Cash Equity Securities
The following arrangements and practices may constitute indirect compensation:
In connection with executing transactions in the marketplace, we route orders to national securities exchanges, alternative trading systems, electronic communications networks, and broker-dealers ("Market Centers"). Certain of these Market Centers offer monetary credits for orders that provide liquidity and assess charges for orders that take liquidity. Whether a Market Center offers us a net credit or assesses us a net charge is determined based on the overall volume of business that we transact with the applicable Market Center over a given period (typically a month) and is not individually based on the activity of any particular account. In addition, we participate in the options order flow programs that are sponsored by various options exchanges and approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). These exchange-sponsored programs offer payments for listed option orders that are directed to such options markets. When handling equity security orders, we pursue different execution strategies across multiple Market Centers consistent with our best execution obligation, taking into account market conditions, client instructions, liquidity dynamics and price improvement opportunities. These Market Centers competitively employ different and frequently revised pricing schedules with respect to charges, credits and other payments. As a result, it is not possible to predict with reasonable certainty the amount of indirect compensation, if any, that may be received with respect to your particular orders.
In accordance with SEC Rule 606, we disclose, on a quarterly basis, the top Market Centers to which we route customer orders for execution. Please see our disclosure at
http://www.ml.com/index.asp?id=7695_8425_8016_7296#sec_order_execution for details concerning our order routing practices and a description of the material aspects of our relationships with Market Centers. In general, we expect annually to incur charges (rather than receive credits) across Market Centers on a net basis with respect to the aggregate business we transact over such period. Further information on the charge/credit schedules for Market Centers can be found at the following websites:
Options
BATS and BATS Y: http://batstrading.com/FeeSchedule
CBSX: http://www.cboe.com/publish/cbsxfeeschedule/cbsxfeeschedule.pdf
CHX: http://www.chx.com/content/participant_information/Rules_Fee_schedule.html
EDGA: http://www.directedge.com/Membership/FeeSchedule/EDGAFeeSchedule.aspx
EDGX: http://www.directedge.com/Membership/FeeSchedule/EDGXFeeSchedule.aspx
NASDAQ, NASDAQ BX, NASDAQ PSX: http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/trader.aspx?id=pricelisttrading2
NSX: http://www.nsx.com/content/nsx-fee-schedule
NYSE: http://usequities.nyx.com/markets/nyse-equities/trading-fees
NYSE AMEX: http://usequities.nyx.com/markets/nyse-amex-equities/trading-fees
NYSE ARCA: http://usequities.nyx.com/markets/nyse-arca-equities/trading-fees
Cash Equities (Other than Options)
BATS: http://www.batstrading.com/FeeSchedule
BOX: http://www.bostonoptions.com/pdf/BOX_Fee_Schedule.pdf
CBOE: http://www.cboe.com/publish/feeschedule/CBOEFeeSchedule.pdf
C2: http://www.cboe.com/publish/C2FeeSchedule/C2FeeSchedule.pdf
ISE: http://www.ise.com/assets/documents/OptionsExchange/legal/fee/fee_schedule.pdf
NASDAQ OMX PHLX: http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/content/marketregulation/membership/phlx/feesched.pdf
NASDAQ OMX: http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/Micro.aspx?id=OptionsPricing
NYSE ARCA: http://globalderivatives.nyx.com/sites/globalderivatives.nyx.com/files/nyse_arca_options_fee_schedule_may_08_12.pdf
NYSE AMEX: http://www.nyse.com/pdfs/NYSEAmex_Options_Fee_Schedule.pdf
You should check these websites for periodic updates.
Futures
The following arrangements and practices may constitute indirect compensation:
- As disclosed in the Futures Agreement, in conjunction with clearing or execution services we provide to plan clients, we may, in some circumstances, direct orders to unaffiliated market makers, other executing firms, individual floor brokers or floor brokerage groups for execution. When such unaffiliated parties are used, they may, where permitted, agree to price concessions, volume discounts or refunds, rebates or similar payments in return for receiving such business. Any price concessions or volume discounts we receive are passed on to our clients. Furthermore, in general, we do not expect to receive any refunds, rebates or similar payments from such venues. We will, however, receive a $0.50/contract rebate from ICE Futures U.S. for a three month period ending August 31, 2012 for the clearing of newly-listed grain futures.
