This attached report, Audit on the Impact of the Freedom of Information Act Exemption Related to Protecting the Identity of Whistleblowers in Fiscal Years 2012 and 2011, was conducted pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act. The study was intended to: (aa) examine whether the exemption under section 552(b)(3) of title 5, United States Code (known as the Freedom of lnformation Act) established in paragraph (2)(A) aids whistleblowers in disclosing information to the CFTC; (bb) understand what impact the exemption has had on the public's ability to access information about the CFTC's regulation of

The FDIC approved a notice of proposed rulemaking which would clarify that, although deposits in foreign branches of U.S. banks can be "deposits" for purposes of the national depositor preference statute (entitling depositors to priority over unsecured creditors in a liquidation), they are not FDIC-insured. Currently, funds deposited in foreign branches of U.S. banks are not considered "deposits" unless the funds are expressly payable in the U.S. Under the proposal, deposits that are carried on the books and records of a foreign branch of a U.S. bank may be considered "deposits" for purposes

The Senate Committee on Finance issued a press release indicating that Republicans and Democrats intend to fight over the nomination of Jack Lew to be the Secretary of the Treasury. Lofchie Comment: I was mostly puzzled as to why this required a press release. Then I got to wondering if they were agreeing to disagree, or if they were just disagreeing, or if, in the worst case, they were in disagreement as to their disagreement. View Press Release in full here (links externally to Finance Senate website).

Attached is an analysis by Robert Zwirb of last week's oral argument in the Brian Hunter v. FERC manipulation case that appeared in the Energy Metro Desk. Hunter is a former Amaranth Advisors trader.The question in this case is whether FERC can prosecute a trader of natural gas futures contracts under FERC's anti-manipulation rule. The CFTC intervened in the case and argued that its own exclusive jurisdiction over futures transactions precludes FERC from asserting jurisdiction over the same transactions. Click here to view the article in full. The attached is an excerpt from the most recent

The MSRB has updated the electronic form required in connection with reporting transactions in municipal securities to the MSRB's Real-Time Transaction Reporting System ("RTRS"). The implementation date for the use of revised Form RTRS will be April 15, 2013. On and after that date, brokers, dealers and municipal securities dealers ("dealers") submitting new information or changes to previously submitted information will be required to use revised Form RTRS. According to the notice, no action is required for dealers that are not submitting new information or changes, and data contained within