Securities Lawyer's Deskbook                          published by The University of Cincinnati College of Law

Rule 31 -- Section 31 Transaction Fees

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1. Definitions. For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply:



1. Assessment charge means the amount owed by a covered SRO for a covered round turn transaction pursuant to section 31(d) of the Act.



2. Billing period means, for a single calendar year:



1. January 1 through August 31 ("billing period 1"); or



2. September 1 through December 31 ("billing period 2").



3. Charge date means the date on which a covered sale or covered round turn transaction occurs for purposes of determining the liability of a covered SRO pursuant to section 31 of the Act. The charge date is:



1. The settlement date, with respect to any covered sale (other than a covered sale resulting from the exercise of an option settled by physical delivery or from the maturation of a security future settled by physical delivery) or covered round turn transaction that a covered SRO is required to report to the Commission based on data that the covered SRO receives from a designated clearing agency
;


2. The exercise date, with respect to a covered sale resulting from the exercise of an option settled by physical delivery;



3. The maturity date, with respect to a covered sale resulting from the maturation of a security future settled by physical delivery; and



4. The trade date, with respect to all other covered sales and covered round turn transactions.



4. Covered association means any national securities association by or through any member of which covered sales or covered round turn transactions occur otherwise than on a national securities exchange.



5. Covered exchange means any national securities exchange on which covered sales or covered round turn transactions occur.



6. Covered sale means a sale of a security, other than an exempt sale or a sale of a security future, occurring on a national securities exchange or by or through any member of a national securities association otherwise than on a national securities exchange.



7. Covered round turn transaction means a round turn transaction in a security future, other than a round turn transaction in a future on a narrow-based security index, occurring on a national securities exchange or by or through a member of a national securities association otherwise than on a national securities exchange.



8. Covered SRO means a covered exchange or covered association.



9. Designated clearing agency means a clearing agency registered under section 17A of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78q-1) that clears and settles covered sales or covered round turn transactions.



10. Due date means:



1. March 15, with respect to the amounts owed by covered SROs under section 31 of the Act for covered sales and covered round turn transactions having a charge date in billing period 2; and



2. September 30, with respect to the amounts owed by covered SROs under section 31 of the Act for covered sales and covered round turn transactions having a charge date in billing period 1.



11. Exempt sale means:



1. Any sale of a security offered pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 (except a sale of a put or call option issued by the Options Clearing Corporation) or offered in accordance with an exemption from registration afforded by section 3(a) or 3(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 or a rule thereunder;



2. Any sale of a security by an issuer not involving any public offering within the meaning of section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933;



3. Any sale of a security pursuant to and in consummation of a tender or exchange offer;



4. Any sale of a security upon the exercise of a warrant or right (except a put or call), or upon the conversion of a convertible security;



5. Any sale of a security that is executed outside the United States and is not reported, or required to be reported, to a transaction reporting association as defined in Rule 11Aa3-1 and any approved plan filed thereunder;



6. Any sale of an option on a security index (including both a narrow-based security index and a non-narrow-based security index);



7. Any sale of a bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness; and



8. Any recognized riskless principal sale.



12. Fee rate means the fee rate applicable to covered sales under section 31(b) or (c) of the Act, as adjusted from time to time by the Commission pursuant to section 31(j) of the Act.



13. Narrow-based security index means the same as in section 3(a)(55)(B) and (C) of the Act.



14. Recognized riskless principal sale means a sale of a security where all of the following conditions are satisfied:



1. A broker-dealer receives from a customer an order to buy (sell) a security;



2. The broker-dealer engages in two contemporaneous offsetting transactions as principal, one in which the broker-dealer buys (sells) the security from (to) a third party and the other in which the broker-dealer sells (buys) the security to (from) the customer; and



3. The Commission, pursuant to section 19(b)(2) of the Act, has approved a proposed rule change submitted by the covered SRO on which the second of the two contemporaneous offsetting transactions occurs that permits that transaction to be reported as riskless.



15. Round turn transaction in a security future means one purchase and one sale of a contract of sale for future delivery
.


16. Physical delivery exchange-traded option means a securities option that is listed and registered on a national securities exchange and settled by the physical delivery of the underlying securities.



17. Section 31 bill means the bill sent by the Commission to a covered SRO pursuant to section 31 of the Act showing the total amount due from the covered SRO for the billing period, as calculated by the Commission based on the data submitted by the covered SRO in its Form R31 (§ 249.11 of this chapter) submissions for the months of the billing period
.


