(a) Exercise Notices. An outstanding option contract may be exercised by the tender to The Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC") of an exercise notice made during the periods, and using the procedures, specified in OCC rules. An exercise notice may be tendered to OCC only by the clearing member in whose OCC account the option contract is carried. Option exercises are also subject to restrictions that are established by or may be imposed by the Exchange in Options 9, Sections 15, 17 and 18, and in this Rule. Members and member organizations may establish fixed procedures as to the latest time they will accept exercise notices from their customers.

(b) Exercise-by-Exception Procedure for Expiring Options. Special procedures apply to the exercise of equity options on the business day of their expiration, or, in the case of an option contract expiring on a day that is not a business day, the last business day before their expiration ("expiring options"). Unless waived by OCC, expiring options are subject to the Exercise-by-Exception ("Ex-by-Ex") procedure under OCC Rule 805. This Rule provides that, unless contrary instructions are given, option contracts that are in-the-money by specified amounts shall be automatically exercised. In addition to OCC rules, the following Exchange requirements apply with respect to expiring options. Option holders desiring to exercise or not exercise expiring options must either:

(i) take no action and allow exercise determinations to be made in accordance with OCC's rule 805 Ex-by-Ex procedure where applicable; or

(ii) submit a Contrary Exercise Advice ("CEA") or Advice Cancel to the Exchange by the deadline specified in paragraph (d) below.

(c) Exercise Cut-Off Time. Option holders have until 5:30 p.m. (EST) on the business day of expiration, or, in the case of an option contract expiring on a day that is not a business day, on the business day immediately prior to the expiration date, to make a final decision to exercise or not exercise an expiring option. Members may not accept exercise instructions for customer or non-customer accounts after 5:30 p.m. (EST).

(d) Submission of Contrary Exercise Advices ("CEAs"). A CEA is a communication either to not exercise an option that would be automatically exercised pursuant to The Options Clearing Corporation's ("OCC") Ex-by-Ex procedure, or to exercise an option that would not be automatically exercised pursuant to OCC's Ex-by-Ex procedure. A CEA may be submitted by a member or member organization either by using the Exchange's CEA Form, OCC's clearing system (ENCORE), or a CEA form of any other national securities exchange of which they are a member and where the option is listed, or via such other method as the Exchange may prescribe. A CEA may be canceled or resubmitted at any time up to the exercise cut-off time specified below.

For customer accounts, members and member organizations have until 7:30 p.m. (EST) to submit a CEA to the Exchange.

For non-customer accounts, members and member organizations have until 7:30 p.m. (EST) to submit a CEA to the Exchange if such member or member organization employs an electronic submission procedure with an electronic time stamp (with fixed procedures to ensure security of the time stamp) to indicate the time of the submission of exercise instructions by option holders. Members and member organizations are required to manually submit a CEA by 5:30 p.m. (EST) for non-customer accounts if such members and/or member organizations do not employ an electronic submission procedure with electronic time stamp for the submission of exercise instructions by option holders.

(e) Waiver of Ex-by-Ex Procedure. If OCC has waived the Ex-by-Ex procedure for an options class, members, and member organizations must either:

(i) submit to the Exchange, a CEA, in a manner specified by the Exchange, within the time limits specified in paragraph (d) above if the holder intends to exercise the option, or

(ii) take no action and allow the option to expire without being exercised.

The applicable underlying security price in such instances will be as described in OCC rule 805(j). In cases where the Ex-by-Ex procedure has been waived, OCC rules require that members and member organizations wishing to exercise such options must submit an affirmative Exercise Notice to OCC, whether or not a CEA has been filed with the Exchange.

(f) Indicating Final Exercise Decisions. An Exchange member organization that has accepted the responsibility to indicate final exercise decisions on behalf of another member or non-member organization shall take the necessary steps to ensure that such decisions are properly indicated to the Exchange. Such member organization may establish a processing cut-off time prior to the Exchange's exercise cut-off time at which it no longer will accept final exercise decisions in expiring options from options holders for whom it indicates final exercise decisions. Each member or member organization that indicates final exercise decisions through another broker-dealer is responsible for ensuring that final exercise decisions for all of its proprietary (including market maker) and public customer account positions are timely indicated to such broker-dealer.

