SEC Approves OCC Rule Change Expanding ETH Product Eligibility

The Securities and Exchange Commission issued an order on September 23, 2026 (Release No. 34-106469; File No. SR-OCC-2026-008) approving a rule change filed by The Options Clearing Corporation on July 30, 2026. The proposed amendment was published for comment on August 17, 2026, and the Commission received no public comments.

The amendment adds Rule 402, which authorizes OCC to determine whether products traded outside regular trading hours are subject to its Extended Trading Hours (ETH) risk management procedures and to classify a session as regular or extended for risk-management purposes.

Rule 307B is also revised to include paragraph 5 in subsection (a), expressly permitting the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, or a Designated Officer to revoke a Clearing Member's authorization to participate in ETH sessions, while preserving the existing review rights under subsections (b) and (c).

OCC's internal ETH Procedure will be updated to synchronize credit-risk monitoring and Clearing Member eligibility validation for the full duration of any ETH session, extending continuous monitoring to the early-morning window from 6:30 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. Central Time. The revised procedure, along with a list of ETH-eligible products and sessions, will be posted on OCC's public website and communicated through an Information Memorandum whenever changes occur.

The order applies to OCC, its Clearing Members, and the exchanges that rely on OCC's clearing services. The amended rules become effective upon OCC's adoption as indicated in the September 23, 2026 order.