The MSRB has made available free online training videos (see below for a list and links to the primary market and continuing disclosure tutorials) to assist municipal securities dealers and issuers in making primary market and continuing disclosure submissions to the EMMA website. Primary Market Submitting Primary Market Disclosures for a New Issue Adding to or Removing Securities from a Primary Market Submission Adding to or Removing an Issue or a Series from a Primary Market Submission Submitting and Archiving an Official Statement Document Submitting Remarketing Data and Information

This GAO report discusses (1) the extent to which account activity varied by type of Madoff customer, (2) the nature of claims filed, and rejected or approved, with the Trustee for reimbursement of losses, (3) litigation and settlement activity the Trustee has pursued in seeking to recover assets for distribution to customers, and (4) the effect of the fraud on customers' federal income tax liabilities. GAO reviewed transaction and claims data from the Trustee, lawsuits filed by the Trustee, IRS rules and guidance, and interviewed the Trustee, private sector tax experts, and officials from IRS

Commissioner Wetjen addressed the following issues in his speech at the ISDA Conference: Implementation Phase: Generally regarding the swap regulatory regime, including rules relating to business-conduct standards, reporting, documentation, risk-management practices, and definitional rules; Guiding Principles for the Dodd-Frank Rules with particular focus on Cross-Border Guidance: Asserting that the CFTC needs to provide clarity, should take a measured approach to rulemaking, and must have workable rules; The Importance of Standardization: Noting that standardization facilitates clearing

The SEC announced that Andrew J. Bowden has been named Deputy Director of the agency's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE), succeeding Norm Champ, who was named head of the SEC's Division of Investment Management last July. View press release here (links externally to SEC website).

CME Group and the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) announced that they have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU was first initiated in March 2003 to create a forum for information sharing between the two organizations regarding the potential development of derivatives products in China. Under the terms of the MOU, the SHFE will provide CME Group with insights and information on the commodities markets in China. This includes regulations and policies, market specifications, and development conditions in order to assist CME Group in gaining a better understanding of China's