(g) Exceptions to Submitting a CEA; Recordkeeping. Members and member organizations may receive and submit final exercise decisions after the exercise cut-off time (but prior to expiration) without having submitted a CEA under the following circumstances:

(i) in order to remedy mistakes made in good faith;

(ii) to take appropriate action as the result of a failure to reconcile unmatched Exchange option transactions; or

(iii) where exceptional circumstances have restricted an option holder's ability to inform a member organization of a decision regarding exercise, or a member organization's ability to receive such decision by the cut-off time.

The burden of establishing any of the above exceptions for a proprietary or customer account of a member or member organization rests solely on the member or member organization seeking to rely on such exceptions.

In the event a member or member organization does not timely submit a CEA in accordance with the requirements of this Rule or does not timely submit a CEA for a final exercise decision pursuant to an exception in the paragraph above, the responsible member or member organization shall set forth in a written memorandum the surrounding circumstances and shall file a copy of the memorandum with the Exchange's Regulatory staff no later than 12:00 noon (EST) on the business day following the expiration. Such memorandum must additionally include the time when such final exercise decision was made or, in the case of a customer, was received, and shall be subject to the recordkeeping requirements of SEC Rules 17a-3(a)(6) and 17a-4(b).

(h) Modifying the Time for Close of Trading in Options. In the event the Exchange provides advance notice on or before 5:30 p.m. (EST) on the business day immediately prior to the business day of their expiration, or, in the case of an option contract expiring on a day that is not a business day, the business day immediately prior to the last business day before the expiration date indicating that a modified time for the close of trading in equity options on such business day of expiration, or, in the case of an option contract expiring on a day that is not a business day, such last business day before expiration will occur, then the deadline to make a final decision to exercise or not exercise an expiring option shall be 1 hour 30 minutes following the time announced for the close of trading on that day instead of the 5:30 p.m. (EST) deadline found in paragraph (c). However, members and member organizations have until 7:30 (EST) to deliver a CEA or Advice Cancel to the Exchange for: (i) customer accounts; and, (ii) non-customer accounts where such member firm employs an electronic submission procedure with an electronic time stamp (with fixed procedures to ensure security of the time stamp) to indicate the time of receipt of exercise instructions.

For non-customer accounts, members and member organizations that do not employ an electronic submission procedure with a time stamp for the submission of exercise instructions are required to deliver a CEA or Advice Cancel within 1 hour and 30 minutes following the time announced for the close of trading on that day instead of the 5:30 p.m. (EST) deadline found in paragraph (d).

(i) Extending or Reducing the Cut-Off Time for Exercise Decisions.

(i) The Exchange may establish extended cut-off times for a decision to exercise or not exercise an expiring option and for the submission of CEAs on a case-by-case basis due to an unusual circumstance.

(ii) The Exchange, with at least one (1) business day prior advance notice, by 12:00 noon (EST) on such day, may establish a reduced cut-off time for the decision to exercise or not exercise an expiring option and for the submission of CEAs on a case-by-case basis due to unusual circumstances; provided, however, that under no circumstances should the exercise cut-off time and the time for submission of a CEA be before the close of trading.

(j) For purposes of this Rule, the terms "customer account" and "non-customer account" have the same meaning as in OCC by-laws.

(k) Reporting final exercise decisions contemplated by this Rule does not serve to substitute as the effective "exercise notice" to OCC for the exercise or non-exercise of expiring options.

(l) In the event of "unusual circumstances," subparagraph (h)(i) provides that the Exchange may extend the cut-off times for exercise instructions and the submission of a CEA beyond the normal time frames specified in paragraph (c). For purposes of subparagraph (h)(i), an "unusual circumstance" includes, but is not limited to, increased market volatility; significant order imbalances; significant volume surges and/or Systems capacity constraints; significant spreads between the bid and offer in underlying securities; internal System malfunctions affecting the ability to disseminate or update market quotes and/or deliver orders; or other similar occurrences. subparagraph (h)(ii) provides that the Exchange may also reduce such cut-off times for "unusual circumstances." For purposes of subparagraph (h)(ii), an "unusual circumstance" includes, but is not limited to, a significant news announcement concerning the underlying security of an option contract that is scheduled to be released just after the close on the business day the option contract expires, or, in the case of an option contract expiring on a day that is not a business day, the business day immediately prior to expiration.

