Category Archives: cftc

CFTC Proposed Regulation 1.71 Article Published in NIBA Journal

Just a quick note that we had an article published in the June issue of the NIBA Journal titled How will the Proposed Swaps Regulations Affect IBs? In the article we discuss how the OTC derivatives regulations have essentially overshadowed some of the CFTC's other rulemaking initiatives like Proposed Regulation 1.71.  Proposed Regulation 1.71 would essentially require certain CFTC registered firms, inc

luding introducing brokers, to implement certain compliance procedures to separate research activities from execution activities.  Proposed Regulation 1.71 has not yet been finalized by the CFTC and we provide updates if new rules are adopted.

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Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP provides legal services to the managed futures industry including CTA, CPO, and Introducing Broker registration and compliance services.  Bart Mallon can be reached directly at 415-868-5345.

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CFTC Regulation 4.7 for Registered CTAs and CPOs

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“Lite-Touch” Regulatory Approach for Certain CFTC Registrants

In general, CFTC registered CPOs and CTAs must adhere to certain disclosure and reporting requirements as specified in the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) and regulations thereunder.  However, some CFTC registered firms can operate under a “lite-touch” regulatory regime if the firm only provides investment management services to qualified eligible persons.  The lite-touch regulatory regime is available under CFTC Rule 4.7 to both CPOs and CTAs who file the exemption with the NFA.

This post will provide an overview of the firms which are eligible for the exemption and an overview of the relief granted.  We post the entire text of the exemption at the end of this post.

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Eligibility for Exemption

In general, the exemption is available for firms which meet the following requirements:

  1. Registered with the CFTC as a CPO or CTA
  2. Investors/Clients are only qualified eligible persons (QEPs)
  3. 4.7 Exemption filed with the NFA
  4. Offering/Disclosure Documents contain CFTC disclaimer

The central reason why some firms will want to utilize the exemption is to keep from going through the disclosure document review process with the NFA which can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months depending on a number of factors.  Please note that firms must already be registered with the CFTC which means that Principals and APs will generally need to have the Series 3 exam license.  If a CPO wants to remain unregistered, the firm may be able to use the 4.13(a)(4) exemption instead of the 4.7 exemption.

Filing the Exemption

To file the notice for exemption, the firm will need to access the NFA’s online registration system and complete the required exemption filing.  In order to claim the exemption, the CPO or CTA will be required to certify that:

  • neither the CPO/CTA nor its Principals are subject to statutory disqualifications under sections 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the CEA;
  • the CPO/CTA will comply with the applicable requirements of Rule 4.7 (see below for full text of rule);
  • and for CPOs, that the exempt pool will be offered and operated in compliance with the requirements of Rule 4.7.

Generally, the exemption becomes effective upon filing, assuming there are no errors with the filing.  It is important to note that the exemption ceases to be effective once a CPO’s/CTA’s circumstances change rendering it ineligible for the exemption.  The CPO/CTA must promptly notify the NFA of such change.

Requirements From Which CPO/CTA is Exempt

Under the 4.7 exemption, CPOs are granted the following:

  • Disclosure Relief
    • exempt from delivering to potential investors disclosure documents pursuant to Rule 4.21 or file/submit amendments of disclosure documents with the NFA pursuant to Rule 4.26
    • exempt from the specific disclosure document requirements pursuant to Rule 4.24 (e.g. risk disclosure statements, potential conflicts of interest, risk factors, etc.)
    • exempt from the performance disclosure requirements pursuant to Rule 4.25

*If the CPO chooses to provide investors with an offering memorandum, it must not be misleading and must contain the risk disclosure statement pursuant to Rule 4.7(b)(1).

  • Reporting Relief
    • exempt from the full reporting requirements to Rule 4.22(a)( and (b) but the CPO must provide investors with a quarterly statement within 30 days of the end of the quarter which includes: (i) NAV of the exempt pool, (ii) change in NAV, and (iii) NAV per outstanding interest
  • Annual Report Relief
    • exempt from the annual reporting requirements of Rule 4.22(c) and (d) but the CPO must file and distribute, within 90 days of the end of the year, an annual report for the exempt pool that contain: (i) a statement of financial condition, (ii) statement of income, (iii) footnote disclosures and other material information
  • Recordkeeping relief
    • exempt from the full recordkeeping requirements of Rule 4.23 but the CPO must maintain the reports discussed above and all books and records related to the exempt pool in accordance with Rule 1.31

Under the 4.7 exemption, CTAs are granted the following:

  • Disclosure Relief
    • the CTA is similarly exempt from disclosure documents requirements pursuant to Rule 4.31, 4.34, 4.35, and 4.36
  • Recordkeeping Relief
    • exempt from the full recordkeeping requirements of Rule 4.33 but the CTA must maintain all books and records related to the exempt accounts in accordance with Rule 1.31

Important Items to Note

  • 4.7 Exempt CPOs will still need to file quarterly NFA Rule 2-46 reports for the funds which they manage.
  • CPOs must remember that while they may file a Rule 4.7 exemption for a particular pool and thus be exempt from the above requirements, the CPO is not exempt as related to the other non-exempt pools that it may operate.

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The full text of Rule 4.7 is reprinted below:

§ 4.7   Exemption from certain part 4 requirements for commodity pool operators with respect to offerings to qualified eligible persons and for commodity trading advisors with respect to advising qualified eligible persons.

This section is organized as follows: Paragraph (a) contains definitions for the purposes of §4.7; paragraph (b) contains the relief available to commodity pool operators under §4.7; paragraph (c) contains the relief available to commodity trading advisors under §4.7; paragraph (d) concerns the Notice of Claim for Exemption under §4.7; and paragraph (e) addresses the effect of an insignificant deviation from a term, condition or requirement of §4.7.

(a) Definitions…..[intentionally omitted

(b) Relief available to commodity pool operators. Upon filing the notice required by paragraph (d) of this section, and subject to compliance with the conditions specified in paragraph (d) of this section, any registered commodity pool operator who offers or sells participations in a pool solely to qualified eligible persons in an offering which qualifies for exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act pursuant to section 4(2) of that Act or pursuant to Regulation S, 17 CFR 230.901 et seq., and any bank registered as a commodity pool operator in connection with a pool that is a collective trust fund whose securities are exempt from registration under the Securities Act pursuant to section 3(a)(2) of that Act and are offered or sold, without marketing to the public, solely to qualified eligible persons, may claim any or all of the following relief with respect to such pool:

(1) Disclosure relief.

