(a) Underwriting activities--(1) Permitted underwriting activities. The prohibition contained in Sec. 75.3(a) does not apply to a banking entity's underwriting activities conducted in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section.
(1) Permitted underwriting activities. The prohibition contained in Sec. 75.3(a) does not apply to a banking entity's underwriting activities conducted in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section.
(2) Requirements. The underwriting activities of a banking entity are permitted under paragraph (a)(1) of this section only if:
(i) The banking entity is acting as an underwriter for a distribution of securities and the trading desk's underwriting position is related to such distribution;
(ii) The amount and type of the securities in the trading desk's underwriting position are designed not to exceed the reasonably expected near term demands of clients, customers, or counterparties, and reasonable efforts are made to sell or otherwise reduce the underwriting position within a reasonable period, taking into account the liquidity, maturity, and depth of the market for the relevant type of security;
(iii) The banking entity has established and implements, maintains, and enforces an internal compliance program required by subpart D of this part that is reasonably designed to ensure the banking entity's compliance with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section, including reasonably designed written policies and procedures, internal controls, analysis and independent testing identifying and addressing:
(A) The products, instruments or exposures each trading desk may purchase, sell, or manage as part of its underwriting activities;
(B) Limits for each trading desk, based on the nature and amount of the trading desk's underwriting activities, including the reasonably expected near term demands of clients, customers, or counterparties, on the:
(1) Amount, types, and risk of its underwriting position;
(2) Level of exposures to relevant risk factors arising from its underwriting position; and
(3) Period of time a security may be held;
(C) Internal controls and ongoing monitoring and analysis of each trading desk's compliance with its limits; and
(D) Authorization procedures, including escalation procedures that require review and approval of any trade that would exceed a trading desk's limit(s), demonstrable analysis of the basis for any temporary or permanent increase to a trading desk's limit(s), and independent review of such demonstrable analysis and approval;
(iv) The compensation arrangements of persons performing the activities described in paragraph (a) of this section are designed not to reward or incentivize prohibited proprietary trading; and
(v) The banking entity is licensed or registered to engage in the activity described in paragraph (a) of this section in accordance with applicable law.
(3) Definition of distribution. For purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, a distribution of securities means:
(i) An offering of securities, whether or not subject to registration under the Securities Act of 1933, that is distinguished from ordinary trading transactions by the presence of special selling efforts and selling methods; or
(ii) An offering of securities made pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933.
(4) Definition of underwriter. For purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, underwriter means:
(i) A person who has agreed with an issuer or selling security holder to:
(A) Purchase securities from the issuer or selling security holder for distribution;
(B) Engage in a distribution of securities for or on behalf of the issuer or selling security holder; or
(C) Manage a distribution of securities for or on behalf of the issuer or selling security holder; or
(ii) A person who has agreed to participate or is participating in a distribution of such securities for or on behalf of the issuer or selling security holder.
(5) Definition of selling security holder. For purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, selling security holder means any person, other than an issuer, on whose behalf a distribution is made.
(6) Definition of underwriting position. For purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, underwriting position means the long or short positions in one or more securities held by a banking entity or its affiliate, and managed by a particular trading desk, in connection with a particular distribution of securities for which such banking entity or affiliate is acting as an underwriter.
(7) Definition of client, customer, and counterparty. For purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, the terms client, customer, and counterparty, on a collective or individual basis, refer to market participants that may transact with the banking entity in connection with a particular distribution for which the banking entity is acting as underwriter.
(b) Market making-related activities--(1) Permitted market making-related activities. The prohibition contained in Sec. 75.3(a) does not apply to a banking entity's market making-related activities conducted in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section.
(1) Permitted market making-related activities. The prohibition contained in Sec. 75.3(a) does not apply to a banking entity's market making-related activities conducted in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section.
