Options Clearing Corporation - OCC

An organization that acts as both the issuer and guarantor for option and futures contracts. The Options Clearing Corporation operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Under its SEC jurisdiction, the OCC clears transactions for put and call options, stock indexes, foreign currencies, interest rate composites and single-stock futures.

As a registered Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) regulated by the CFTC, the OCC provides clearing and settlement services for transactions in futures products, as well as options on futures. For securities lending transactions, the OCC offers central counterparty clearing and settlement services.

Founded in 1973, the Options Clearing Corporation is the largest equity derivatives clearing organization in the world. The OCC's mission and values statement states, "OCC is a customer-driven clearing organization that delivers world-class risk management, clearance and settlement services at a reasonable cost; and provide value-added solutions that support and grow the markets we serve."

A clearing member dominated board of directors oversees the Options Clearing Corporation. Most of its revenues are received from clearing fees charged to its members; volume discounts on fees are available. Exchanges and markets that OCC serves include BATS Options Exchange; C2 options Exchange, Inc; Chicago board Options Exchange, Inc; International Securities Exchange, NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc; NASDAQ OMX PHLX, Nasdaq Stock Market; NYSE Amex Options; and NYSE Arca Options.