(i) Exemption from the specific requirements of §§4.21, 4.24, 4.25 and 4.26 with respect to each exempt pool; Provided, That if an offering memorandum is distributed in connection with soliciting prospective participants in the exempt pool, such offering memorandum must include all disclosures necessary to make the information contained therein, in the context in which it is furnished, not misleading; and that the following statement is prominently disclosed on the cover page of the offering memorandum, or, if none is provided, immediately above the signature line on the subscription agreement or other document that the prospective participant must execute to become a participant in the pool:

“PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH POOLS WHOSE PARTICIPANTS ARE LIMITED TO QUALIFIED ELIGIBLE PERSONS, AN OFFERING MEMORANDUM FOR THIS POOL IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE, AND HAS NOT BEEN, FILED WITH THE COMMISSION. THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A POOL OR UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF AN OFFERING MEMORANDUM. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT REVIEWED OR APPROVED THIS OFFERING OR ANY OFFERING MEMORANDUM FOR THIS POOL.”

(ii) Exemption from disclosing the past performance of exempt pools in the Disclosure Document of non-exempt pools except to the extent that such past performance is material to the non-exempt pool being offered; Provided, That a pool operator that has claimed exemption hereunder and elects not to disclose any such performance in the Disclosure Document of non-exempt pools shall state in a footnote to the performance disclosure therein that the operator is operating or has operated exempt pools whose performance is not disclosed in this Disclosure Document.

(2) Periodic reporting relief . Exemption from the specific requirements of §§4.22(a) and (b); Provided, That a statement signed and affirmed in accordance with §4.22(h) is prepared and distributed to pool participants no less frequently than quarterly within 30 calendar days after the end of the reporting period. This statement must be presented and computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and indicate:

(i) The net asset value of the exempt pool as of the end of the reporting period;

(ii) The change in net asset value from the end of the previous reporting period; and

(iii) The net asset value per outstanding unit of participation in the exempt pool as of the end of the reporting period.

(A) Either the net asset value per outstanding participation unit in the exempt pool as of the end of the reporting period, or

(B) The total value of the participant’s interest or share in the exempt pool as of the end of the reporting period.

(iv) Where the pool is comprised of more than one ownership class or series, the net asset value of the series or class on which the account statement is reporting, and the net asset value per unit or value of the participant’s share, also must be included in the statement required by this paragraph (b)(2); except that, for a pool that is a series fund structured with a limitation on liability among the different series, the account statement required by this paragraph (b)(2) is not required to include the consolidated net asset value of all series of the pool.

(v) A commodity pool operator of a pool that meets the conditions specified in §4.22(d)(2)(i) of this part to present and compute the commodity pool’s financial statements contained in the Annual Report in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board and has filed notice pursuant to §4.22(d)(2)(ii) of this part also may use such International Financial Reporting Standards in the computation and presentation of the account statement.

(3) Annual report relief.

(i) Exemption from the specific requirements of §4.22(c) and (d) of this part; Provided, That within 90 calendar days after the end of the exempt pool’s fiscal year or the permanent cessation of trading, whichever is earlier, the commodity pool operator electronically files with the National Futures Association and distributes to each participant in lieu of the financial information and statements specified by those sections, an annual report for the exempt pool, affirmed in accordance with §4.22(h) which contains, at a minimum:

(A) A Statement of Financial Condition as of the close of the exempt pool’s fiscal year (elected in accordance with §4.22(g));

(B) A Statement of Operations for that year;

(C) Appropriate footnote disclosure and such further material information as may be necessary to make the required statements not misleading. For a pool that invests in other funds, this information must include, but is not limited to, separately disclosing the amounts of income, management and incentive fees associated with each investment in an investee fund that exceeds five percent of the pool’s net assets. The income, management and incentive fees associated with an investment in an investee fund that is less than five percent of the pool’s net assets may be combined and reported in the aggregate with the income, management and incentive fees of other investee funds that, individually, represent an investment of less than five percent of the pool’s net assets. If the commodity pool operator is not able to obtain the specific amounts of management and incentive fees charged by an investee fund, the commodity pool operator must disclose the percentage amounts and computational basis for each such fee and include a statement that the CPO is not able to obtain the specific fee amounts for this fund;

(D) Where the pool is comprised of more than one ownership class or series, information for the series or class on which the financial statements are reporting should be presented in addition to the information presented for the pool as a whole; except that, for a pool that is a series fund structured with a limitation on liability among the different series, the financial statements are not required to include consolidated information for all series.

(ii) Except as provided in §4.22(d)(2) of this part, such annual report must be presented and computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied and, if certified by an independent public accountant, so certified in accordance with §1.16 of this chapter as applicable.

(iii) Legend.

(A) If a claim for exemption has been made pursuant to this section, the commodity pool operator must make a statement to that effect on the cover page of each annual report.

(B) If the annual report is not certified in accordance with §1.16, the pool operator must make a statement to that effect on the cover page of each annual report and state that a certified audit will be provided upon the request of the holders of a majority of the units of participation in the pool who are unaffiliated with the commodity pool operator.

(4) Recordkeeping relief. Exemption from the specific requirements of §4.23; Provided, That the commodity pool operator must maintain the reports referred to in paragraphs (b)(2) and (b)(3) of this section and all books and records prepared in connection with his activities as the pool operator of the exempt pool (including, without limitation, records relating to the qualifications of qualified eligible persons and substantiating any performance representations) at his main business address and must make such books and records available to any representative of the Commission, the National Futures Association and the United States Department of Justice in accordance with the provisions of §1.31.

(c) Relief available to commodity trading advisors. Upon filing the notice required by paragraph (d) of this section, and subject to compliance with the conditions specified in paragraph (d) of this section, any registered commodity trading advisor who anticipates directing or guiding the commodity interest accounts of qualified eligible persons may claim any or all of the following relief with respect to the accounts of qualified eligible persons who have given due consent to their account being an exempt account under §4.7:

(1) Disclosure relief.

