Banking and Collateral Associate

Description
The Associate, Banking & Collateral share the same day-to-day duties as the Analysts - responsible for the movement of cash and non-cash collateral related to the satisfaction of clearing member obligations to CME Clearing. This includes continuous interaction with clearing members, settlement banks, custody banks, and investment counterparties throughout the day to ensure clearing member initial margin, guaranty fund, and variation margin assets are accounted for and managed appropriately at all times in compliance with CME & CFTC rules and policies. This includes daily responsibility for collateral transaction processing which averages 400-600 transactions per day, monitoring and aiding collateral settlement, account reconciliation of over 580 bank accounts, investigation and remediation of imbalances between CME and settlement/custody banks, investment of cash balances, ensuring the accuracy of general ledger account balances that are incorporated into CME financial statements, and incorporation of new collateral types and clearing activities into policies and procedures. The senior level analysts are also responsible for UAT testing new system enhancements, BCP testing both internal CME systems and with our customers and technology vendors, drafting business requirements for new systems and enhancements to existing ones.

In addition, Associates are also responsible for monitoring and assisting the analysts, monthly processes such as bank fees & interest payments, UAT testing new system enhancements, BCP testing both internal CME systems and with our customers and technology vendors, drafting business requirements for new systems and enhancements to existing ones.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Reconcile of all Clearing House US dollar and foreign currency bank accounts, money markets funds, US treasury and foreign debt collateral accounts and DTCC pledgee accounts. Analyze any issues with previous day's transactions that have resulted in a variance, proper write-up and documentation of variances, and resolution in a timely manner by proactively following-up and communicating with the banks and/or the clearing member firms

• Facilitate transactions of deposits, withdrawals, or substitutions of clearing member firm collateral consisting of US Treasury & Agency collateral, cash, money market fund, gold, letters of credit, FX cash & debt, stock & ETF, and other specialized collateral programs. Coordinate with custody & settlement banks, as well as money market funds, and partner exchanges & service providers for these transactions to flow through timely and accurately

• Facilitate RTH and ITD settlement confirmation between clearing members through CME Settlement Banks. This includes communicating with the settlement banks regarding any additional information that the bank may need as far as the firm's collateral assets, or additional details on what is causing a firm's call or settlement, etc. Any settlement bank concerns or irregularities with confirming settlements are also communicated to Clearing House Management immediately

• Manage margin cash investment of Clearing Member USD & FX cash collateral balances while following the guidelines of the investment policy, as well as creating compensating bank wires to ensure that all cash accounts are not overdrawn due to clearing member activity & CME investments, and at the same time not holding excessive cash at the end of the day in any operating account

• Assist in monthly financial reporting of Clearing House performance bond assets by accurately posting general ledger net changes to Workday, verifying day to day ending balances of CH financial unit general ledger accounts, and resolving any discrepancies uncovered based from the verification

• Creation of SWIFT messages instructing Settlement and Custody banks of collateral transactions and review and processing of incoming SWIFT messages from those banks. Ensure the accuracy of wire instructions to facilitate correct cash and collateral movements between CME and Clearing Member Firms

• Approving/Routing SWIFT wires from collateral transaction processing

• Provide customer service to clearing member firms by assisting with their inquiries regarding collateral assets, cash movements, asset allocation, asset value calculation, collateral eligibility, settlement pays and collects, interest payments, among others

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting or related field.

Experience:
Two years to Three years in a financial position

Skills and Software Requirements:

• MS Excel, Outlook, MS Word, Skype for Business

• Preferred: Bloomberg, SWIFT, familiarity with Money Fund and Bank web portals, SQL

CME Group: Where Futures Are Made

CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) is the world's leading derivatives marketplace. But who we are goes deeper than that. Here, you can impact markets worldwide. Transform industries. And build a career shaping tomorrow. We invest in your success and you own it, all while working alongside a team of leading experts who inspire you in ways big and small. Problem solvers, difference makers, trailblazers. Those are our people. And we're looking for more.

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