The Options Clearing Corporation Takes Gold at the Business Marketing Association Tower Awards

CHICAGO, IL -- (MARKET WIRE) -- May 13, 2008 -- The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) announced that its 2006 annual report received the highest accolades at this year's Chicago Chapter of the Business Marketing Association (BMA) 25th Annual Tower Awards by taking the Gold Award in the Annual Report category. OCC previously took home the Bronze award twice in this category.

OCC's 2006 report, titled "Growth, Reliability, Excellence," exemplified the "continued" concept throughout the piece. A thriving apple tree represented tremendous and continued industry growth; a firm root system portrayed OCC's continued reliability and strength as a 'AAA'-rated organization; and a hand sowing seeds implied that OCC will continue to nourish and support the industry into the future.

"Our annual report is a key method of communicating essential information to our members and the public," said OCC President and Chief Operating Officer, Michael E. Cahill. "It is a true honor to have OCC's creative talents recognized with the BMA's highest distinction."

BMA has been the leading service organization for professionals in business-to-business marketing and communications for more than 80 years. The BMA Chicago Chapter's Annual Tower Awards recognizes achievements in outstanding creative work in a wide range of categories including Advertising, Web Design, Literature, and more. A panel of nine experienced judges from outside the Chicago market evaluated the entries on the basis of clarity of objective, audience and media strategy employed, impact of creative concept and results.

The report was written and edited by OCC's Corporate Communications department; designed by O'Connor Design in Glen Ellyn, Ill.; and printed by Lake County Press in Waukegan, Ill.

The award-winning annual report can be viewed on OCC's Web site at http://www.optionsclearing.com/about/ann_rep/ann_rep_pdf/annual_rep_06.pdf.

OCC Background

OCC, founded in 1973, is the world's largest derivatives clearing organization and was the first clearinghouse to receive a 'AAA' credit rating from Standard & Poor's Corporation. Operating under the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, OCC provides clearing and settlement services for the American Stock Exchange, the Boston Options Exchange, Chicago Board Options Exchange, CBOE Futures Exchange, International Securities Exchange, NASDAQ Options Market, NYSE Arca, OneChicago, Philadelphia Stock Exchange and Philadelphia Board of Trade. More information about OCC is available through its Web site at www.optionsclearing.com.

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