(i) Exemption from the specific requirements of §§4.31, 4.34, 4.35 and 4.36; Provided, That if the commodity trading advisor delivers a brochure or other disclosure statement to such qualified eligible persons, such brochure or statement shall include all additional disclosures necessary to make the information contained therein, in the context in which it is furnished, not misleading; and that the following statement is prominently displayed on the cover page of the brochure or statement or, if none is provided, immediately above the signature line of the agreement that the client must execute before it opens an account with the commodity trading advisor:

“PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH ACCOUNTS OF QUALIFIED ELIGIBLE PERSONS, THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE, AND HAS NOT BEEN, FILED WITH THE COMMISSION. THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A TRADING PROGRAM OR UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR DISCLOSURE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT REVIEWED OR APPROVED THIS TRADING PROGRAM OR THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT.”

(ii) Exemption from disclosing the past performance of exempt accounts in the Disclosure Document for non-exempt accounts except to the extent that such past performance is material to the non-exempt account being offered; Provided, That a commodity trading advisor that has claimed exemption hereunder and elects not to disclose any such performance in the Disclosure Document for non-exempt accounts shall state in a footnote to the performance disclosure therein that the advisor is advising or has advised exempt accounts for qualified eligible persons whose performance is not disclosed in this Disclosure Document.

(2) Recordkeeping relief. Exemption from the specific requirements of §4.33; Provided, That the commodity trading advisor must maintain, at its main business office, all books and records prepared in connection with his activities as the commodity trading advisor of qualified eligible persons (including, without limitation, records relating to the qualifications of such qualified eligible persons and substantiating any performance representations) and must make such books and records available to any representative of the Commission, the National Futures Association and the United States Department of Justice in accordance with the provisions of §1.31.

(d) Notice of claim for exemption.

(1) A notice of a claim for exemption under this section must:

(i) Provide the name, main business address, main business telephone number and the National Futures Association commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor identification number of the person claiming the exemption;

(ii)

(A) Where the claimant is a commodity pool operator, provide the name(s) of the pool(s) for which the request is made; Provided, That a single notice representing that the pool operator anticipates operating single-investor pools may be filed to claim exemption for single-investor pools and such notice need not name each such pool;

(B) Where the claimant is a commodity trading advisor, contain a representation that the trading advisor anticipates providing commodity interest trading advice to qualified eligible persons;

(iii) Contain representations that:

(A) Neither the commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor nor any of its principals is subject to any statutory disqualification under section 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act unless such disqualification arises from a matter which was previously disclosed in connection with a previous application for registration if such registration was granted or which was disclosed more than thirty days prior to the filing of the notice under this paragraph (d);

(B) The commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor will comply with the applicable requirements of §4.7; and

(C) Where the claimant is a commodity pool operator, that the exempt pool will be offered and operated in compliance with the applicable requirements of §4.7;

(iv) Specify the relief claimed under §4.7;

(v) Where the claimant is a commodity pool operator, state the closing date of the offering or that the offering will be continuous;

(vi) Be filed by a representative duly authorized to bind the commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor;

(vii) Be filed electronically with the National Futures Association through its electronic exemption filing system; and

(viii)

(A)

( 1 ) Where the claimant is a commodity pool operator, except as provided in paragraph (d)(1)(ii)(A) of this section with respect to single-investor pools and in paragraph (d)(1)(viii)(A)( 2 ) of this section, be received by the National Futures Association:

( i ) Before the date the pool first enters into a commodity interest transaction, if the relief claimed is limited to that provided under paragraphs (b)(2), (3) and (4) of this section; or

( ii ) Prior to any offer or sale of any participation in the exempt pool if the claimed relief includes that provided under paragraph (b)(1) of this section.

( 2 ) Where participations in a pool have been offered or sold in full compliance with part 4, the notice of a claim for exemption may be filed with the National Futures Association at any time; Provided, That the claim for exemption is otherwise consistent with the duties of the commodity pool operator and the rights of pool participants and that the commodity pool operator notifies the pool participants of his intention, absent objection by the holders of a majority of the units of participation in the pool who are unaffiliated with the commodity pool operator within twenty-one days after the date of the notification, to file a notice of claim for exemption under §4.7 and such holders have not objected within such period. A commodity pool operator filing a notice under this paragraph (d)(1)(viii)(A)( 2 ) shall either provide disclosure and reporting in accordance with the requirements of part 4 to those participants objecting to the filing of such notice or allow such participants to redeem their units of participation in the pool within three months of the filing of such notice.

(B) Where the claimant is a commodity trading advisor, be received by the Commission before the date the trading advisor first enters into an agreement to direct or guide the commodity interest account of a qualified eligible person pursuant to §4.7.

(2) The notice will be effective upon receipt by the National Futures Association with respect to each pool for which it was made where the claimant is a commodity pool operator and otherwise generally where the claimant is a commodity trading advisor; Provided, That any notice which does not include all the required information shall not be effective, and that if at the time the National Futures Association receives the notice an enforcement proceeding brought by the Commission under the Act or the regulations is pending against the pool operator or trading advisor or any of its principals, the exemption will not be effective until twenty-one calendar days after receipt of the notice by the National Futures Association and that in such case an exemption may be denied by the Commission or the National Futures Association or made subject to such conditions as the Commission or the National Futures Association may impose.

(3) Any exemption claimed hereunder shall cease to be effective upon any change which would cause the commodity pool operator of an exempt pool to be ineligible for the relief claimed with respect to such pool or which would cause a commodity trading advisor to be ineligible for the relief claimed. The pool operator or trading advisor must promptly file a notice advising the National Futures Association of such change.

(4)

(i) Any exemption from the requirements of §4.21, 4.22, 4.23, 4.24, 4.25 or 4.26 claimed hereunder with respect to a pool shall not affect the obligation of the commodity pool operator to comply with all other applicable provisions of part 4, the Act and the Commission’s rules and regulations, with respect to the pool and any other pool the pool operator operates or intends to operate.

(ii) Any exemption from the requirements of §4.31, 4.33, 4.34, 4.35 or 4.36 claimed hereunder shall not affect the obligation of the commodity trading advisor to comply with all other applicable provisions of part 4, the Act and the Commission’s rules and regulations, with respect to any qualified eligible person and any other client to which the commodity trading advisor provides or intends to provide commodity interest trading advice.

(e) Insignificant deviations from a term, condition or requirement of §4.7.

