The House of Representatives will meet to consider five bills approved by the Financial Services Committee regarding consumer protection and regulatory relief. These include (1) HR 3192, Homebuyers Assistance Act, sponsored by French Hill (R-AR), that would create a temporary safe harbor (until February 1, 2016) from enforcement of a Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB) rule streamlining disclosure requirements for consumers during the home buying process; (2) HR 1525, the "Disclosure Modernization and Simplifications Act of 2015," sponsored by Scott Garrett (R-NJ) directing the SEC

FINRA proposed applying certain rules regarding mark-ups and commissions to transactions in government securities. In particular, the FINRA proposal would amend FINRA Rule 0150 ("Application of Rules to Exempted Securities Except Municipal Securities") to apply FINRA Rule 2121 ("Fair Prices and Commissions"), Supplementary Material .01 ("Mark-Up Policy") and .02 ("Additional Mark-Up Policy for Transactions in Debt Securities, Except Municipal Securities") to transactions in exempted securities that are government securities. FINRA noted that the amendments would allow it to bring mark-up/down

The New York Department of Financial Services ("NYDFS") granted a charter under New York banking law ("Banking Law") to Gemini Trust Company, LLC ("Gemini"), a Bitcoin exchange based in New York City. The NYDFS stated that it conducted a rigorous review of Gemini's July 2015 application to operate as a trust for virtual currency exchanges in which it examined the company's anti-money laundering, capitalization, consumer protection and cybersecurity standards. The NYDFS stipulated that as a chartered limited purpose trust company with fiduciary powers under the Banking Law, Gemini can begin

In the latest issue of Energy Metro Desk, Nodal Exchange CEO Paul Cusenza discussed recent CFTC approval allowing the Nodal Exchange to operate a derivatives clearing organization. By replacing its current London-based clearinghouse, LCH.Clearnet, with Nodal Clear, Nodal Exchange will "soon be a true, vertically integrated U.S. exchange clearinghouse" Mr. Cusenza asserted. Going forward, he noted that Nodal Clear is "looking to expand and broaden [its] product offerings significantly" and has a "key interest in the energy sector generally." Nodal Exchange is scheduled to switch to DCO status

In an American Enterprise Institute ("AEI") article titled "The Slow Economic Recovery Explained," senior fellow Peter J. Wallison draws a connection between the economy of the last six years and provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. Mr. Wallison identified various studies indicating that small banks and businesses suffered as a result of costs imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act. He explained that such costs burden small firms and prevent them from obtaining access to the credit they need to grow. He argued that bigger businesses are able to reap the benefits of credit offered through the capital