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Regulatory Notice 12-36

FINRA and ISG Delay Effective Date for Enhanced Electronic Blue Sheet Submissions

Published Date:

The effective date for compliance with certain elements identified in this Notice has been extended to May 1, 2014. See Regulatory Notice 13-38.

Effective Dates: November 30, 2012, and May 1, 2013

Executive Summary

FINRA and the other interested members of the Intermarket Surveillance Group (ISG interested members)1 have extended the effective dates for firms to submit new data elements for Electronic Blue Sheets (EBS) to correspond with the recent extension by the SEC of the implementation of SEC Large Trader Reporting Rule (SEA Rule 13h-1).2

Effective November 30, 2012, and May 1, 2013, as discussed in more detail below, firms must begin submitting the additional formats of Blue Sheet data specified in Regulatory Notice 11-56 to FINRA and the other ISG interested members. This extension will allow broker-dealers additional time to develop, test and implement the enhancements.

Attachment A to this Notice sets forth additional modifications from Regulatory Notice 11-56 regarding changes to the Blue Sheet record layout and Attachment B outlines the updated Transaction Type Identifiers.

Questions concerning the EBS enhancements should be directed to [email protected].

The effective date for compliance with certain elements identified in this Notice has been extended to May 1, 2013. [] See Regulatory Notice 12-47.

Updated April 30, 2013: The effective date for compliance with certain elements identified in this Notice has been extended to November 1, 2013. See Regulatory Notice 13-16. Effective Dates: November 30, 2012, May 1, 2013 and November 1, 2013.

Discussion

On December 13, 2011, FINRA issued Regulatory Notice 11-56 to announce enhancements to EBS to improve the regulatory agencies' ability to analyze broker-dealers' trading activities. The new requirements specified in the Notice were a combined effort of FINRA and the ISG interested members.

FINRA and the other ISG interested members have extended the compliance dates for the Blue Sheet reporting requirements to November 30, 2012, and May 1, 2013, to allow broker-dealers additional time to develop, test and implement the enhancements.3 By November 30, 2012, broker-dealers must be in Blue Sheet reporting compliance for all seven of the required new fields described in Regulatory Notice 11-56 and reiterated below as such fields may apply to all NMS securities and for all transactions effected directly or indirectly by or through:

•   any proprietary account of a U.S. registered broker-dealer; or
•   any account used by a customer that trades through a "sponsored access" arrangement.

By May 1, 2013, broker-dealers must be in Blue Sheet reporting compliance for the Order Execution Time, Entering Firm Identifier and Executing Firm Identifier fields described below in all securities (not just NMS securities) and all types of transactions effected directly or indirectly by or through all types of accounts that are Blue Sheet reportable for a traditional (or non-LTID) Blue Sheet request. Broker-dealers may submit values in these three new fields in all securities and all types of transactions for a traditional Blue Sheet request prior to May 1, 2013, and it will be accepted by FINRA and the other ISG interested members.

As previously announced in Regulatory Notice 11-56, broker-dealers must add the following fields to the Blue Sheet record layout. However, the Employer SIC Code field has been withdrawn as a Blue Sheet requirement. In addition, the Entering Firm and Executing Firm fields have been renamed and modified to accept either a Market Participant Identifier (MPID) or a Central Registration Depository (CRD®) number. Consistent with Regulatory Notice 11-56, FINRA reminds broker-dealers that firms may voluntarily submit the Large Trader Identification Number (LTID) and Large Traded Identification Qualifier fields to FINRA or the other ISG interested members. Please see Attachment A for details.

Order Execution Time, Record Sequence Number Five, Field Position 72 to 77

Firms should use this record to submit the order execution time in 24-hour format and in Eastern Time formatted as HHMMSS. This information is not limited to the blue sheet transactions relating to the SEC Large Trader Reporting Rule (SEA Rule 13h-1). Please note that all firms must synchronize their time clocks to the atomic clock to maintain an accurate audit trail in connection to the reported execution time.