(1) A failure to comply with a term or condition of §4.7 will not result in the loss of the exemption with respect to a particular pool or client if the commodity pool operator or the commodity trading advisor relying on the exemption shows that:

(i) The failure to comply did not pertain to a term, condition or requirement directly intended to protect that particular qualified eligible person;

(ii) The failure to comply was insignificant with respect to the exempt pool as a whole or to the particular exempt account; and

(iii) A good faith and reasonable attempt was made to comply with all applicable terms, conditions and requirements of §4.7.

(2) A transaction made in reliance on §4.7 must comply with all applicable terms, conditions and requirements of §4.7. Where an exemption is established only through reliance upon paragraph (e)(1) of this section, the failure to comply shall nonetheless be actionable by the Commission.

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Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP provides comprehensive legal, registration and compliance services for CFTC registered firms.  Bart Mallon can be reached directly at 415-868-5345.

CFTC Proposes Increased Registration and Reporting for CPOs and CTAs

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Proposal to Rescind 4.13(a)(3) & 4.13(a)(4) CPO Exemptions

Pursuant to rulemaking required under the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFTC is jointly proposing with the SEC that CPOs and CTAs which are dually registered (that is with the CFTC and as an investment adviser with the SEC) file certain information on a new Form PF.   In addition, the CFTC is proposing to eliminate two widely used exemptions from CPO registration – the 4.13(a)(3) exemption (de minimis futures trading) and the 4.13(a)(4) exemption (the only investors are QEPs).  Another exemption applicable to mutual funds – the 4.5 exemption – may also potentially be rescinded under the proposed rulemaking.  The CFTC is proposing minor changes to regulations in addition to the more onerous registration and reporting requirements.

Rescinding CPO Registration Exemptions

We have discussed the requirements for these and other CFTC registration exemptions in a post on CPO registration.  The CFTC is proposing to rescind the following exemptions:

Regulation 4.13(a)(3) – this exemption is normally utilized by managers who use just a small amount of futures.  In the event that this exemption isrescinded, a large number of managers would be required to register.  This also means that managers could not trade any futures contracts in a fund structure without being registered as a CPO.  Obviously this will increase the regulatory burden for managers and will likely lead some managers to simply cease using futures.

Regulation 4.13(a)(4) – this exemption is normally utilized by those managers who only have investors who are qualified eligible persons.

Note: Rescinding both the (a)(3) and (a)(4) exemptions will likely mean the fund-of-fund managers will also be required to register as CPOs.  Form more information please see our post on fund-of-fund CPO exemptions.

Regulation 4.5 – this exemption applies to mutual funds that have funds which invest in futures.  In general, mutual fund managers who invest in futures do so indirectly and are able to escape registration as a commodity pool operator.  This means that mutual funds, while they must be approved by the SEC, receive no regulatory scrutiny from the CFTC.  Late last year, the NFA submitted a petition to the CFTC asking the CFTC to amend Regulation 4.5 to require those managers that indirectly invest in futures products to register as a CPO.

New Reporting Requirements

The CFTC is proposing that CPOs and CTAs face increased reporting requirements on new forms Form PF, Form CPO-PQR and Form CTA-PRQ.  The increased reporting requirements will apply to two groups of CFTC registrants: (i) dual registrants and (ii) CFTC-only registered firms.

New Forms

Form PF – Form PF was designed to provide government agencies with information about the basic operations and structure of private funds.  The creation of Form PF was required by Section 404 of the Dodd-Frank Act.  The SEC and CFTC are working together to develop Form PF Sections 1 and 2 as those sections are relevant to firms registered with both agencies.

Form CPO-PQR and Form CTA-PQR – these forms will require firms to provide similar information as will be required in Form PF, with appropriate modifications made so that the information is relevant with respect to commodity futures managers.

In general, all forms will allow some information to be treated as confidential.

Dual registrant reporting

Dual registrants are firms which are registered with the SEC (as an IA) and with the CFTC (as a CPO or CTA).  The following are the proposed filing requirements:

Dual registrants with less than $1 billion of AUM:

  • Annual filing of Form PF
  • Complete only Section 1 of Form PF

Dual registrations with less than $1 billion of AUM:

  • Quarterly filing of Form PF
  • Complete Sections 1 and 2 of Form PF

CFTC-Only Registrants

CFTC-only registrants are firms registered with only the CFTC (as a CPO or CTA).  The amount of information to be required on the new CFTC only forms, and the timing of filing, will depend on the registered firm’s size and AUM.

Forms CPO-PQR and CTA-PQR will be filed directly with the NFA.

Other Proposed Changes

The CFTC is also proposing some other changes:

  • Managers using the Regulation 4.7 exemption will be required to have certified financial statements for any 4.7 exempt pool which they advise.  [Note: currently there is no certification requirement.]
  • Managers using any of the 4.5, 4.13 or 4.14 exemptions will need to annually certify the notice of exemption.  [Note: currently there is no requirement to certify the exemption on an annual basis.]
  • Risk disclosure language to be updated to include discussion of swaps, if appropriate for the manager.
  • Certain changes to make the regulations internally consistent.

The CFTC overview can be found here: CFTC Rescinding Exemption Overview

The CFTC Q&A sheet can be found here: CFTC Rescinding Exemption Q&A

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Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP  provides comprehensive CFTC and NFA compliance and regulatory support for investment managers.  Bart Mallon, Esq. can be reached directly at 415-868-5345.

NFA Forex Registration/Compliance Workshop | Las Vegas September 25, 2010

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(www.hedgefundlawblog.com)

Overview of Forex Registration & Compliance Issues

By Bart Mallon, Esq.

In preparation for the implementation of the new retail forex regulations, the NFA recently conducted a retail forex registration and compliance workshop in Las Vegas at the Trader’s Expo.  The workshop covered a number of topics which the NFA views as especially important for forex managers.  I attended the workshop and the following discussion is based on my notes of the conference as well as collateral material provided by the NFA.

This overview will cover the various sessions throughout the day including:

  • Registration
  • General Compliance
  • Net Capital, Recordkeeping & Reporting Requirements
  • Discussion/ Individual Consultations

[Note: this article currently only has the summary of the registration session.  I will be adding the additional summaries directly to this page over the next few days.]

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Registration Session

Firm Registration & Exemption Requirements

This first part discusses the various registration categories and the potential exemptions and other pertinent information.

RFED & FCMs

  • These are entities which execute forex trades for managers.  We will not go into the registration and compliance requirements for these groups in this overview and will instead focus on forex managers and introducing brokers.

