dealer, transfer agent, or investment company, or any futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, or commodity pool operator, solely by reason of functions performed by such institution as part of brokerage, dealing, transfer agency, or investment company activities, or solely by reason of acting on behalf of a financial market utility or a participant therein in connection with the furnishing by the financial market utility of services to its participants or the use of services of the financial market utility by its participants, provided that services performed by such institution do not constitute critical risk management or processing functions of the financial market utility.

Hearing date. The term “hearing date” means the later of—

(1) The date on which the Council receives all of the written materials timely submitted by the financial market utility for a hearing that is conducted without oral testimony; or

(2) The final date on which the Council convenes for the financial market utility to present oral testimony.

Payment, clearing, or settlement activity.

(1) The term “payment, clearing, or settlement activity” means an activity carried out by 1 or more financial institutions to facilitate the completion of financial transactions, but shall not include any offer or sale of a security under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. § 77a et seq.), or any quotation, order entry, negotiation, or other pre-trade activity or execution activity.

(2) For purposes of paragraph (1) of this definition, the term “financial transaction” includes—

(i) Funds transfers;

(ii) Securities contracts;

(iii) Contracts of sale of a commodity for future delivery;

(iv) Forward contracts;

(v) Repurchase agreements;

(vi) Swaps;

(vii) Security-based swaps;

(viii) Swap agreements;

(ix) Security-based swap agreements;

(x) Foreign exchange contracts;

(xi) Financial derivatives contracts; and

(xii) Any similar transaction that the Council determines to be a financial transaction for purposes of this part.

(3) When conducted with respect to a financial transaction, payment, clearing, and settlement activities may include—

(i) The calculation and communication of unsettled financial transactions between counterparties;

(ii) The netting of transactions;

(iii) Provision and maintenance of trade, contract, or instrument information;

(iv) The management of risks and activities associated with continuing financial transactions;

(v) Transmittal and storage of payment instructions;

(vi) The movement of funds;

(vii) The final settlement of financial transactions; and

(viii) Other similar functions that the Council may determine.

(4) Payment, clearing, and settlement activities shall not include public reporting of swap transactions under section 727 or 763(i) of the Dodd-Frank Act.

Supervisory Agency. (1) The term “Supervisory Agency” means the Federal agency that—

(i) Has primary jurisdiction over a designated financial market utility under Federal banking, securities, or commodity futures laws as follows—

(A) The Securities and Exchange Commission, with respect to a designated financial market utility that is a clearing agency registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission;

(B) The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, with respect to a designated financial market utility that is a derivatives clearing organization registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission;

(C) The appropriate Federal banking agency, with respect to a designated financial market utility that is an institution described in section 3(q) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act;

(D) The Board of Governors, with respect to a designated financial market utility that is otherwise not subject to the jurisdiction of any agency listed in paragraphs (1)(i), (ii), and (iii) of this definition; or

(ii) Would have primary jurisdiction over a financial market utility if the financial market utility were a designated financial market utility under paragraph (1) of this definition.

(2) If a financial market utility is subject to the jurisdictional supervision of more than one agency listed in paragraph (1) of this definition, then such agencies should agree on one agency to act as the Supervisory Agency, and if such agencies cannot agree on which agency has primary jurisdiction, the Council shall decide which is the Supervisory Agency for purposes of this part.

Systemically important and systemic importance. The terms “systemically important” and “systemic importance” mean a situation where the failure of or a disruption to the functioning of a financial market utility could create, or increase, the risk of significant liquidity or credit problems spreading among financial institutions or markets and thereby threaten the stability of the financial system of the United States.