OTC shake-up likely as regulators mull centralised clearing

US legislators are pressing for reforms that will lead to a big shake-up in how over-the-counter derivatives are bought and sold. The question is how this will affect the structured notes market. John Ferry reports

The outlook is uncertain for OTC derivatives

With President Barack Obama’s healthcare bill finally passed, financial regulatory reform in the US is likely to move back up the political agenda in coming months. A major part of the reform effort focuses on over-the-counter derivatives, with a number of bills being debated by Congress that aim to formalise oversight and move a big chunk of the market onto exchanges. The plethora of bills that have come out make it difficult to foresee what the likely impact of final legislation will be, but