January 25, 2012
CCP Stress Tests
The European Association of Clearing Houses (EACH, here) has published a recommended set of stress tests for CCPs, in this PDF. They break down into the following areas:
- Market events: Three suggested approaches 1) historical simulation 2) Economic story lines 3) Statistical methods such as Extreme Value Theory
- Member correlation: How many members will simultaneously be put in default
- Close out periods and methods
- Whether affiliates default at the same time – I think this is getting at client clearing / indirect members
- Liquidity testing – given the underpinnings of a CCP, including credit lines, Repo facilities, secured and unsecured borrowing facilities
- Member fire-drills to ensure they are prepared for such an event, where it directly requires their involvement
The paper recommends performing stress testing on a daily basis with full review of the results. It also recommends that:
- Senior management, the Risk Committee and the Board should be fully informed of the performed stress testing, adequacy of financial resources and actions taken.
Plenty of motherhood and apple pie thrown in covering record keeping, reviews and governance. I wonder how closely the CCPs below meet these recommendations?
The EACH membership who (I assume) endorse the paper include:
- CC&G (Cassa di Compensazione e Garanzia S.p.A.)
- CCP Austria
- CME Clearing Europe
- CSD and CH of Serbia
- ECC (European Commodity Clearing AG)
- EMCF (European Multilateral Clearing Facility)
- Eurex Clearing AG
- EuroCCP (European Central Counterparty Ltd)
- HELEX AS
- ICE Clear Europe
- IRGiT S.A. (Warsaw Commodity Clearing House)
- KDPW_CCP S.A.
- KELER CCP Ltd
- LCH.Clearnet Ltd
- LCH.Clearnet SA
- MEFF
- NASDAQ OMX
- National Clearing Centre (NCC)
- NOS Clearing ASA
- NYSE Liffe
- OMIClear
- Oslo Clearing ASA
- SIX x-clear AG