Succeeding layers of financial safeguards protect client funds. Your Trade Center Account Executive is the first line of protection closely monitoring client equity. As your introducing broker Trade Center LLC further maintains safety, applying enterprise level account management processes.

Trade Center clears through two firms, MF Global, Inc. and RJ O’Brien Associates, who are both members of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).  As such, these member firms are participants in the Financial Safeguards program. Under this program the overall goal is the integrity of the markets and protection of client funds.  This program does not eliminate or alter market risk of loss, or put another way, trading losses, but instead is the platform in which an investor can trade, knowing that their funds are safe. 

Overview:       
Risk management and financial surveillance are the two primary functions of CME’s financial safeguard system. The system is designed to provide the highest level of safety and the early detection of unsound financial practices on the part of any clearing member. Its purpose is to protect all clearing members and their customers from the consequences of a default by a participant in the clearing process. The system is constantly being updated to reflect the most advanced risk management and financial surveillance techniques. The financial safeguard system is operated by a “Risk Management Team,” which is directed by senior management from the Audit, Clearing, Finance, Legal, Market Regulation, Risk Management and Executive areas of CME.

How the Safeguards Work:        
The risk management and financial surveillance techniques employed by CME are comprehensive and specifically designed to:

• Prevent the accumulation of losses
• Ensure that sufficient resources are available to cover future obligations
• Result in the prompt detection of financial and operational weaknesses
• Allow swift and appropriate action to be taken to rectify any financial problems and protect the clearing system

These techniques are consistent with risk management recommendations by the Group of Thirty and other authoritative organizations.

Lasting Protection:    
The keystones of the system are CME’s ability to detect unsound practices, the financial backing of its clearing members and the CME Trust. This combination provides unparalleled safeguards for the protection and benefit of all users of CME markets. In the 105-year history of CME and its predecessor organizations, there has never been a failure by a clearing member to pay settlement variation to the Clearing House; there has never been a failure by a clearing member to meet a performance bond call; there has never been a failure by a clearing member to deliver resulting from the exercise or assignment of an option contract; there has never been a failure by a clearing member to meet its delivery obligations; and, there has never been a failure of a clearing member resulting in a loss of customer funds.