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On October 20, the National Adjudicatory Council (NAC) of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) revised the Principal Considerations in Determining Sanctions section of the FINRA Sanction Guidelines to expressly contemplate a customer’s age or physical or mental impairment. In connection therewith, FINRA released Regulatory Notice 20-37.
Continue Reading FINRA Releases Regulatory Notice on Revised NAC Sanction Guidelines

On September 22, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued Regulatory Notice 20-33 that requested comment on (1) proposed formal procedures to bring actions against non-associated persons who cheat or misbehave during a FINRA qualification examination and (2) related amendments to FINRA’s registration requirements rule and eligibility proceedings rules.
Continue Reading FINRA Requests Comment on Proposed Proceeding Rule for Failures to Comply With Qualification Examinations Rules of Conduct, Registration Requirements and Eligibility Proceedings Rules

On September 28, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it will hold a roundtable on October 26 at which staff from the SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) will discuss initial observations on the implementation of Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS.
Continue Reading SEC Staff to Host Roundtable on Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS on October 26

On September 11, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced that the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight (DSIO) and the Division of Market Oversight (DMO) had issued CFTC Letter No. 20-26, further extending certain elements of the temporary no-action relief issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that are set to expire on September 30. The extended relief expires on January 15, 2021.
Continue Reading CFTC Further Extends Certain No-Action Relief to Market Participants in Response to COVID-19

On September 15, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) Division of Market Oversight (DMO) granted no-action relief to Tassat Derivatives LLC, a CFTC-registered swap execution facility (SEF), from SEF reinstatement requirements under CFTC Regulation 37.3(d). The no-action relief set out in CFTC Letter No. 20-27 is subject to certain conditions.
Continue Reading CFTC Staff Provides No-Action Relief to Registrant from SEF Reinstatement Requirements

On August 26, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted amendments to the definitions of “accredited investor” in Rule 501(a) and “qualified institutional buyer” in Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act). The amendments expand the definition of accredited investor, a principal test to determine eligibility for participation in private capital markets, even if they do not meet specified income and net worth tests. Amendments to the qualified institutional buyer definition similarly expand the list of eligible entities under that definition. The amendments were adopted generally as proposed with no significant changes. The proposed amendments were previously covered in the December 20, 2019 edition of the Corporate & Financial Weekly Digest.
Continue Reading SEC Amends the Definitions of “Accredited Investor” and “Qualified Institutional Buyer”

On August 14, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued Regulatory Notice 20-28 that included an updated Security Futures Risk Disclosure Statement (the “2020 Statement”). The uniform Security Futures Risk Disclosure Statement (the “Statement”) was jointly developed by FINRA, the National Futures Association (NFA) and several other self-regulatory organizations. The Statement is composed of nine sections and discusses the characteristics and risks of standardized security futures contracts traded on regulated US exchanges.
Continue Reading FINRA Releases an Updated Security Futures Risk Disclosure Statement

On August 17, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued Regulatory Notice 20-29 to request comment on the practice of internalizing customer trades in the corporate bond market after obtaining auction responses, commonly known as “pennying.” The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Fixed Income Market Structure Advisory Committee (FIMSAC) defined “pennying” as a practice where a dealer initiates a bid or offer-wanted auction process on behalf of a customer, reviews the auction responses, and then executes the customer order itself at a price that either matches or slightly improves the best-priced auction response. FIMSAC stated that pennying may appear to benefit a customer but may harm overall auction competitiveness over time.
Continue Reading FINRA Requests Comment on the Practice of Pennying in the Corporate Bond Market

On July 22, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission adopted rules (Final Rules) that set minimum financial capital requirements for swap dealers (SDs) and major swap participants (MSPs) that are not subject to prudential regulation (each, a “Covered Swap Entity” or CSE). The capital requirements were originally proposed in 2016, as explained in more detail here.

The core financial require
Continue Reading CFTC Adopts Final Capital Requirements for Swap Dealers

At an open meeting on July 22, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission heard presentations on three proposals for changes to the margin requirements for uncleared swaps. The proposed changes, which originate from recommendations made by the Margin Subcommittee of the CFTC Global Markets Advisory Committee (GMAC), are as follows:
Continue Reading CFTC Proposes Margin Requirements for Uncleared Swaps