The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB") Ombudsman detailed the agency's internal engagement and outreach initiatives in a 2018 Annual Report titled Advocating for Fair Process in Consumer Financial Protection. The CFPB highlighted the following: outreach focused on stakeholder engagement; engagement at consumer conferences; outreach through a nationwide stakeholder teleconference series; introduction of a leadership "inreach" program; and development of a webinar on the agency's telephone contact center.

The CFTC proposals requiring swap execution facility ("SEF") registration by certain brokerage entities, including interdealer brokers and the aggregators of single-dealer platforms was published in the Federal Register. Comments must be submitted before February 13, 2019. As previously covered, domestic broking entities would receive a six-month delay before registration is required and foreign entities would receive two years. In addition, the proposal would codify " footnote 88," and make clear that SEF registration is required regardless of whether swaps on the platform have been made

CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz expressed support for an approach toward substituted compliance determinations that distinguishes between the rules designed to address systemic risk reforms and those designed to address market activities. The approach is consistent with an alternative cross-border swaps framework espoused by CFTC Chair J. Christopher Giancarlo in a recent white paper. In remarks at FIA Asia 2018, Mr. Quintenz disagreed with recent criticism of the white paper by CFTC Commissioner Rostin Behnam. Mr. Behnam argued that Mr. Giancarlo should have expressed his views through

The CFTC requested comment on the utility of "post-trade name give-up" practices where swaps are anonymously executed and intended to be cleared ( see previous coverage). The request was published in the Federal Register. Comments must be submitted before January 29, 2019.

The SEC proposed rules and form amendments to improve disclosures to investors in variable annuities and variable life insurance contracts ( see previous coverage). The proposal was published in the Federal Register. Comments must be submitted before February 15, 2019.