Investor Protection

Virtually all CBOE options contracts are issued by the Options Clearing Corporation. Click here for more details on Investor Protection.

This website is only a brief summary and should only serve as a supplement to careful review of relevant CBOE rules and federal securities laws dealing with margin requirements. The requirements explained here are based on publication date rules and regulations, and therefore, subject to change. This website should be used as a reference document and is not intended to be an all-encompassing restatement of Federal Reserve Board and Exchange margin rules. Brokerage firms may require customers to post higher margins than the minimum margins specified on this website. For more information on margin requirements for options, please contact CBOE's Department of Member Firm Regulation at (312) 786-7718. In addition please see the discussion of margins in the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options publication, Chapter 12 of the rules of the CBOE, and also the 41-page CBOE Margin Manual.

Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Prior to buying or selling an option, a person must receive a copy of Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (ODD). Copies of the ODD are available from your broker, by calling 1-888-OPTIONS, or from The Options Clearing Corporation, One North Wacker Drive, Suite 500, Chicago, Illinois 60606. The information on this website is provided solely for general education and information purposes and therefore should not be considered complete, precise, or current. Many of the matters discussed are subject to detailed rules, regulations, and statutory provisions which should be referred to for additional detail and are subject to changes that may not be reflected in the website information. No statement within the website should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell a security or to provide investment advice. The inclusion of non-CBOE advertisements on the website should not be construed as an endorsement or an indication of the value of any product, service, or website. The Terms and Conditions govern use of this website and use of this website will be deemed acceptance of those Terms and Conditions.