For purposes of this part, the following terms have the same meaning as in the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1 et seq.): “affiliated person of a futures commission merchant”; “associated person”; “contract of sale”; “commodity”; “futures commission merchant”; “future delivery”; “option”; “security”; and “security futures product.”

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Terms Used In 12 CFR 240.2

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.

(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) Banking institution means:

(1) A state member bank (as defined in 12 CFR 208.2);

(2) An uninsured state-licensed U.S. branch or agency of a foreign bank;

(3) A financial holding company (as defined in section 2 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956; 12 U.S.C. § 1841);

(4) A bank holding company (as defined in section 2 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956; 12 U.S.C. § 1841);

(5) A savings and loan holding company (as defined in section 10 of the Home Owners Loan Act; 12 U.S.C. § 1467a)

(6) A corporation operating under the fifth undesignated paragraph of section 25 of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. § 603), commonly known as “an agreement corporation;” and

(7) A corporation organized under section 25A of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. § 611 et seq.), commonly known as an “Edge Act corporation.”

(c) Commodity Exchange Act means the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1 et seq.).

(d) Eligible contract participant has the same meaning as in the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1 et seq., as implemented in 17 CFR 1.3(m).

(e) Forex means foreign exchange.

(f) Identified banking product has the same meaning as in section 401(b) of the Legal Certainty for Bank Products Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. § 27(b)).

(g) Institution-affiliated party or IAP has the same meaning as in 12 U.S.C. § 1813(u)(1), (2), or (3).

(h) Introducing broker means any person who solicits or accepts orders from a retail forex customer in connection with retail forex transactions.

(i) Related person, when used in reference to a retail forex counterparty, means:

(1) Any general partner, officer, director, or owner of ten percent or more of the capital stock of the retail forex counterparty;

(2) An associated person or employee of the retail forex counterparty, if the retail forex counterparty is not an insured depository institution;

(3) An IAP, if the retail forex counterparty is an insured depository institution; and

(4) Any relative or spouse of any of the foregoing persons, or any relative of such spouse, who shares the same home as any of the foregoing persons.

(j) Retail foreign exchange dealer means any person other than a retail forex customer that is, or that offers to be, the counterparty to a retail forex transaction, except for a person described in item (aa), (bb), (cc)(AA), (dd), or (ff) of section 2(c)(2)(B)(i)(II) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 2(c)(2)(B)(i)(II)).

(k) Retail forex account means the account of a retail forex customer, established with a banking institution, in which retail forex transactions with the banking institution as counterparty are undertaken, or the account of a retail forex customer that is established in order to enter into such transactions.

(l) Retail forex account agreement means the contractual agreement between a banking institution and a retail forex customer that contains the terms governing the customer’s retail forex account with the banking institution.

(m) Retail forex business means engaging in one or more retail forex transactions with the intent to derive income from those transactions, either directly or indirectly.

(n) Retail forex counterparty includes, as appropriate:

(1) A banking institution;

(2) A retail foreign exchange dealer;

(3) A futures commission merchant;

(4) An affiliated person of a futures commission merchant; and

(5) A broker or dealer registered under section 15(b) (except paragraph (11) thereof) or 15C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. § 78o(b), 78o-5) or a U.S. financial institution other than a banking institution, provided the counterparty is subject to a rule or regulation of a Federal regulatory agency covering retail forex transactions.

(o) Retail forex customer means a customer that is not an eligible contract participant, acting on his, her, or its own behalf and engaging in retail forex transactions.

(p) Retail forex proprietary account means a retail forex account carried on the books of a banking institution for one of the following persons; a retail forex account of which 10 percent or more is owned by one of the following persons; or a retail forex account of which an aggregate of 10 percent or more of which is owned by more than one of the following persons:

(1) The banking institution;

(2) An officer, director or owner of ten percent or more of the capital stock of the banking institution; or

(3) An employee of the banking institution, whose duties include:

(i) The management of the banking institution’s business;

(ii) The handling of the banking institution’s retail forex transactions;

(iii) The keeping of records, including without limitation the software used to make or maintain those records, pertaining to the banking institution’s retail forex transactions; or

(iv) The signing or co-signing of checks or drafts on behalf of the banking institution;

(4) A spouse or minor dependent living in the same household as of any of the foregoing persons; or

(5) An affiliate of the banking institution;

(q) Retail forex transaction means an agreement, contract, or transaction in foreign currency, other than an identified banking product or a part of an identified banking product, that is offered or entered into by a banking institution with a person that is not an eligible contract participant and that is:

(1) A contract of sale of a commodity for future delivery or an option on such a contract; or

(2) An option, other than an option executed or traded on a national securities exchange registered pursuant to section 6(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. § 78f(a)); or

(3) Offered or entered into on a leveraged or margined basis, or financed by a banking institution, its affiliate, or any person acting in concert with the banking institution or its affiliate on a similar basis, other than:

(i) A security that is not a security futures product as defined in section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. § 1a(47)); or

(ii) A contract of sale that—

(A) Results in actual delivery within two days; or

(B) Creates an enforceable obligation to deliver between a seller and buyer that have the ability to deliver and accept delivery, respectively, in connection with their line of business; or

(iii) An agreement, contract, or transaction that the Board determines is not functionally or economically similar to an agreement, contract, or transaction described in paragraph (p)(1) or (p)(2) of this section.