Orderly Managing Reported for Swaps

Critics have blamed credit-default swaps for contributing to the current market crisis, but a report released Monday by a consortium of global financial regulators said the management of credit-default swaps during the recent credit events has been smooth and orderly, with no major operational disruptions.

The report from the Senior Supervisors Group was based on discussions with major derivatives dealers, buy-side firms and an industry association. The group comprises regulators from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The report said the auctions being used to settle trades after a credit event generally have a high participation rate. Thus far, no major operational problems have arisen, though some buy-side firms still believe greater fairness is needed in the auctions.

The report's release came the same day that IntercontinentalExchange Inc. started the country's first clearinghouse for credit-default swaps in a move to reduce the risks they pose to the wider marketplace.

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