From Forbes.com last week:
"There are some fully electronic trading firms looking to hedge their bets on the demise of the floor-trading system. Interactive Brokers, one of the largest options trading firms, will begin offering clients access to a pit trader at the CME and the Chicago Board Options Exchange later this month, adding the NYMEX later this year.
Some clients want a human trader to handle contracts, especially those in the energy markets, says Steve Sanders, Interactive's managing director for business development.
Interactive has been resisting the move, Sanders said. "Our hope is still that everything will go electronic and the pits will disappear," he said. "