(m) Each member organization shall establish fixed procedures to insure secure time stamps in connection with their electronic Systems employed for the recording of submissions to exercise or not exercise expiring options.

(n) It is contemplated by this Rule that effecting an exercise decision in an expiring option on the basis of material information obtained after the exercise cut-off time is activity inconsistent with just and equitable principles of trade.

(o) The exercise cut-off requirements contained in this Rule do not apply to any foreign currency or index option products listed on the Exchange.

(p) Each Member Organization shall prepare a memorandum of every exercise instruction received showing the time when such instruction was so received. Such memoranda will be subject to the requirements of SEC Rule 17a-4(b).

Adopted Feb. 3, 2020 (20-03).

(a) Each member organization shall establish fixed procedures for the allocation of exercise notices assigned in respect of a short position in option contracts in such member organization's customers' accounts. Such allocation shall be made on a "first-in, first-out" or automated random selection basis that has been approved by the Exchange or on a manual random selection basis that has been specified by the Exchange. Each member organization shall inform its customers in writing of the method it uses to allocate exercise notices to its customers' accounts, explaining its manner of operation and the consequences of that system. Allocation procedures for foreign currency options with customized dates shall conform to the requirements set forth in Options 8, Section 34(c).

(b) Each member organization shall report its proposed method of allocation to the Exchange and obtain the Exchange's prior approval thereof, and no member organization shall change its method of allocation unless the change has been reported to and approved by the Exchange. The requirements of this paragraph shall not be applicable to allocation procedures submitted to and approved by another Exchange having comparable standards pertaining to methods of allocation.

(c) Each member organization shall preserve for a three-year period sufficient workpapers and other documentary materials relating to the allocation of exercise assignment notices to establish the manner in which allocation of such exercise notices is in fact being accomplished.

Adopted Feb. 3, 2020 (20-03).

Delivery of the shares of underlying stock or Exchange-Traded Fund Shares (in the case of an option on a stock or Exchange-Traded Fund Share) upon the exercise of an option contract, and payment of the aggregate exercise price in respect thereof, shall be effected in accordance with the rules of The Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC"). As promptly as practicable after the exercise of a stock or Exchange-Traded Fund Share option contract by a customer, the member organization shall require the customer to make full cash payment of the aggregate exercise price in the case of a call option contract or to deposit the underlying stock or Exchange-Traded Fund Shares in the case of a put option contract or, in either case, to make the required margin deposit in respect thereof if such transaction is effected in a margin account, in accordance with these Rules and the applicable regulations of the Federal Reserve Board. As promptly as practicable after the assignment to a customer of a stock or Exchange-Traded Fund Share option exercise notice, the member organization shall require the customer to deposit the underlying stock or Exchange-Traded Fund Share in the case of a call option contract if the underlying stock or Exchange-Traded Fund Share is not carried in the customer's account, or to make full cash payment of the aggregate exercise price in the case of a put option contract, or, in either case, to make the required margin deposit in respect thereof if such transaction is effected in a margin account, in accordance with these Rules and the applicable regulations of the Federal Reserve Board.

IN accordance with the applicable rules of OCC, upon exercise of an in-the-money U.S. dollar-settled foreign currency option structured as a call, the holder receives, from OCC, U.S. dollars representing the difference between the exercise strike price and the closing settlement value of the U.S. dollar-settled foreign currency options contract multiplied by the number of units of currency covered by the contract. For a U.S. dollar-settled foreign currency option structured as a put, the holder receives U.S. dollars representing the excess of the exercise price over the closing settlement value of the U.S. dollar-settled foreign currency option contract multiplied by the number of units of foreign currency covered by the contract.

Adopted Feb. 3, 2020 (20-03).