(2) Requirements. The market making-related activities of a banking entity are permitted under paragraph (b)(1) of this section only if:
(i) The trading desk that establishes and manages the financial exposure routinely stands ready to purchase and sell one or more types of financial instruments related to its financial exposure and is willing and available to quote, purchase and sell, or otherwise enter into long and short positions in those types of financial instruments for its own account, in commercially reasonable amounts and throughout market cycles on a basis appropriate for the liquidity, maturity, and depth of the market for the relevant types of financial instruments;
(ii) The amount, types, and risks of the financial instruments in the trading desk's market-maker inventory are designed not to exceed, on an ongoing basis, the reasonably expected near term demands of clients, customers, or counterparties, based on:
(A) The liquidity, maturity, and depth of the market for the relevant types of financial instrument(s); and
(B) Demonstrable analysis of historical customer demand, current inventory of financial instruments, and market and other factors regarding the amount, types, and risks, of or associated with financial instruments in which the trading desk makes a market, including through block trades;
(iii) The banking entity has established and implements, maintains, and enforces an internal compliance program required by subpart D of this part that is reasonably designed to ensure the banking entity's compliance with the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, including reasonably designed written policies and procedures, internal controls, analysis and independent testing identifying and addressing:
(A) The financial instruments each trading desk stands ready to purchase and sell in accordance with paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section;
(B) The actions the trading desk will take to demonstrably reduce or otherwise significantly mitigate promptly the risks of its financial exposure consistent with the limits required under paragraph (b)(2)(iii)(C) of this section; the products, instruments, and exposures each trading desk may use for risk management purposes; the techniques and strategies each trading desk may use to manage the risks of its market making-related activities and inventory; and the process, strategies, and personnel responsible for ensuring that the actions taken by the trading desk to mitigate these risks are and continue to be effective;
(C) Limits for each trading desk, based on the nature and amount of the trading desk's market making-related activities, that address the factors prescribed by paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section, on:
(1) The amount, types, and risks of its market-maker inventory;
(2) The amount, types, and risks of the products, instruments, and exposures the trading desk may use for risk management purposes;
(3) The level of exposures to relevant risk factors arising from its financial exposure; and
(4) The period of time a financial instrument may be held;
(D) Internal controls and ongoing monitoring and analysis of each trading desk's compliance with its limits; and
(E) Authorization procedures, including escalation procedures that require review and approval of any trade that would exceed a trading desk's limit(s), demonstrable analysis that the basis for any temporary or permanent increase to a trading desk's limit(s) is consistent with the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, and independent review of such demonstrable analysis and approval;
(iv) To the extent that any limit identified pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(iii)(C) of this section is exceeded, the trading desk takes action to bring the trading desk into compliance with the limits as promptly as possible after the limit is exceeded;
(v) The compensation arrangements of persons performing the activities described in paragraph (b) of this section are designed not to reward or incentivize prohibited proprietary trading; and
(vi) The banking entity is licensed or registered to engage in activity described in paragraph (b) of this section in accordance with applicable law.
(3) Definition of client, customer, and counterparty. For purposes of paragraph (b) of this section, the terms client, customer, and counterparty, on a collective or individual basis refer to market participants that make use of the banking entity's market making-related services by obtaining such services, responding to quotations, or entering into a continuing relationship with respect to such services, provided that:
(i) A trading desk or other organizational unit of another banking entity is not a client, customer, or counterparty of the trading desk if that other entity has trading assets and liabilities of $50 billion or more as measured in accordance with Sec. 75.20(d)(1), unless:
(A) The trading desk documents how and why a particular trading desk or other organizational unit of the entity should be treated as a client, customer, or counterparty of the trading desk for purposes of paragraph (b)(2) of this section; or
(B) The purchase or sale by the trading desk is conducted anonymously on an exchange or similar trading facility that permits trading on behalf of a broad range of market participants.
(ii) [Reserved]
(4) Definition of financial exposure. For purposes of paragraph (b) of this section, financial exposure means the aggregate risks of one or more financial instruments and any associated loans, commodities, or foreign exchange or currency, held by a banking entity or its affiliate and managed by a particular trading desk as part of the trading desk's market making-related activities.
(5) Definition of market-maker inventory. For the purposes of paragraph (b) of this section, market-maker inventory means all of the positions in the financial instruments for which the trading desk stands ready to make a market in accordance with paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section that are managed by the trading desk, including the trading desk's open positions or exposures arising from open transactions.