The Department of Labor adopted its final regulation addressing the definition of who is a fiduciary of an employee benefit plan under ERISA, or a plan under Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code, by virtue of giving investment advice to a plan, its participants or its beneficiaries. The fiduciary definition final rule, Best Interest Contract Exemption, certain principal transactions exemption, certain prohibited transactions exemptions, and amendments to certain class exemptions were published in the Federal Register.

The SEC announced new SRO rules, rule proposals and NMS plans. Click on the links below to view the SEC's notices of exchange rule changes and proposal from April 4, 2016, to April 8, 2016.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rescinded the Financial Stability Oversight Council's determination that MetLife was a so-called "systemically important financial institution" eligible for enhanced regulatory supervision. The Court found that the determination "hardly adhered to any standard."

The FDIC extended the de novo period for newly organized, state nonmember institutions from three to seven years for examinations, and issued a supplement to its November 2014 guidance related to the Statement of Policy on Applications for Deposit Insurance.

SIFMA issued an annual report of the securitization markets that examined trends and policy issues in 2015.