FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                         2001-125


       SEC AND CFTC EXTEND COMMENT PERIODS FOR JOINT RULES
        RELATING TO MARGIN REQUIREMENTS AND TREATMENT OF
          CUSTOMER FUNDS FOR SECURITY FUTURES PRODUCTS
                       TO DECEMBER 5, 2001


     Washington, DC, October 29, 2001 – On October  25,
the  Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)  and  the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) approved  a
30-day  extension  of  the public comment  periods  for
proposed  rules  relating  to  the  implementation   of
provisions  of the Commodity Futures Modernization  Act
of  2000 (CFMA).   The CFMA lifted the 19-year  ban  on
the  trading  of  single-stock and  narrow-based  stock
index futures in this country.

     The comment periods are extended until December 5,
2001 for the rules proposed jointly by the CFTC and the
SEC that would govern the collection of customer margin
for security futures and the proposed rules relating to
the  applicability of CFTC and SEC Customer Protection,
Recordkeeping, Reporting, and Bankruptcy Rules and  the
Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 to  Accounts
Holding Security Futures Products.

       Copies  of  the proposed rules, as well  as  the
release extending the comment periods, are available on
the  websites  of the CFTC and the SEC, at www.cftc.gov
and www.sec.gov, respectively.




                              # # #