The CFTC will discontinue the collection and release of the monthly Index Investment Data ("IID") Report for select commodity index position data. The decision was made because the reports are not being utilized when compared to larger CFTC reporting initiatives. The IID Report is a compilation of commodity index investment position data derived from information requests to swap dealers and various index traders. This data collection predates the enhanced reporting regime implemented by the Dodd-Frank Act. The CFTC began releasing this data in September 2009 on a quarterly basis until June 30

The SEC obtained final judgments against a former immigration attorney, his wife, his former law firm partner and five entities he controlled for conducting an investment scheme to defraud foreign investors seeking to come to the U.S. through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. The SEC alleged that the defendants raised nearly $11.5 million from two dozen investors who sought to participate in the EB-5 program, which provides immigrants an opportunity to apply for U.S. residency by investing in a domestic project to create jobs for U.S. workers. The two attorneys told investors that they

The period for SEC approval was extended on a FINRA proposal to merge its dispute resolution subsidiary, FINRA Dispute Resolution, Inc., into and with its regulatory subsidiary, FINRA Regulation, Inc. In addition, the proposed rule change would also amend the FINRA Regulation By-Laws to increase the total number of directors who could serve on the FINRA Regulation board. January 11, 2016 is designated as the approval deadline for the SEC.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fed Oversight Reform and Modernization Act of 2015 and other bills affecting financial services. The bills include: H.R. 3189, the Fed Oversight Reform and Modernization Act of 2015, would impose a variety of requirements on the FRB, including the manner in which the FRB sets interest rates, and would impose a requirement that the FRB perform a cost-benefit analysis when it adopts regulations, and, in certain cases, perform a post-implementation analysis of the effect of the regulations; H.R. 1210, the Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act

FINRA issued a notice to reiterate the best execution obligations that apply when firms receive, handle, route or execute customer orders in equities, options and fixed income securities. In a separate notice, the MSRB issued implementation guidance to assist municipal securities dealers in complying with the MSRB best execution rule that comes into effect March 21, 2016. In FINRA Regulatory Notice 15-46, FINRA provides guidance on how a firm may satisfy its best execution obligations, including: (i) when regular and rigorous review of execution quality as opposed to order-by-order review is