Commodity Trading Adviser (CTA)

  • Definition: a firm which is compensated for providing advice with respect to forex transactions, usually by having power of attorney (POA) to trade a client’s account held at an FCM or RFED.  Groups that provide individualized advice without a POA may also be considered to be a CTA.
  • Exemptions: a firm is exempt from CTA registration if the firm (i) provides advice to less than 15 people over the past 12 months and (ii) does not generally hold itself out to the public as a CTA. Managers should note that this exemption is narrowly construed by the CFTC and that very few forex managers will  fit within the exemption.  This exemption is self-executing and so the firm will not need to make a filing with the CFTC or NFA if they are claiming this exemption.  There are additional exemptions which are available but not often used by most forex managers.
  • Costs:
    • Firm – $200 non-refundable registration fee
    • APs/Principals – $85 registration fee (for each individual)
    • NFA Membership Fee – $750 (yearly)
    • Exam Fess – varies with respect to exam
  • Principal/AP Requirement: each firm must have at least one Principal listed and at least one Associated Person registered with the firm (see discussion below).  Each Principal and AP will need to have (i) fulfilled the proficiency (exam) requirements and (ii) provided the NFA with fingerprint cards for the FBI background check.
  • Disclosure Documents: CFTC regulations require each forex CTA disclosure document to include the following information:
    • Basic Background Information on the CTA
    • Information on the Trading Program
    • Discussion of the Risk Factors
    • Discussion of Conflicts of Interest
    • Litigation Information (see NFA Litigation Statement Requirement)
    • Certain Performance Reports
    • Supplemental information
  • Timing: with respect to the actual registration of the entity and the Principals/APs, this can usually be done quickly.  In most cases, after all fees have been paid and a Principal has submitted fingerprint cards and has completed all necessary exam requirements, the registration will be complete in about two days.  While the registration is done quickly, the disclosure document acceptance process can be lengthy.  For a normal CTA it will usually take about 5-10 weeks to get the document accepted, however this will depend on a number of items including the NFA examiner you are assigned and the work load of the NFA.

Commodity Pool Operator (CPO)

  • Definition: a firm which is compensated for providing advice to a pooled investment vehicle.  The investment vehicle (colloquially known as a “hedge fund”) is deemed to be a “commodity pool” and the firm providing advice is the operator or CPO.
  • Exemptions: there are a number of CPO exemptions which are potentially available for forex managers.  We have detailed these requirements before in our list of CPO exemptions.
  • Costs:
    • Firm – $200 non-refundable registration fee
    • APs/Principals – $85 registration fee
    • NFA Membership Fee – $750 (yearly)
    • Exam Fess – varies with respect to exam
  • Principal/AP Requirement: same as above.
  • Disclosure Documents: the requirement is generally the same as for CTAs.  However, CPO disclosure documents are usually much longer and deal with a number of other federal laws.  CPO disclosure documents must be drafted by an attorney.
  • Timing: generally timing will be similar to the above.

Guaranteed Introducing Broker

  • Definition: generally a firm which introduces client accounts to an FCM or RFED.  These brokers might include groups that license EA software and receive per trade compensation from a broker.  A guaranteed IB is a firm which only introduces to one FCM or RFED and who enters into a guarantee agreement with the FCM or RFED.
  • Exemptions: generally there are no exemptions.  Firms should note that the exact manner in which the firm is compensated (e.g. for use of the EA software) may make a difference in whether the firm will need to be registered as an introducing broker with the NFA.
  • Costs:
    • Firm – $200 non-refundable registration fee
    • APs/Principals – $85 registration fee
    • NFA Membership Fee – $750 (yearly)
    • Exam Fess – varies on exams (see below)
    • Other – written guarantee agreement with the FCM or RFED must be executed prior to registration
  • Principal/AP Requirement: same as above.

Independent Introducing Broker

  • Definition: definition is same as above, except an independant IB may introduce to any number of FCMs or RFEDs and does not need to enter into a guarantee agreement.  The independent IB will need to maintain a certain net capital.
  • Exemptions: generally there are no exemptions.  As above, the manner of compensation will determine whether the firm is an IB.
  • Costs:
    • Firm – $200 non-refundable registration fee
    • APs/Principals – $85 registration fee
    • NFA Membership Fee – $750 (yearly)
    • Exam Fess – varies on exams (see below)
  • Other: must maintain net capital of $45,000 subject to CFTC regulations.  NFA rules require an extra $5,000 buffer.
  • Principal/AP Requirement: same as above.

Discussion of Principals and Associated Persons

Principals

Principals generally mean persons who meet any of the following:

  • Certain title: Director, President, usually any “Chief” role
  • Ownership: generally owners with 10% or more interest, including owners which are entities and owners of those entities (there are also look-through rules for entities)
  • Other: Individuals with management and supervisory authority

Associated Person

Generally any partner, officer, employee, consultant, or agent (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves:

  • the solicitation of funds, securities, or property for participation in a commodity pool or
  • the supervision of any person or persons so engaged.

Firms should note that while the definition of AP does not include a person who acts solely as a trader, the NFA highly recommends that such persons become registered as APs.  If a firm decides that such person does not need to register with the NFA, the firm must be extra careful that the trader does not perform any functions of an AP.  This will likely be an issue which the NFA will examine closely during any audit.

Other Important Discussion Items

Soliciting Clients after October 18, 2010

Forex managers who currently are managing client accounts but are not registered with the NFA, will need to be registered by the October 18th deadline and continue to manage accounts for current clients.  However, these managers will not be able to accept new money from existing clients or new clients until the disclosure document is accepted by the NFA.

Managers with a Disciplinary History

Individuals who have certain criminal or regulatory issues in their background will need to make sure that they are able to produce records of the issue.  For persons with these issues, the NFA will require full records and will review those records prior to deciding whether to allow the person to register as an AP.  For more information, please see our discussion of registration issues for managers with disciplinary history.

Heightened Supervisory Procedures

Many forex managers and introducing brokers will need to implement heightened supervisory procedures because they will have Principals/APs which were either subject to prior NFA disciplinary actions or worked for firms subject to NFA disciplinary actions.  Almost every single forex broker has been subject to NFA disciplinary actions so persons who come from these firms will need to be aware of this fact and firms may need to augment their employee base to fit within certain guidelines.  This issue will most likely be identified by NFA staff during the registration process and may delay a registration.