18. Trade reporting system means an automated facility operated by a covered SRO used to collect or compare trade data.



2. Reporting of covered sales and covered round turn transactions.



1. Each covered SRO shall submit a completed Form R31 (§ 249.11 of this chapter) to the Commission within ten business days after the end of each month.



2. A covered exchange shall provide on Form R31 the following data on covered sales and covered round turn transactions occurring on that exchange and having a charge date in that month:



1. The aggregate dollar amount of covered sales that it reported to a designated clearing agency, as reflected in the data provided by the designated clearing agency;



2. The aggregate dollar amount of covered sales resulting from the exercise of physical delivery exchange-traded options or from matured security futures, as reflected in the data provided by a designated clearing agency that clears and settles options or security futures;



3. The aggregate dollar amount of covered sales that it captured in a trade reporting system but did not report to a designated clearing agency;



4. The aggregate dollar amount of covered sales that it neither captured in a trade reporting system nor reported to a designated clearing agency; and



5. The total number of covered round turn transactions that it reported to a designated clearing agency, as reflected in the data provided by the designated clearing agency.



3. A covered association shall provide on Form R31 the following data on covered sales and covered round turn transactions occurring by or through any member of such association otherwise than on a national securities exchange and having a charge date in that month:



1. The aggregate dollar amount of covered sales that it captured in a trade reporting system;



2. The aggregate dollar amount of covered sales that it did not capture in a trade reporting system; and



3. The total number of covered round turn transactions that it reported to a designated clearing agency, as reflected in the data provided by the designated clearing agency.



4. Duties of designated clearing agency.



1. A designated clearing agency shall provide a covered SRO, upon request, the data in its possession needed by the covered SRO to complete Part I of Form R31 (§ 249.11 of this chapter).



2. If a covered exchange trades physical delivery exchange-traded options or security futures that settle by physical delivery of the underlying securities, the designated clearing agency that clears and settles such transactions shall provide that covered exchange with the data in its possession relating to the covered sales resulting from the exercise of such options or from the matured security futures. If, during a particular month, the designated clearing agency cannot determine the covered exchange on which the options or security futures originally were traded, the designated clearing agency shall assign covered sales resulting from exercises or maturations as follows. To provide Form R31 data to the covered exchange for a particular month, the designated clearing agency shall:



1. Calculate the aggregate dollar amount of all covered sales in the previous calendar month resulting from exercises and maturations, respectively, occurring on all covered exchanges for which it clears and settles transactions;



2. Calculate, for the previous calendar month, the aggregate dollar amount of covered sales of physical delivery exchange-traded options occurring on each covered exchange for which it clears and settles transactions, and the aggregate dollar amount of covered sales of physical delivery exchange-traded options occurring on all such exchanges collectively;



3. Calculate, for the previous calendar month, the total number of covered round turn transactions in security futures that settle by physical delivery that occurred on each covered exchange for which it clears and settles transactions, and the total number of covered round turn transactions in security futures that settle by physical delivery that occurred on all such exchanges collectively;



4. Determine for the previous calendar month each covered exchange's percentage of the total dollar volume of physical delivery exchange-traded options ("exercise percentage") and each covered exchange's percentage of the total number of covered round turn transactions in security futures that settle by physical delivery ("maturation percentage"); and



5. In the current month, assign to each covered exchange for which it clears and settles covered sales the exercise percentage of the aggregate dollar amount of covered sales on all covered exchanges resulting from the exercise of physical delivery exchange-traded options and the maturation percentage of all covered sales on all covered exchanges resulting from the maturation of security futures that settle by physical delivery.



5. A covered SRO shall provide in Part I of Form R31 only the data supplied to it by a designated clearing agency.



3. Calculation and billing of section 31 fees.



1. The amount due from a covered SRO for a billing period, as reflected in its Section 31 bill, shall be the sum of the monthly amounts due for each month in the billing period.



2. The monthly amount due from a covered SRO shall equal:



1. The aggregate dollar amount of its covered sales that have a charge date in that month, times the fee rate; plus



2. The total number of its covered round turn transactions that have a charge date in that month, times the assessment charge.



3. By the due date, each covered SRO shall pay the Commission, either directly or through a designated clearing agency acting as agent, the entire amount due for the billing period, as reflected in its Section 31 bill.

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