ICE Announces ICE Link Connectivity to CME Clearing for CDS

NEW YORK, May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- IntercontinentalExchange (NYSE: ICE), a leading operator of global regulated futures exchanges, clearing houses and over-the-counter (OTC) markets, announced today that its ICE Link platform will offer connectivity to CME Clearing for credit default swap (CDS) clearing starting in the summer of 2011.

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"As the leading trade affirmation service in the CDS market and a truly open platform, ICE Link is committed to providing the full range of straight-through-processing (STP) services, including connectivity to multiple clearing houses," said Clive de Ruig, Global Head, ICE Link. "We are pleased that the hundreds of buy-side clients, dealers and brokers who rely on ICE Link now have the ability to clear through multiple clearinghouses."

ICE Link provides STP for the CDS market, with connectivity to 453 buy-side firms, 26 dealers, 11 prime brokerages and five interdealer brokers, as well as a number of post-trade services and data warehouses. CME Clearing launched CDS clearing in December 2009. ICE Link has provided STP connectivity to the ICE Trust and ICE Clear Europe CDS clearing houses since their respective launches in 2009.

About IntercontinentalExchange

IntercontinentalExchange (NYSE: ICE) is a leading operator of regulated futures exchanges and over-the-counter markets for agricultural, credit, currency, emissions, energy and equity index contracts. ICE Futures Europe hosts trade in half of the world's crude and refined oil futures. ICE Futures U.S. and ICE Futures Canada list agricultural, currencies and Russell Index markets. ICE is also a leading operator of central clearing services for the futures and over-the-counter markets, with five regulated clearing houses across North America and Europe. ICE serves customers in more than 70 countries. www.theice.com  

The following are trademarks of IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. and/or its affiliated companies: IntercontinentalExchange, ICE, ICE and block design, ICE Link, ICE Trust U.S. and ICE Clear Europe. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information regarding registered trademarks owned by IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. and/or its affiliated companies, see https://www.theice.com/terms.jhtml

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 - Statements in this press release regarding IntercontinentalExchange's business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see ICE's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors in ICE's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, as filed with the SEC on February 9, 2011.

ICE-CDS

SOURCE IntercontinentalExchange