The Bank of New York Mellon Launches MarginDIRECT Liquidity Management Tool

The Bank of New York Mellon has launched MarginDIRECTSM, a new liquidity tool that helps hedge funds manage margin positions and reduce counterparty risk in an uncertain credit environment. Drawing upon its strengths as the global leader in asset management and securities servicing, The Bank of New Mellon developed MarginDIRECT by combining two of its industry-leading services, custody and MoneyFunds DIRECT, into a single comprehensive solution managed by The Bank of New York Mellon's Liquidity Services group.

MarginDIRECT provides safekeeping for posted margin balances away from a hedge fund's over-the-counter (OTC) derivative trading counterparties, and thereby reduces the hedge fund's risk exposure. Margin assets received on behalf of clients are targeted for investment through MoneyFunds DIRECT, the bank's on-line liquidity portal that provides direct access to over 100 money market funds in multiple currencies, as well as individual money market securities, on a single, centralized investment and reporting platform.

MarginDIRECT's key service features include the establishment of multiple accounts for each hedge fund counterparty, straight-through-processing for optimum transaction speed, and robust reporting, via both traditional periodic reports and on-line updates, for the hedge fund and its counterparties. In addition, to maximize liquidity, MarginDIRECT offers real-time reporting on all margin activity; by ensuring that both parties can monitor that they are fully collateralized, this reporting can significantly reduce hedge fund risk exposure.

"MarginDIRECT reflects our commitment to helping our clients succeed in the current credit environment," said Jonathan Spirgel, managing director and global head of liquidity services at The Bank of New York Mellon, in a press release. "Hedge funds need access to resources that measure up to today's challenging market conditions, and MarginDIRECT can serve as a single and complete solution for managing margin positions, account data and money market investments," he said.