Large Trader Identification Number 1, Record Sequence Number Seven, Field Position 2 to 14

Firms should use this record to submit the Large Trader Identification Number. This information is requested under the approved SEC Large Trader Reporting Rule (SEA Rule 13h-1) requirements.

Large Trader Identification Number 2, Record Sequence Number Seven, Field Position 15 to 27

Firms should use this record to submit the Large Trader Identification Number. This information is requested under the approved SEC Large Trader Reporting Rule (SEA Rule 13h-1) requirements.

Large Trader Identification Number 3, Record Sequence Number Seven, Field Position 28 to 40

Firms should use this record to submit the Large Trader Identification Number. This information is requested under the approved SEC Large Trader Reporting Rule (SEA Rule 13h-1) requirements.

Large Trader Identification Qualifier, Record Sequence Number Seven, Field Position 41

Firms should use this record to submit the Large Trader Identification Qualifier. If more than three LTIDs exist for a transaction, then firms should mark the field "Y" for Yes. Otherwise it should be marked "N" for No. This information is requested under the approved SEC Large Trader Reporting Rule (SEA Rule 13h-1) requirements.

Entering Firm Identifier, Record Sequence Number Seven, Field Positions 42 to 49

Firms should use this record to submit the entering firm's Market Participant Identifier or Central Registration Depository number. Please note the new field positions for this data element.

Executing Firm Identifier, Record Sequence Number Seven, Field Positions 50 to 57

Firms should use this record to submit the executing firm's Market Participant Identifier or Central Registration Depository number. Please note the new field positions for this data element.

The following modifications and/or corrections were also made to Attachment A of this Notice:

•   The Employer SIC Code field has been withdrawn as a Blue Sheet requirement.
•   The Entering Firm MPID field has been renamed as the Entering Firm Identifier field. This field has been modified to accept either the entering firm's MPID or CRD number. The field has been moved to Record Sequence Number Seven, Position 42 through 49.
•   The Executing Firm CRD Number field has been renamed the Executing Firm Identifier field. This field has been modified to accept either the executing MPID or CRD number. The field has been moved to Record Sequence Number Seven, Position 50 through 57.
•   For all required new fields cited in this Notice, an "R" was added to the Field Format column to indicate that validation is required for these new fields. Please refer to the prior ISG EBS Validation Requirements in Notice to Members 05-58.
•   An "R" was also added to the Field Format column for the Derivative Symbol, Expiration Date, Call/Put Indicator, Strike Dollar and Strike Decimal fields as an indication that validation is required for these fields. Please refer to the prior ISG EBS Validation Requirements in Notice to Members 05-58.
•   For the Requestor Code and Exchange Code fields, the value "U" was added to represent BOX Options Exchange, LLC.
•   For the Exchange Code field, the value "L", which was inadvertently omitted from Regulatory Notice 11-56, has been reinstated to represent the London Stock Exchange.
•   For the Requestor Code and Exchange Code fields, the names of the ISG members have been updated, if applicable.
•   For the Large Trader Identification Number 1 through 3 and the Large Trader Identification Qualifier fields, the Justify column was modified from Right Justification of Data (RJ) to Left Justification of Data (LJ).

The following modifications and/or corrections were made to Attachment B of this Notice (Additional modifications to Attachment B may be forthcoming in the near future.):

•   The value "W" was added to the Options column to represent Voluntary Professional. The value should be used to indicate clients who voluntarily declare themselves a "Voluntary Professional." It is the client's responsibility to identify the trade as such. In addition, an exchange may define what it considers to be a "Voluntary Professional." For example, CBOE Rule 1.1(fff) defines "Voluntary Professional."
•   The values "M", "N" and "Y", which represent Market-Maker, Non-Member Market-Maker/Specialist Account and Stock Specialist-Assignment, respectively, were inadvertently mis-categorized under the Equity column in Regulatory Notice 11-56 and have been correctly re-categorized under the Options column.

