Overview

FX Benchmark Rates  is designed for Bank of America’s commercial, corporate, and institutional customers to place purchase and sell orders for foreign exchange at specified times using blind benchmark rates. You can  enter an order request, view historical rates, search for orders, or view order deals, depending on your user permissions. FX Benchmark is accessed through the Bank of America Capital Markets web site.

This document is organized into the following areas:

        Logging in

        Logging out

        Entering an order request

        Searching for order requests

        Canceling an order

        Viewing historical data

First Visit

On your first visit to the Capital Market site you will be directed to the Terms and Conditions screen page.  You will either accept or decline the conditions in order proceed.  In order to get to the log in page you need to accept the Terms and Conditions.  Once you do that, the next page you will see is the Log in page for the Global Markets website.

Logging in

The first time  you log into the GMG web site and the FX BENCHMARK RATES application , you are required to change your default password. You must also change your password if it has to be reset by Technical Support. See “Changing your password” for details.

   How to  Log In:

1. Access the GMG web site at http://gmg.bankofamerica.com.  The Capital Markets Overview page opens where you log in.  Your log in refreshes the page and you see your name and  the menu for My Alerts, Change Password, Contact Us and Log Out.

2. From the menu at the left, click The Trading Floor > FX Benchmark Rates .  The FX Benchmark Rates  main menu page opens. The Trading system.

3. For CounterParty Long name click Lookup. Enter your user name and password and click Log in. The GMG main page opens.

Changing your password

The first time  you log into the GMG web site, you are required to change your assigned default password. You are assigned a default password as a new GMG web site user or if Technical Support resets your password. You can also change an existing GMG password.

The first time  you log into the FX BENCHMARK RATES application , you use an assigned default password. You are prompted after your initial login to change this password. The guidelines below apply to all GMG and FX BENCHMARK RATES passwords. Although not required, it is suggested that you select  the same password for both GMG and FX BENCHMARK RATES.

   To change password:

 Click on the Change Password link to open the Change Password page. 

GMG password guidelines

The following guidelines apply to all GMG and FX BENCHMARK RATES passwords:

        Minimum password length is seven characters.

        Passwords must include one alpha and one numeric character.

        Your new password cannot be the same as any of your previous passwords.

        After five consecutive unsuccessful login attempts, you are locked he system. Contact your Security Administrator to reset your rd.

        Passwords expire after 90 days. You are prompted to change your ID as it nears expiration.

        Changing your GMG password

Re two reasons to change your GMG password, as follows:

           When Technical Support assigns you a default password.

You are assigned a default password if you are a new GMG web site user and are logging in for the first time , or if your password is reset by Technical Support. This happens if you forget your password or are locked out of the system. In order to log into the GMG web site, you are required to change the default password.

If you want to change an existing password, you can elect to change your password at any time , but no more than once a day.

To change an assigned default GMG password:

On the GMG login page, enter your user name and default password. The Change password screen opens, as shown below.

•  How to Change your password:

1. Enter the default password in the Old Password field.         

2. Enter a new password in the New Password and Confirm Password fields , following the GMG password guidelines.          

3. Click Save. The successful password change message displays.

 

4.  Your password is changed, and the system redirects you to the GMG login page. Enter your user name and new password to log into the GMG web site.

To change an existing GMG password:

1. Log into the GMG web site using your current user name and password      The GMG main page opens.

2. On the menu at the left, click Client Services / Change Password. The Change Password screen opens TBD.

3. Enter your current password in the Old Password field.      

4. Enter a new password in the New Password and Confirm Password fields , following the GMG password guidelines. Click Save.   

After you have completed the overall login you can navigate to the Benchmark Rates Home page.  There you will login for Benchmark Rates.  You should click on the Foreign Exchange Tab at the top of the Overview page and select Benchmark Rates from the drop menu.

Changing your FX Benchmark Rates  password

New users  of the FX Benchmark Rates  system are assigned a default password. You are prompted after your initial login to change this password. Although not required, it is suggested that you select  the same password for both GMG and FX Benchmark Rates .

(TBD  Cannot add this text til I have a live site to work with.  So that I can navigate into the BR part of the web).

1. Click Login at the left of the FX BENCHMARK RATES Active Deals screen.  The Login window opens.

2. Enter your user name and password.          

3. Check the Change Password box. The New Password and Confirm Password boxes are enabled.    

4. Enter your new password in the New Password and Confirm Password fields .       

5. Click OK. Your password is changed, and you are logged into the system.  If you enter information incorrectly, click Reset to clear all fields .