- As described in the Futures Agreement, a plan client may have granted us the right to pledge, re-pledge, hypothecate, re-hypothecate, engage in repurchase or reverse repurchase transactions with respect to, invest or loan, either separately or with the property of other clients, to either ourselves as broker or to others, any securities or other property held by us on margin for their accounts or as margin or collateral for futures contracts. Because Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") Regulation 1.25 (which may be amended by the CFTC from time to time) currently limits the instruments in which we can invest collateral to certain U.S. and U.S. agency obligations, municipal securities, bank CDs, commercial paper and corporate notes/bonds fully guaranteed by the U.S. and money market mutual funds, the return that we may earn by investing that collateral will be limited by the nature of those instruments, the returns of which will vary and are generally dependent on prevailing interest rates.
Prime Brokerage
The following arrangements and practices may constitute indirect compensation:
- As described in the PB Agreement, a plan client may have granted us the right, among other things, to pledge, repledge, hypothecate, rehypothecate, sell, lend, or otherwise transfer or use any amount of the Collateral (as defined in the PB Agreement). In exercising such rights, we will use the Collateral up to the maximum allowable level permitted under U.S. Federal securities laws, that is employing Collateral having a value of up to 140% of your debit balance. Such use may include the sale of any such Collateral up to the amount described above. Cash balances, commonly termed "free credit balances," are not entitled to receive interest unless individually negotiated by the client (which will be reflected in the client's agreement or some other communication between the parties). SEC rules provide a formula that dictates the amount of cash that is required to be segregated and held at a bank for clients as a whole.
- Also, see the above disclosures relating to our Cash Equity Securities and Futures businesses, as those disclosures may apply equally to the extent we execute equity securities or futures trades in connection with a plan client's prime brokerage arrangement.
OTC Clearing
The following arrangements and practices may constitute indirect compensation:
- As described in the Futures Agreement, plan clients may have granted us the right to pledge, re-pledge, hypothecate, re-hypothecate, engage in repurchase or reverse repurchase transactions with respect to, invest or loan, either separately or with the property of other clients, to either ourselves as broker or to others, any securities or other property held by us on margin for their accounts or as margin or collateral therefor. Because CFTC Regulation 1.25 (which may be amended by the CFTC from time to time) currently limits the instruments in which we can invest collateral to certain U.S. and U.S. agency obligations, municipal securities, bank CDs, commercial paper and corporate notes/bonds fully guaranteed by the U.S. and money market mutual funds, the return that we may earn by investing that collateral will be limited by the nature of those instruments, the returns of which will vary and are generally dependent on prevailing interest rates.
- In connection with the development, establishment and maintenance of, and/or participation in, various swap clearinghouses, exchanges, execution facilities, or similar derivative trading platforms or systems ("Platforms"), we may be eligible for revenue/profit sharing, rebates, credits, fee waivers, caps/floors or discounts, or similar payments, arrangements, benefits or incentives which may be determined by a variety of factors including, for example, the volume of transactions we submit for clearing or trading through the Platform, whether a certain threshold level of fees are received by the Platform in connection with our trades, and/or the total amount of earnings by the Platform over a given period. The specific arrangements and eligibility criteria vary from Platform to Platform and are not generally based solely on an individual client's trade. As a result, it is not possible to predict with reasonable certainty the amount of indirect compensation, if any, that may be received with respect to a particular client's trade.
Additional disclosure with respect to material conflicts of interest is set forth in the Futures Agreement.
Global Transaction Services (GTS)
The following arrangements and practices may constitute indirect compensation:
We may receive revenue sharing or similar fees from money market mutual funds that we make available to our clients as cash management products. Any such fees generally range up to 10 basis points of the amount invested.
If a plan client sends a payment denominated in U.S. dollars to an account denominated in a foreign currency, under certain circumstances an intermediary bank or receiving bank may convert the payment into the applicable foreign currency and we may receive compensation from such a bank in connection with the conversion.
PriceServe/Valuation Services
We do not reasonably expect to receive any indirect compensation.
All Lines of Business
Our internal policies prohibit our employees from accepting gifts or entertainment from ERISA fiduciaries or their representatives or on account of any ERISA plan. Thus, we do not reasonably expect to receive any gifts or entertainment or similar items that would constitute indirect compensation.