Branch Office

Firms which have more than one office must designate a main office.  All of the other offices will be deemed to be banch offices and each of these branch offices will need to have a branch office manager (who has passed the Series 30 exam).

Firms often wonder whether a home office will count as a branch office.  Generally, it will depend on the exact facts of the situation, but if any person is acting as an AP at the home office, then it will be deemed to be a branch office.

While it does not cost extra to have a branch office, firms must make sure that they institute certain oversight procedures with respect to the branch office.  This means that compliance policies and procedures must be implemented.  This is likely to be another issue which the NFA will examine closely during an audit.

For more information, please see our article on the NFA Branch Office Designation.

Forex Exams

Overview – we have discussed the various exam requirements for forex managers a number of times.  For full information, please see our overview of the forex exams.  We also have specific information on the Series 3 exam, Series 30 exam, and how to pass the Series 34 exam.

Grandfather Provisions – For persons who were registered on May 22, 2008 as an AP (and have remained continuously registered as an AP with the CFTC), such persons will not be required to pass the Series 34 exam prior to providing advice to customers with respect to forex transactions.

Discretionary Waiver – some persons who would normally be required to complete the proficieny requirements may be able to apply for a waiver of the requirements from the NFA.  Such waiver is rarely granted.  For more information, please see NFA Rule 402.

Overview of Registration Process

At this point during the presentation the NFA staff took us completely through the registration process on the NFA’s online registration system.  In general the process is fairly straightforward and the NFA has provided a number of resources on their website which are designed to help managers navigate the process.  In general the process includes the following steps:

  • Obtain Security Manager Access
  • Pay Registration Fees
  • Complete Form 7-R for Firm Application
  • Complete Form 8-R for all Principals and APs

General Compliance Session

[To be forthcoming...]

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Other related hedge fund law articles:

Bart Mallon, Esq. runs the hedge fund law blog and provides forex registration and compliance services to forex managers through Cole-Frieman & Mallon.  He can be reached directly at 415-868-5345.

Dodd-Frank Establishes New Laws Regarding Spot Commodities and Spot Forex

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The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Act”) has changed a number of laws in all of the securities acts including the Commodity Exchange Act.  Two specific changes deal with certain transactions in commodities on the spot market.  Specifically, Section 742 of the Act deals with retail commodity transactions.  In this section, the text of the Commodity Exchange Act is amended to include new Section 2(c)(2)(D) (dealing with retail commodity transactions) and new Section 2(c)(2)(E) (prohibiting trading in spot forex with retail investors unless the trader is subject to regulations by a Federal regulatory agency, i.e. CFTC, SEC, etc.).  According to a congressional rulemaking spreadsheet, these are effective 180 days from the date of enactment.

We provide an overview of the new sections and have reprinted them in full below.

New CEA Section 2(c)(2)(D) – Concerning Spot Commodities (Metals)

The central import of new CEA Section 2(c)(2)(D) is to broaden the CFTC’s power with respect to retail commodity transactions.  Essentially any spot commodities transaction (i.e. spot metals) will be subject to CFTC jurisdiction and rulemaking authority.  There is an exemption for commodities which are actually delivered within 28 days.  While the CFTC wanted an exemption in which commodities would need to be delivered within 2 days, various coin collectors were able to lobby congress for a longer delivery period (see here).

It is likely we will see the CFTC propose regulations under this new section and we will keep you updated on any regulatory pronouncements with respect to this new section.

New CEA Section 2(c)(2)(E) – Concerning Spot Forex

The central import of new CEA Section 2(c)(2)(E) is to regulate the spot forex markets.  While the section requires the CFTC to finalize regulations with respect to spot forex (which were proposed earlier in January), it also, interestingly, provides  oversight of the markets to other federal regulatory agencies such as the CFTC.  This means that in the future, different market participants may be subject to different regulatory regimes with respect to trading in same underlying instruments.  A Wall Street Journal article discusses the impact of this with respect to firms which engage in other activities in addition to retail forex transactions.  The CFTC’s proposed rules establish certain compliance parameters for retail forex transactions, requires registration of retail forex managers and requires such managers to pass a new regulatory exam called the Series 34 exam.  We do not yet know whether the other regulatory agencies will adopt rules similar to the CFTC or if they will write rules from scratch.

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CEA Section 2(c)(2)(D)

‘‘(D) RETAIL COMMODITY TRANSACTIONS.—

‘‘(i) APPLICABILITY.—Except as provided in clause (ii), this subparagraph shall apply to any agreement, contract, or transaction in any commodity that is—

‘‘(I) entered into with, or offered to (even if not entered into with), a person that is not an eligible contract participant or eligible commercial entity; and

‘‘(II) entered into, or offered (even if not entered into), on a leveraged or margined basis, or financed by the offeror, the counterparty, or a person acting in concert with the offeror or counterparty on a similar basis.

‘‘(ii) EXCEPTIONS.—This subparagraph shall not apply to—

‘‘(I) an agreement, contract, or transaction described in paragraph (1) or subparagraphs (A), (B), or (C), including any agreement, contract, or transaction specifically excluded from subparagraph (A), (B), or (C);

‘‘(II) any security;

‘‘(III) a contract of sale that—

‘‘(aa) results in actual delivery within 28 days or such other longer period as the Commission may determine by rule or regulation based upon the typical commercial practice in cash or spot markets for the commodity involved; or

‘‘(bb) creates an enforceable obligation to deliver between a seller and a buyer that have the ability to deliver and accept delivery, respectively, in connection with the line of business of the seller and buyer; or

‘‘(IV) an agreement, contract, or transaction that is listed on a national securities exchange registered under section 6(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78f(a)); or

‘‘(V) an identified banking product, as defined in section 402(b) of the Legal Certainty for Bank Products Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C.27(b)).

‘‘(iii) ENFORCEMENT.—Sections 4(a), 4(b), and 4b apply to any agreement, contract, or transaction described in clause (i), as if the agreement, contract, or transaction was a contract of sale of a commodity for future delivery.

‘‘(iv) ELIGIBLE COMMERCIAL ENTITY.—For purposes of this subparagraph, an agricultural producer, packer, or handler shall be considered to be an eligible commercial entity for any agreement, contract, or transaction for a commodity in connection with the line of business of the agricultural producer, packer, or handler.’’.