Broker-dealers are reminded that failure to properly fill out the Blue Sheet fields is a violation of FINRA Rule 8211 and/or FINRA Rule 8213.

Blue Sheet Submission Methodology

Currently, blue sheet requests are made under specific security symbols and option symbology. As noted in Regulatory Notice 11-56 firms will be required to submit blue sheets, when requested, using three additional formats:

1. account number and date;
2. account number, symbol and date; or
3. date range and executing firm.

Compliance with this requirement is similarly extended to November 30, 2012. As outlined in Regulatory Notice 11-56, the request by account number would require firms to identify the account number of a specific account at a firm, e.g. John Doe at CC Clearing Co. The request would cover all transactions under the John Doe account number at CC Clearing Co. To reduce data submission size, a blue sheet request may also ask for a specific symbol and date in connection with the account number. Additionally, blue sheet requests may be made for a specific review period under an executing firm. This request would require a firm to identify a clearing firm client's blue sheets for a set number of days, weeks or months, e.g. Firm ABC for the month of January 2011.

In addition, in response to a request from the SEC for large trader transition records, broker-dealers must be prepared to submit blue sheet data, when requested, by large trader status, including LTID number(s).

Blue Sheet Testing

Starting on November 1, 2012, FINRA will open its customer test website to allow firms to test their enhanced blue sheets data file before submitting it to production. Firms that already have entitlement to FINRA's Regulation Filing Application can proceed with testing their Blue Sheet modifications by submitting their test data to https://regfilingtest.finra.org. To access the customer test website, firms should enter the same user ID and password they use to access the production website. Firms that do not have entitlement to FINRA's Regulation Filing Application should contact (800) 321-6273.

The Securities Industry Automation Corporation (SIAC) will also be open to receiving blue sheet test files by November 1, 2012. Firms can obtain initial testing instructions from SIAC by contacting Michal Skibicki at (212) 383-9073 or [email protected].

Frequently Asked Questions

FINRA provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) on its website. The FAQs will be updated from time to time. Please see FINRA's website for the most recent version. Questions concerning the EBS enhancements should be directed to [email protected].


1 The interested members include the following exchanges and self-regulatory organizations (SROs) as members of the ISG: BATS Exchange, Inc., BATS Y-Exchange, Inc., Chicago Board Options Exchange, Inc., C2 Options Exchange, Inc., CBOE Stock Exchange, LLC, Chicago Stock Exchange, Inc., EDGA Exchange, Inc., EDGX Exchange, Inc., International Securities Exchange, LLC, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc., NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC, National Stock Exchange, Inc., New York Stock Exchange, LLC, NYSE MKT, LLC, NYSE Area, Inc., and BOX Options Exchange, LLC.

2 The Securities and Exchange Commission extended the compliance date for the broker-dealer recordkeeping, reporting and monitoring requirements of Rule 13h-l to November 30, 2012, and May 1, 2013. Please see Securities Exchange Release No. 34-66839 (April 20, 2012), 77 FR 25007 (April 26, 2012) for further details.

3Id.


