Subpart A — Authority and Definitions
255.1 — Authority, purpose, scope, and relationship to other authorities
iate or subsidiary of any entity described in parag
(a)
Authority. This part is issued by the SEC under section 13 of the
Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1851). (b) Purpose. Section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act establishes prohibitions and restrictions on proprietary trading and investments in or relationships with covered funds by certain banking entities, including registered broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, and registered security-based swap dealers, among others identified in section 2(12)(B) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (12 U.S.C. 5301(12)(B)). This part implements section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act by defining terms used in the statute and related terms, establishing prohibitions and restrictions on proprietary trading and investments in or relationships with covered funds, and explaining the statute’s requirements.
(c) Scope. This part implements section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act with respect to banking entities for which the SEC is the primary financial regulatory agency, as that term is defined in this part.
(d) Relationship to other authorities. Except as otherwise provided under section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act, and notwithstanding any other provision of law, the prohibitions and restrictions under section 13 of Bank Holding Company Act shall apply to the activities and investments of a banking entity identified in paragraph (c) of this section, even if such activities and investments are authorized for the banking entity under other applicable provisions of law.
(e) Preservation of authority. Nothing in this part limits in any way the authority of the SEC to impose on a banking entity identified in paragraph (c) of this section additional requirements or restrictions with respect to any activity, investment, or relationship covered under section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act or this part, or additional penalties for violation of this part provided under any other applicable provision of law.
255.2 — Definitions.
Unless otherwise specified, for purposes of this part:
(a) Affiliate has the same meaning as in section 2(k) of
the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841(k)).
(b) Bank holding company has the same meaning as in
section 2 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841).
(c) Banking entity. (1) Except as provided in paragraph
(c)(2) of this section, banking entity means:
(i) Any insured depository institution;
(ii) Any company that controls an insured depository
institution;
(iii) Any company that is treated as a bank holding company for
purposes of section 8 of the International Banking Act of 1978 (12 U.S.C. 3106);
and
(iv) Any affiliate or subsidiary of any entity described in
paragraph (c)(1)(i), (ii), or (iii) of this section.
(2) Banking entity does not include:
(i) A covered fund that is not itself a banking entity under
paragraph (c)(1)(i), (ii), or (iii) of this section;
(ii) A portfolio company held under the authority contained in
section 4(k)(4)(H) or (I) of the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1843(k)(4)(H), (I)), or any
portfolio concern, as defined under 13 CFR 107.50, that is controlled by a small
business investment company, as defined in section 103(3) of the Small Business
Investment Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 662), so long as the portfolio company or
portfolio concern is not itself a banking entity under paragraph (c)(1)(i),
(ii), or (iii) of this section; or
(iii) The FDIC acting in its corporate capacity or as
conservator or receiver under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act or Title II of
the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
(d) Board means the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System.
(e) CFTC means the Commodity Futures Trading
Commission.
(f) Dealer has the same meaning as in section 3(a)(5) of
the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(5)).
(g) Depository institution has the same meaning as in
section 3(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813(c)).
(h) Derivative. (1) Except as provided in paragraph
(h)(2) of this section, derivative means:
(i) Any swap, as that term is defined in section 1a(47) of the
Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1a(47)), or security-based swap, as that term
is defined in section 3(a)(68) of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(68));
(ii) Any purchase or sale of a commodity, that is not an
excluded commodity, for deferred shipment or delivery that is intended to be
physically settled;
(iii) Any foreign exchange forward (as that term is defined in
section 1a(24) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1a(24)) or foreign
exchange swap (as that term is defined in section 1a(25) of the Commodity
Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1a(25));
(iv) Any agreement, contract, or transaction in foreign
currency described in section 2(c)(2)(C)(i) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7
U.S.C. 2(c)(2)(C)(i));
(v) Any agreement, contract, or transaction in a commodity
other than foreign currency described in section 2(c)(2)(D)(i) of the Commodity
Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 2(c)(2)(D)(i)); and
(vi) Any transaction authorized under section 19 of the
Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 23(a) or (b));
(2) A derivative does not include:
(i) Any consumer, commercial, or other agreement, contract, or
transaction that the CFTC and SEC have further defined by joint regulation,
interpretation, or other action as not within the definition of swap, as that
term is defined in section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C.