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CEA Section 2(c)(2)(E)

‘‘(E) PROHIBITION.—

‘‘(i) DEFINITION OF FEDERAL REGULATORY AGENCY.—In this subparagraph, the term ‘Federal regulatory agency’ means—

‘‘(I) the Commission;

‘‘(II) the Securities and Exchange Commission;

‘‘(III) an appropriate Federal banking agency;

‘‘(IV) the National Credit Union Association; and

‘‘(V) the Farm Credit Administration.

‘‘(ii) PROHIBITION.—

‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subclause (II), a person described in subparagraph (B)(i)(II) for which there is a Federal regulatory agency shall not offer to, or enter into with, a person that is not an eligible contract participant, any agreement, contract, or transaction in foreign currency described in subparagraph (B)(i)(I) except pursuant to a rule or regulation of a Federal regulatory agency allowing the agreement, contract, or transaction under such terms and conditions as the Federal regulatory agency shall prescribe.

‘‘(II) EFFECTIVE DATE.—With regard to persons described in subparagraph (B)(i)(II) for which a Federal regulatory agency has issued a proposed rule concerning agreements, contracts, or transactions in foreign currency described in subparagraph (B)(i)(I) prior to the date of enactment of this subclause, subclause (I) shall take effect 90 days after the date of enactment of this subclause.

‘‘(iii) REQUIREMENTS OF RULES AND REGULATIONS.—

‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The rules and regulations described in clause (ii) shall prescribe appropriate requirements with respect to—

‘‘(aa) disclosure;

‘‘(bb) recordkeeping;

‘‘(cc) capital and margin;

‘‘(dd) reporting;

‘‘(ee) business conduct;

‘‘(ff) documentation; and

‘‘(gg) such other standards or requirements as the Federal regulatory agency shall determine to be necessary.

‘‘(II) TREATMENT.—The rules or regulations described in clause (ii) shall treat all agreements, contracts, and transactions in foreign currency described in subparagraph (B)(i)(I), and all agreements, contracts, and transactions in foreign currency that are functionally or economically similar to agreements, contracts, or transactions described in subparagraph (B)(i)(I), similarly.’’.

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Other related hedge fund law articles:

Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP provides legal support and forex registration services to forex managers.  Bart Mallon, Esq. can be reached directly at 415-868-5345.

CFTC Launches New Website

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(www.hedgefundlawblog.com)

In a move that has been long overdue, the CFTC has launched a new website which was designed to make getting to CFTC information easier.  We have had a chance to explore the new site and believe that it is a significant improvement over the old site, even if the new colors (orange) and flash are a bit distracting.

Some of the interesting things about the new website:

  • RSS feeds added – this is probably the best update.  Previously the CFTC did not have an RSS feed for its news.  This new feature is great, however it is only for general press releases, enforcement press releases and Speeches & Testimony.  It would have been nice to an RSS feed for other parts of the website like staff interpretations.
  • Follow us feature – yes, the CFTC is now on facebook, flickr and youTube.  Now you can follow the CFTC through social media…what use this is, I am not sure.
  • Easy navigation – the navigation is improved by about 1000%.  I found it very easy to get to Financial Data for FCMs.
  • Plug for CCH? One of the pictures on website is of a book published by CCH on the Commodities Exchange Act.  I didn’t think the government was allowed to endorse one product over another so I am not sure why this picture is there.  CCH is probably ecstatic that they get this sort of free advertising by the government – I would imagine that West, Lexis, and other groups are not happy and will be asking the CFTC to replace the picture.

Overall the new website is probably a good step forward for the CFTC even if the orange color is distracting.

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CFTC Launches New Website Designed to Improve Access to Market and Agency Information

New site is available at www.cftc.gov.

WASHINGTON – The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today launched a new website designed to enhance access to important market and agency information through CFTC.gov. The new site is part of the agency’s ongoing effort to promote transparency.

“Both the markets and the government serve the public best when they are transparent and easy to navigate,” CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler said. “The CFTC’s new website enhances the public’s ability to find the most important information on our homepage, including market reports, agency reports and agency news, and helps fulfill our ongoing efforts to bring sunshine to both the markets and the government.”

Important website enhancements include:

• Improving the website’s homepage to make it easier to access the most relevant information on CFTC.gov. The new site also includes drop-down navigation to enhance usability of the site with fewer clicks.

• Consolidating and simplifying the public comments section of the website by creating a page where members of the public can find every item that is open for public comment, including rulemakings, industry filings and other issues.

• Enhancing the look and feel of the website to make the homepage more usable and easier to navigate.

To improve the agency’s ability to disseminate important information to the broadest audience, CFTC.gov now incorporates videos and other imagery, as well as social media through Facebook, Flickr and YouTube.

Last Updated: April 2, 2010

Media Contacts
Scott Schneider
202-418-5174

R. David Gary
202-418-5085

Office of Public Affairs

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Other related hedge fund law blog posts include:

Bart Mallon, Esq. runs the Hedge Fund Law Blog and provides hedge fund information and manager registration services through Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP He can be reached directly at 415-868-5345.

NFA Announces Effective Date of New CPO Reporting Rule 2-46

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First CPO Quarterly Report Due May 17, 2010

As we recently discussed in an earlier article on NFA Compliance Rule 2-46, the NFA has adopted a new compliance rule which will require commodity pool operators to provide certain information to the NFA on a quarterly basis.  In general CPOs will need to provide the NFA with the following information about their pool: the names of certain service providers/ counterparties, change in NAV over the quarter, monthly ROR for the fund, and information on large investments (greater than 10% of the fund’s NAV).

The NFA will be holding a webinar so that members can see how to complete the quarterly filing through the EasyFile system.

The announcement is reprinted in full below and can be found here.

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Notice I-10-10

March 17, 2010

Effective Date of NFA Compliance Rule 2-46: CPO Quarterly Reporting Requirements

NFA Compliance Rule 2-46: CPO Quarterly Reporting Requirements will become effective on March 31, 2010. Rule 2-46 requires each CPO Member to report on a quarterly basis to NFA specific information on certain pools that it operates within 45 days after the end of each quarterly reporting period. The CPO must provide the information for each pool that it operates that has a reporting requirement under CFTC regulation 4.22 (which includes exempt pools under CFTC Regulation 4.7). Using a new web-based system that was specifically designed for this rule, the CPO must enter the following information:

(a) the identity of the pool’s administrator, carry broker(s), trading manager(s) and custodian(s);

(b) a statement of changes in net asset value for the quarterly reporting period;

(c) monthly performance for the three months comprising the quarterly reporting period; and

(d) a schedule of investments identifying any investment that exceeds 10% of the pool’s net asset value at the end of the quarterly reporting period.