Logging out of FX Benchmark Rates

When you are finished using the FX Benchmark Rates  System, you must log out. Logging out ends your current trading session but does not close the FX BENCHMARK RATES application  window on your desktop. This enables you to initiate another trading session without logging in again to the Bank of America GMG web site or FX BENCHMARK RATES home page. The system remains available to you for 30 minutes. If you do not initiate any trading activity within 30 minutes, the system times out and you must reenter your password. Logging out prevents unauthorized use of the system.

1.      Click Logout at the top left of the screen. A pop-up window displays, asking you to confirm your choice.       

2.      Click Yes. You are logged out of the system. The FX BENCHMARK RATES application  window remains open on your desktop until you close the Attention window.   

Entering an order request

How to enter an order request. Include how to upload a file of order requests.

Client Order Request  

This screen page lets View  & Order Entry and View, Order Entry and Cancel clients enter order requests .  The system validates requests after submitting them.  This page displays a table where you can setup order requests.  For each column, choose from the drop lists and enter parameters ; then submit your request.  You can clear or edit by clicking on the Clear button . The date adjusts depending on the time , selected from the drop list.

The Account  column lists CounterParties  you are permissioned for in your BR profile .  If permissioned for View  Only  you will only see your counterparty, if permissioned for more you will see a drop list to select  from.

     How to  Submit a Client Order Request :

1. Action: Click on the drop list to select  action.  Tab to the order Currency field.       

2. Currency: Click on the drop list to select  currency .  Tab to the Amount field.           

3. Amount: Type in the amount to trade.  Tab to the Contra field.

4. Contra: From the drop list select  the contra currency

5. Click on the drop list to select  Account .  Tab to the Mnemonic field and enter the Mnemonic code.

6. Click the Submit Request  button .  This opens the order confirmation page.

7. To restart click on the Clear  button  to clear the fields .

Client Order Request  Error

This screen lets clients with View  & Order Entry and View, Order Entry and Cancel permissions to correct errors on order request.  All orders  display, but those with error/s are highlighted.  An error message details the particular messages  displays with the error block in the upper right-hand corner.  If the order was cancelled, those details display in a Deal Status  box on the right side. 

Note:         Each field in the row must be filled in.  If they are not complete you will get error messages .

   How to  Correct  an Order Request Error :

1. Check the highlighted error items and make whatever changes are needed.

2. Tab through all the fields  for that order and enter your changes.       

3. Click on the Submit Request  button .  This begins the validation and submission of orders  to the database.  If there are no errors you will get a confirmation message.           ???

Reviewing all Client’s Deals (Deal List)

This screen page displays a list of orders  that match a predefined or user-entered search .  It shows ID, date, time , value date, amount, buy/sell, contra currency , contra amount, dealt rate and status of each order listed.  Cancellation applies only to orders still in a received state.  You may clear, download  to CSV and cancel the selected orders.

Note:        If you are not permissioned for cancellations the Cancel column will not appear on your screen.

 

 

 

     How to  use  the Trade Deal List screen:

1. For users  with cancel permissions: Click in the checkbox of the deal you want to cancel.

2. Then click on the Cancel Selected Orders  button .  The Cancel Confirmation screen opens.

3. To clear the screen and do another search : click the Clear  button .  The screen clears and you can start over again.

4. To download  the data : click the Download to CSV  button .  The save file window opens.

5. To view a Trade Detail: click on the Order ID  number, which is a hyperlink. The Trade Detail screen opens for that trade.

Canceling a Deal Using the Order (Deal) List

The Deal List comes up as a result of a search  for a client deals.  You can view all the deals for a given timeframe.  From here you can set up cancellations for one or more deals shown on the list.  If you change your mind, you can Clear  the page and start over.  As always, you can download  to a CSV file.  By clicking on the Cancel Selected Orders  button  you proceed to the Cancellation  Confirmation screen.  See that section for further instructions. 

Note:         Previously filled or cancelled deals will not have a checkbox under the selection column.

   How to  Cancel a Deal using the Order Deal List screen:

1.      Click in the checkbox of the deal you want to cancel.

2.      Then click on the Cancel Selected Orders  button .  The Cancel Confirmation screen opens.  See that section for more instructions.  -????