1a(47)), or security-based swap, as that term is defined in section 3(a)(68) of
the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(68)); or
(ii) Any identified banking product, as defined in section
402(b) of the Legal Certainty for Bank Products Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. 27(b)),
that is subject to section 403(a) of that Act (7 U.S.C. 27a(a)).
(i) Employee includes a member of the immediate family
of the employee.
(j) Exchange Act means the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.).
(k) Excluded commodity has the same meaning as in
section 1a(19) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1a(19)).
(l) FDIC means the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation.
(m) Federal banking agencies means the Board, the Office
of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the FDIC.
(n) Foreign banking organization has the same meaning as
in § 211.21(o) of the Board's Regulation K (12 CFR 211.21(o)), but does not
include a foreign bank, as defined in section 1(b)(7) of the International
Banking Act of 1978 (12 U.S.C. 3101(7)), that is organized under the laws of the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin
Islands, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(o) Foreign insurance regulator means the insurance
commissioner, or a similar official or agency, of any country other than the
United States that is engaged in the supervision of insurance companies under
foreign insurance law.
(p) General account means all of the assets of an
insurance company except those allocated to one or more separate accounts.
(q) Insurance company means a company that is organized
as an insurance company, primarily and predominantly engaged in writing
insurance or reinsuring risks underwritten by insurance companies, subject to
supervision as such by a state insurance regulator or a foreign insurance
regulator, and not operated for the purpose of evading the provisions of section
13 of the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1851).
(r) Insured depository institution has the same meaning
as in section 3(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813(c)), but
does not include:
(1) An insured depository institution that is described in section 2(c)(2)(D) of
the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1841(c)(2)(D)); or
(2) An insured depository institution if it has, and if every company that
controls it has, total consolidated assets of $10 billion or less and total
trading assets and trading liabilities, on a consolidated basis, that are 5
percent or less of total consolidated assets.
(s) Limited trading assets and liabilities means with
respect to a banking entity that:
(1)(i) The banking entity has, together with its affiliates and subsidiaries,
trading assets and liabilities (excluding trading assets and liabilities
attributable to trading activities permitted pursuant to § 255.6(a)(1) and (2)
of subpart B) the average gross sum of which over the previous consecutive four
quarters, as measured as of the last day of each of the four previous calendar
quarters, is less than $1 billion; and
(ii) The SEC has not determined pursuant to § 255.20(g) or (h) of
this part that the banking entity should not be treated as having limited
trading assets and liabilities.
(2) With respect to a banking entity other than a banking entity
described in paragraph (s)(3) of this section, trading assets and liabilities
for purposes of this paragraph (s) means trading assets and liabilities
(excluding trading assets and liabilities attributable to trading activities
permitted pursuant to § 255.6(a)(1) and (2) of subpart B) on a worldwide
consolidated basis.
(3)(i) With respect to a banking entity that is a foreign banking
organization or a subsidiary of a foreign banking organization, trading assets
and liabilities for purposes of this paragraph (s) means the trading assets and
liabilities (excluding trading assets and liabilities attributable to trading
activities permitted pursuant to § 255.6(a)(1) and (2) of subpart B) of the
combined U.S. operations of the top-tier foreign banking organization (including
all subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, and agencies of the foreign banking
organization operating, located, or organized in the United States).
(ii) For purposes of paragraph (s)(3)(i) of this section, a U.S.
branch, agency, or subsidiary of a banking entity is located in the United
States; however, the foreign bank that operates or controls that branch, agency,
or subsidiary is not considered to be located in the United States solely by
virtue of operating or controlling the U.S. branch, agency, or subsidiary. For
purposes of paragraph (s)(3)(i) of this section, all foreign operations of a
U.S. agency, branch, or subsidiary of a foreign banking organization are
considered to be located in the United States, including branches outside the
United States that are managed or controlled by a U.S. branch or agency of the
foreign banking organization, for purposes of calculating the banking entity's
U.S. trading assets and liabilities.
(t) Loan means any loan, lease, extension of credit, or
secured or unsecured receivable that is not a security or derivative.
(u) Moderate trading assets and liabilities means, with respect to a
banking entity, that the banking entity does not have significant trading assets
and liabilities or limited trading assets and liabilities.