Attachment A

Record Layout for Submission of Trading Information

Field PositionField LengthField Name/Description/RemarksField FormatJustifyPicture ClauseDefault Value
FromTo
 ***This record must be the first record of the file*** 
133FILLERALJX(3)HDR
452FILLERALJX(2).S
6105DTRK-SYSIDNLJ9(5)12343
11122FILLERALJX(2).E
13142FILLERNLJ9(2)00
15162FILLERALJX(2).C
17204DTRK-ORIGINATOR
Please call SIAC for assignment
(212) 383-2210
ALJX(4)
21222FILLERALJX(2).S
23264DTRK-SUB-ORIGINATOR
Please call SIAC for assignment
(212) 383-2210
ALJX(4)
27271FILLERALJX(1)B
28336DTRK-DATE
Contains submission date.
NLJ9(6)MMDDYY
34341FILLERALJX(1)B
355925DTRK-DESCRIPTION
Required to identify this file.
ALJX(25)FIRM TRADING INFORMATION
608021FILLERALJX(21)B
111HEADER RECORD CODE
Value: Low Values OR ZERO
AX
254SUBMITTING BROKER NUMBER
If NSCC member use NSCC clearing number.
If not a NSCC member, use clearing number assigned to you by your clearing agency.
A-RLJX(4)B
64035FIRM'S REQUEST NUMBER
Tracking number used by the firm to record requests from an organization.
AX(35)B
41466FILE CREATION DATE
Format is YYMMDD
AX(6)
47548FILE CREATION TIME
Format is HH:MM:SS
AX(8)
55551REQUESTOR CODE
Requesting Organization Identification Values:
AX
   A = New York Stock Exchange    
   B = NYSE MKT, LLC    
   C = Chicago Stock Exchange    
   D = NASDAQ OMX    
   E = NYSE Arca    
   F = NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc.    
   G = National Stock Exchange    
   H = BATS Exchange, Inc.    
   I = International Securities Exchange    
   J = Direct Edge (EDGA Exchange and EDGX Exchange)    
   K = Chicago Board Options Exchange,C2 Options Exchange and CBSX (CBOE Stock Exchange)    
   R = FINRA    
   U = BOX Options Exchange, LLC    
   X = U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission    
   Y = BATS Y-Exchange, Inc.    
   Z = Other    
567015REQUESTING ORGANIZATION NUMBER
Number assigned by requesting organization
ALJX(15)B
718010FILLERAX(10)B
111RECORD SEQUENCE NUMBER ONE
The first record of the transaction. Value: 1
AX
254SUBMITTING BROKER NUMBER
Identical to Submitting Broker Number in Header Record
A-RLJX(4)
694OPPOSING BROKER NUMBER
The NSCC clearing house number of the broker on the other side of the trade.
A-RLJX(4)B
102112CUSIP NUMBER
The cusip number assigned to the security.
Left justified since the number is nine characters at present (8+ check digit) but will expand in the future.
ALJX(12)B
22298TICKER SYMBOL
The symbol assigned to this security. For options (pre-OSI), the OPRA option symbol (space), OPRA expiration month symbol and OPRA strike price symbol should be used. (Ex. Maytag May 20 call option series would be reported as MYG ED. This example uses six spaces in the field with a space between the OPRA symbol and the OPRA expiration month.)