3.      To clear the screen and change you selections: click the Clear  button .  The screen clears and you can start over again.

4.      To download  the data : Click the Download to CSV  button .  The save file window opens.

5.      To view a Trade Detail: Click on the Order ID  number.  The Trade Detail screen opens for that trade.

Import/Upload File of Order Requests

This page lets View , Order Entry and View, Order Entry and Cancel users  upload the a file of order requests by specifying filename, date and time .  You can browse  for your order request files and complete the upload by clicking the Import Orders  Now button .

   How To Import or Upload a file of Order Request:

1.      Under Date populate each field with the day, month and year.

2.      Tab to the Time  field and select  the entries from the drop list in each field.

3.      Enter the File Name you want to upload or browse  by clicking the browse button .  The browse window opens for file selection.

4.      When all fields  are populated click on the Import Orders  Now button  to complete the upload.  An Upload confirmation message opens.

Order File Upload Error

In case of an upload error you will see one or more of the following messages .  Clear  the screen page and start over.

Searching for order requests

You can search for orders in two ways:

Predefined search criteria. Allows you to search for all orders, or Filled, Received, Pending or Cancelled orders.

Advanced search. Allows you to search using a wide set of parameters to return more focused search results.

Searching using predefined criteria

You can search for all orders, or Filled, Received, Pending or Cancelled orders.

           To search using predefined criteria:

At the top of any FX Benchmark screen, click Search for Orders, and the search you want to perform: All Orders or Order by Status. From the Order by Status menu, you can further select Filled, Received, Pending, or Cancelled. The Results screen opens, displaying deals that match the criteria you specified. If there are no matches, the message, “No Match Found” displays.

You can also download search results to an Excel spreadsheet.

           To download search results to an Excel spreadsheet:

On the Search Results screen, click Download to CSV. An Excel spreadsheet opens in a separate browser window.

Searching using Advanced Search

You can use Advanced Search to find orders using a wide set of search parameters. You can enter as many or as few parameters as you want, or leave all fields blank to return the most search results. The more parameters you specify, the more narrow the search results. The table below describes all available search parameters.

Note:         None of the parameter fields are mandatory per say, but you must enter some data to do a search.

Using the Order Detail  Screen

This page displays the details of a particular order and it's status.  If the order was cancelled a small box appears on the right side detailing who placed the order and the time  and who cancelled the order and time.

             How to  use  the Order Detail  screen:

1. From the Deal List page, Click on the Order ID .  This opens the Order Detail  page with the order status box on the right side.

2. To return to the Deals screen, click the Return to Search  Results button .  The Deals screen reopens.

 Confirming a Cancellation

This page displays the results of orders  checked for cancellation.  You can confirm or rescind the cancellation  by clicking on the YES or NO buttons .  Each order ID shows the details of the order.

           How to  confirm a cancellation:

1.      To Confirm: Click the ‘Yes’ button .  The status changes to ‘cancelled’.

2.      To Rescind: Click the ‘No’ and the order status.  It remains in the ‘received state ’. Returns to the Deals List with a message.

Viewing historical data

You can search for and view a rate history. You can search using a single currency or multiple currencies, a range of dates, and one or more benchmark times. You can also download  the search results as an Excel file.  

When the View Historical Rates screen opens, by default it displays all currencies for the last global benchmark time  when rates were received. For example, on the screen shown below, (EXPLAIN HOW THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE SCREEN SHOWN BELOW.)

           To search for historical rates:

1. Select a currency from the Currency drop-down list. Shift-click to select a range of currencies, or control-click to select multiple non-consecutive currencies.

2. Select a date range from the From Date and To Date drop-down lists.

3. Select a time from the Time drop-down list. Shift-click to select a range of times, or control-click to select multiple, non-consecutive times.

Note:        Click Clear to clear all fields and select different search criteria.

4. Click View. The Search Results screen opens, displaying historical rates that match your search criteria.

You can also download search results to an Excel spreadsheet.

           To download search results to an Excel spreadsheet:

On the Search Results screen, click Download to CSV. An Excel spreadsheet opens in a separate browser window. You can also click Download to CSV at the bottom of the View Historical Rates screen instead of clicking View to download directly to Excel and bypass the Search Results screen.

 END

Contact: Sonia E Harden Lemke
sonitadiva@yahoo.com