(v) Primary financial regulatory agency has the same
meaning as in section 2(12) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer
Protection Act (12 U.S.C. 5301(12)).
(w) Purchase includes any contract to buy, purchase, or
otherwise acquire. For security futures products, purchase includes any
contract, agreement, or transaction for future delivery. With respect to a
commodity future, purchase includes any contract, agreement, or transaction for
future delivery. With respect to a derivative, purchase includes the execution,
termination (prior to its scheduled maturity date), assignment, exchange, or
similar transfer or conveyance of, or extinguishing of rights or obligations
under, a derivative, as the context may require.
(x) Qualifying foreign banking organization means a
foreign banking organization that qualifies as such under § 211.23(a), (c) or
(e) of the Board's Regulation K (12 CFR 211.23(a), (c), or (e)).
(y) SEC means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(z) Sale and sell each include any contract to
sell or otherwise dispose of. For security futures products, such terms include
any contract, agreement, or transaction for future delivery. With respect to a
commodity future, such terms include any contract, agreement, or transaction for
future delivery. With respect to a derivative, such terms include the execution,
termination (prior to its scheduled maturity date), assignment, exchange, or
similar transfer or conveyance of, or extinguishing of rights or obligations
under, a derivative, as the context may require.
(aa) Security has the meaning specified in section
3(a)(10) of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(10)).
(bb) Security-based swap dealer has the same meaning as
in section 3(a)(71) of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(71)).
(cc) Security future has the meaning specified in section
3(a)(55) of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(55)).
(dd) Separate account means an account established and
maintained by an insurance company in connection with one or more insurance
contracts to hold assets that are legally segregated from the insurance
company's other assets, under which income, gains, and losses, whether or not
realized, from assets allocated to such account, are, in accordance with the
applicable contract, credited to or charged against such account without regard
to other income, gains, or losses of the insurance company.
(ee) Significant trading assets and liabilities means with respect to a
banking entity that: (1)(i) The banking entity has, together with its affiliates
and subsidiaries, trading assets and liabilities the average gross sum of which
over the previous consecutive four quarters, as measured as of the last day of
each of the four previous calendar quarters, equals or exceeds $20 billion;
or
(ii) The SEC has determined pursuant to § 255.20(h) of this part that the banking
entity should be treated as having significant trading assets and
liabilities.
(2) With respect to a banking entity, other than a banking entity described in
paragraph (ee)(3) of this section, trading assets and liabilities for purposes
of this paragraph (ee) means trading assets and liabilities (excluding trading
assets and liabilities attributable to trading activities permitted pursuant to
§ 255.6(a)(1) and (2) of subpart B) on a worldwide consolidated basis.
(3)(i) With respect to a banking entity that is a foreign banking organization or
a subsidiary of a foreign banking organization, trading assets and liabilities
for purposes of this paragraph (ee) means the trading assets and liabilities
(excluding trading assets and liabilities attributable to trading activities
permitted pursuant to § 255.6(a)(1) and (2) of subpart B) of the combined U.S.
operations of the top-tier foreign banking organization (including all
subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, and agencies of the foreign banking
organization operating, located, or organized in the United States as well as
branches outside the United States that are managed or controlled by a branch or
agency of the foreign banking entity operating, located or organized in the
United States).
(ii) For purposes of paragraph (ee)(3)(i) of this section, a U.S. branch, agency,
or subsidiary of a banking entity is located in the United States; however, the
foreign bank that operates or controls that branch, agency, or subsidiary is not
considered to be located in the United States solely by virtue of operating or
controlling the U.S. branch, agency, or subsidiary. For purposes of paragraph
(ee)(3)(i) of this section, all foreign operations of a U.S. agency, branch, or
subsidiary of a foreign banking organization are considered to be located in the
United States for purposes of calculating the banking entity's U.S. trading
assets and liabilities.
(ff) State means any State, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin
Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(gg) Subsidiary has the same meaning as in section 2(d)
of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841(d)).
(hh) State insurance regulator means the insurance
commissioner, or a similar official or agency, of a State that is engaged in the
supervision of insurance companies under State insurance law.
(ii) Swap dealer has the same meaning as in section
1(a)(49) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1a(49)).
[84 FR 61974, Nov. 14, 2019]