Post OSI this field must contain OPTIONXX and a Record Sequence Number Six must be completed
A-RLJX(8)B
30356TRADE DATE
The date this trade executed.
Format is YYMMDD.
A-RX(6)B
36416SETTLEMENT DATE
The date this trade will settle.
Format is YYMMDD
AX(6)B
425312QUANTITY
The number of shares or quantity of bonds or option contracts.
N-RRJ9(12)Z
546714NET AMOUNT
The proceeds of sales or cost of purchases after commissions and other charges.
NRJS9(12) V99Z
68681BUY/SELL CODE
Values: 0 = Buy, 1 = Sale, 2 = Short Sale, 3 = Buy Open, 4 = Sell Open, 5 = Sell Close, 6 = Buy Close. A = Buy Cancel, B = Sell Cancel, C = Short Sale Cancel, D = Buy Open Cancel, E = Sell Open Cancel, F = Sell Close Cancel, G = Buy Close Cancel. Values 3 to 6 and D to G are for options only
A-RXB
697810PRICE
The transaction price. Format:
$$$$ CCCCCC.
N-RRJ9(4)
V(6)
Z
79791EXCHANGE CODE
Exchange where trade was executed. Values:
A-RXB
   A = New York Stock Exchange    
   B = NYSE MKT, LLC    
   C = Chicago Stock Exchange    
   D = NASDAQ OMX PHLX    
   E = NYSE Arca    
   F = NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc.    
   G = National Stock Exchange    
   H = BATS Exchange, Inc.    
   I = International Securities Exchange    
   J = C2 Options Exchange    
   K = Chicago Board Options Exchange    
   L = London Stock Exchange    
   M =Toronto Stock Exchange    
   N = Montreal Stock Exchange    
   O =TSX Venture Exchange    
   P = Direct Edge (EDGA Exchange)    
   Q=FINRA ADF    
   R = NASDAQ OMX/NASDAQ OMX Options Market    
   S = Over-the-Counter    
   T = Tokyo Stock Exchange    
   U = BOX Options Exchange, LLC    
   V = Direct Edge (EDGX Exchange)    
   W = CBSX (CBOE Stock Exchange)    
   X = NASDAQ OMX PSX    
   Y = BATS Y-Exchange, Inc.    
   Z = Other    
80801BROKER/DEALER CODE
Indicate if trade was done for another Broker/Dealer.
Values: 0 = No; 1 = Yes
A-RXB
111RECORD SEQUENCE NUMBER
TWO
Value: 2
AX
221SOLICITED CODE
Values: 0 = No; 1 = Yes
A-RXB
342STATE CODE
Standard Postal two character identification.
A-RX(2)B
51410ZIP CODE/COUNTRY CODE
Zip Code — five or nine character
(zip plus four)
Country code — for future use.
A-RLJX(10)B
15228BRANCH OFFICE/REGISTERED
REPRESENTATIVE NUMBER
Each treated as a four-character field.
Both are left justified.
A-RLJX(8)B
23286DATE ACCOUNT OPENED
Format is YYMMDD
A-RX(6)B
294820SHORT NAME FIELD
Contains last name followed by comma (or space) then as much of first name as will fit.
ALJX(20)B
497830EMPLOYER NAMEALJX(30)B
79791TIN 1 INDICATOR
Values: 1 = SS#; 2 = TIN
A-RXB
80801TIN 2 INDICATOR
Values: 1 = SS#; 2 = TIN — for future use.
AXB
111RECORD SEQUENCE NUMBER
THREE
Value: 3
AX
2109TIN ONE
Taxpayer Identification Number
Social Security or Tax ID
Number.
A-RLJX(9)B
11199TIN TWO
Taxpayer Identification Number
#2
Reserved for future use.
ALJX(9)B
20201NUMBER OF N&A LINESAXB
215030NAME AND ADDRESS LINE ONEA-RLJX(30)B
518030NAME AND ADDRESS LINE TWOA-RLJX(30)B
111RECORD SEQUENCE NUMBER FOURAX
   Value: 4    
23130NAME AND ADDRESS LINE THREEA-RLJX(30)B
326130NAME AND ADDRESS LINE FOURA-RLJX(30)B
62621TRANSACTION TYPE IDENTIFIERS
See Attachment B for current codes.
A-RXB
638018ACCOUNT NUMBER
Account number
A-RLJX(18)B
111RECORD SEQUENCE NUMBER
FIVE
Value: 5
AX(1)
23130NAME AND ADDRESS LINE FIVEA-RLJX(30)B
326130NAME AND ADDRESS LINE SIXA-RLJX(30)B
62654PRIME BROKER
Clearing number of the account's prime broker.
A-RLJX(4)B
66661AVERAGE PRICE ACCOUNT
1= recipient of average price transaction.
2= average price account itself.
N-R9(1)Z
67715DEPOSITORY INSTITUTION
IDENTIFIER
Identifying number assigned to the account by the depository institution.
A-RLJX(5)B
72776Order Execution Time

