FT: Funds dash to clearing houses for swaps

10 May 2012

Big money managers are rushing towards third-party clearing of swaps trades before a possible downgrade of their bank trading partners' credit ratings.

The moves could vindicate regulators’ belief that private derivatives trades may be a source of counterparty risk. It comes months before final Dodd-Frank rules in the US that will force a swath of private, over-the-counter derivatives to be submitted to so-called central clearing houses.

The timetable for the transition has accelerated after Moody’s announced that it is considering downgrading the credit ratings of several US banks that deal in derivatives. The move towards central clearing comes despite financial groups pushing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and other regulators to preserve their ability to carry out bespoke, non-standardised trades with customers. But privately, some senior bankers have expressed relief at central clearing.

Credit Suisse banking analysts estimated this week that the majority of derivatives were clearable, but relatively higher-rated banks such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan could make more money doing bespoke, uncleared transactions after the review.

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