CME Clearing Tweaks Its Playbook for Managing Financial Defaults
Published Date: 10/21/2026
Notice
Summary
CME Securities Clearing Inc. is updating its risk rules to make handling defaults clearer and smoother for its team. This change helps protect everyone involved by improving how they manage financial risks when someone can’t pay. The updates kick in soon and aim to keep the market safe without extra costs for users.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Use of liquidation agents and brokers in defaults
CMESC's Risk Management Framework now explicitly allows using a third-party liquidation agent and one or more execution brokers to manage a Participant default. The liquidation agent may execute close-out trades, enter hedges, reconcile positions, and coordinate with execution brokers that may submit back-to-back trades so CMESC's account remains net flat and can meet settlement obligations.
Ex ante risk reviews to enable position transfers
CMESC will analyze Users' risk profiles on an ex ante basis to improve the likelihood that non-defaulting Users' positions can be transferred to a Member in good standing if their authorizing Member defaults. CMESC will continue monitoring Users' positions and collateral throughout the default process.
Possible close-out (liquidation) of some Users' positions
While CMESC will try to transfer non-defaulting Users' positions, the RMF states CMESC may, based on prevailing facts and circumstances, close out (liquidate) the positions of some or all Users of a defaulted Member. CMESC will continue to monitor collateral sufficiency during the default management process.
Allocation of default management costs pro rata
For Users with multiple authorizing Members, if CMESC manages the User's default, the RMF specifies that default management costs will be allocated pro rata based on the margin requirement for the User's positions authorized by each Member.
Limitation on use of acceleration rights
CMESC amended the RMF to clarify it will use acceleration rights only for applicable transactions with remaining maturities of greater than two business days, consistent with existing Rule 1507(f). This relates to when non-defaulting Participants' delivery obligations may become due earlier than originally scheduled.
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