HHMMSS — Time format will be in Eastern Time and 24 hour format.
N-RLJ
78803FILLERAXB
111RECORD SEQUENCE NUMBER
SIX
Value: 6
A 
298DERIVATIVE SYMBOL
The symbol assigned to the derivative
A-RLJB
10156EXPIRATION DATE
The date the option expires.
Format is YYMMDD
A-RB
16161CALL/PUT INDICATOR
C = Call, P = Put
A-RB
17248STRIKE DOLLAR
The dollar amount of the strike price
N-RRJZ
25306STRIKE DECIMAL
The decimal amount of the strike price
N-RRJZ
318050FILLERALJB
111RECORD SEQUENCE NUMBER
SEVEN
Value: 7
A 
21413Large Trader Identification 1A-RLJZ
152713Large Trader Identification 2A-RLJZ
284013Large Trader Identification 3A-RLJZ
41411Large Trader Identification QualifierA-RLJZ
42498Entering Firm IdentifierA-RLJB
50578Executing Firm IdentifierA-RLJB
588023FILLERALJB
111TRAILER RECORD DATE
One record per submission.
Must be the last record on the file. Value: High Values or "9"
AX
21716TOTAL TRANSACTIONS
The total number of transactions.
This total excludes Header and Trailer Records.
NRJ9(16)B
183316TOTAL RECORDS ON FILE
The total number of 80 byte records. This total includes Header and Trailer Records, but not the Datatrak Header Record (i.e., it does not include the first record on the file).
NRJ9(16)Z
348047FILLERAX(47)B

 

Field Format
A = Alphanumeric (all caps)
N = Numeric
P = Packed
B = Binary
R = Validation Required
Default Values
B = Blanks
Z= Zero
Justify
RJ = Right Justification of Data
LJ = Left Justification of Data

 


Attachment B

Record Layout for Submission of Trading Information

Transaction TypeSecurity Type
 Equity*Options
Non-Program Trading, AgencyAC
Non-Index Arbitrage, Program Trading, ProprietaryC 
Index Arbitrage, Program Trading, ProprietaryD 
Index Arbitrage, Program Trading, Individual InvestorJ 
Non-Index Arbitrage, Program Trading, Individual InvestorK 
Non-Program Trading, ProprietaryPF
Non-Program Trading, Individual InvestorI 
Non-Index Arbitrage, Program Trading, AgencyY 
Index Arbitrage, Program Trading, AgencyU 
Index Arbitrage, Program Trading, as Agent for Other MemberM 
Non-Index Arbitrage, Program Trading, as Agent for Other MemberN 
Non-Program Trading, as Agent for Other MemberW 
SpecialistSS
Market-Maker M
Non-Member Market-Maker/Specialist Account N
Stock Specialist — Assignment Y
Short Exempt, AgencyB 
Customer Range Account of a Broker/Dealer B
Registered TraderG 
Error TradeQ 
Competing Market Maker Proprietary Transaction: Affiliated w/ Clearing MemberO 
Competing Market Maker: Unaffiliated Member's Competing Market MakerT 
Competing Market Maker: Non-MemberR 
Short Exempt Transaction: Proprietary Account of Clearing Member Organization or Affiliated Member/Member OrganizationE 
Short Exempt Transaction: Proprietary Account of Unaffiliated Member/Member OrganizationF 
Short Exempt Transaction: Individual Customer AccountH 
Short Exempt Transaction: Competing Market Maker this is a Member/Member Organization Trading for own accountL 
Short Exempt Transaction: One Member Acting as Agent for Another Member's Competing Market Maker AccountX 
Short Exempt Transaction: Account of Non Member Competing Market MakerZ 
Amex Option Specialist/Market Maker Trading Paired SecurityV 
Registered Trader Market Maker Transaction Regardless of the Clearing Number P
Transactions cleared for a NASDAQ market maker that is affiliated w/ the clearing member that resulted from telephone access to the specialist. Amex Only.3 
Transactions cleared for a member's NASDAQ market maker that is not affiliated with the clearing member that resulted from telephone access to the specialist. Amex Only.4 
Transactions cleared for a non-member NASDAQ market maker that is not affiliated with the clearing member that resulted from telephone access to the specialist. Amex Only.5 
Voluntary Professional W

* Equity securities include those securities that trade like equities (e.g., ETFs and structured products).