The first quarterly report will be due by May 17, 2010 for the quarter ended March 31, 2010 and must be filed electronically using NFA’s EasyFile System. In order to ensure that CPO Members understand the new requirements, NFA will host a webinar on April 13, 2010 at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), which will outline the new reporting requirements and how to file using the new system. Click here to register for the webinar. NFA staff will also provide detailed information on the new requirements and filing instructions at NFA’s CPO/CTA Regulatory Seminar being held on April 22, 2010 in New York. Click here to register for the seminar.

More information about NFA Compliance Rule 2-46 can be found in NFA’s August 25, 2009 Submission Letter to the CFTC. Questions concerning the reporting requirements should be directed to Tracey Hunt, Senior Manager, Compliance (thunt@nfa.futures.org or 312-781-1284) or Mary McHenry, Senior Manager, Compliance (mmchenry@nfa.futures.org or 312-781-1420).

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Other related hedge fund law blog posts include:

Cole-Friman & Mallon LLP can provide CPOs with comprehensive support during the filing process.  Bart Mallon, Esq. can be reached directly at 415-868-5345.

New Forex Regulations: Overview of Public Comments

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Leverage, Inaccessibility for Smaller Traders, and Offshore Threat are Focus of Public Comments

As we’ve discussed in related posts, the CFTC has proposed rules regulating the off-exchange spot forex industry (see Retail FOREX Registration Regulations Proposed).  The CFTC has requested comments from the public and there are currently about 100 public comments on CFTC’s website written in response to the new rule. The comments mainly focus on:

  • Leverage reduction rule (approx. 75/100 comments)
  • Forex industry becoming inaccessible to smaller traders (approx. 35/100 comments)
  • Threat of investors moving their money to offshore firms (approx. 25/100 comments)
  • Opposition to government interference/regulation (approx. 20/100 comments)

[Note: over the weekend the CFTC published some of the backlog of comments it received.  Much of this article was written prior to review of these extra comments (which total approximately 3,663).  We will provide an update on such comments in the future.]

To view all of the comments, click here.

The following is our summary of the comments which have been made thus far.

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Leverage Reduction

Approximately 75 of the 100 comments mention a strong or very strong opposition to the new leverage proposal of 10:1. The issue with a reduction of leverage to 10:1 is that investors will have to invest much more money in order to trade what they can currently trade with less capital. Comments regarding leverage include phrases like “strongly object”, “terrible idea”, “unintelligent”, and “strongly oppose”.  The majority opinion is that people should have the freedom and the choice to trade with a higher amount of leverage, and that the federal government’s attempts to lower leverage to 10:1 are “unnecessary” and “intrusive”. John Yeatman Jr. writes,

Please DO NOT reduce leverage in US Forex trading to 10:1…THIS WOULD HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TRADERS AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO RELY ON 100:1 LEVERAGE AVAILABILITY TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILY AND THIS ECONOMY. Please do your part in helping to keep this country great and it’s [sic] freedoms true BY NOT ALLOWING ANYTHING LESS THAN 100:1.

Other comments regarding the leverage proposal include:

  • … strongly objects to new leverage of 10:1
  • … proposed reduction not consistent with futures, which allow a significantly higher leverage
  • … virtually no flexibility trading at 10:1 leverage unless trader has gigantic account balance
  • …reduction in leverage not fair to public…bad for America
  • … new leverage line “out of line with general idea of protecting consumers”
  • …limiting leverage to 10:1 is “a bad idea”
  • …current leverage limit is “more than enough”
  • … CFTC is “unintelligent” to change leverage to 10:1
  • … terrible idea to lower leverage
  • … leverage change is “perversion of the free markets”
  • …leverage restriction “grave injustice” for many who work to secure the American dream of prosperity for themselves and families
  • …leverage limits would delay achievement of financial independence
  • …leverage not dangerous; misuse is
  • …leverage decrease will kill forex business and worsen economic situation in states and worldwide
  • …amount of leverage needs to be at discretion of investors

Smaller Traders

Another argument is that lower leverage will making trading inaccessible for smaller traders but leave the door wide open for larger institutions, since lower leverage requires higher margin (meaning that more money needed to be invested in order to trade). Comments regarding this proposed rules potential affect on smaller traders include:

  • …will stamp out small-time investor
  • …drive smaller guys out of market or offshore
  • …anything lower would be insane for small-time traders
  • …gets rid of investors with small capital so rich can stay rich and poor can stay poor
  • …pushes out small-time investor
  • …denies small trader opportunity
  • …disparate and unintended impact on small traders with lower capital
  • …leave the small, independent traders alone
  • …small businesses are heart of US economy
  • …all small-scale actors will be stifled
  • …10:1 leverage will have unintended consequence of locking out hundreds or thousands of small traders
  • …quit treating the small guy like an idiot
  • …are you trying to allow only rich to trade forex?

Government Interference/Regulation

Many of the comments suggest anger with the government for interfering too much with the forex industry. Michael Thomas writes,

I do not live here in this “free” society to have someone from the government babysitting me. The message that your proposed rules send is that 1) we are not free to make our own choices. 2) The federal government believes that we the general public are too stupid to make decisions for ourselves….I don’t need you, or do I want you getting in the way of my being able to trade as I wish in the United States of America.

Other comments regarding an opposition to increased government interference include:

  • …don’t add more government
  • …not intention of our ancestors to create government which controlled/regulated all aspects of citizens’ lives
  • …the government has no right to control my ability to make profit
  • …unnecessary for Federal government to regulate against individual’s ability to take risks
  • …don’t need government protection; we’re adult traders
  • …not responsibility of government to take away choice from consumers
  • …”big brother” attempt to protect people from “evil” traders and forex hedge funds
  • …stay out of trying to run my personal life

Offshore Threat

In at least 25 of the comments, the public is arguing that the new rules, specifically lower leverage, will drive traders offshore to overseas brokers who may or may not be regulated. Further, a major argument is that the forex industry in the United States will essentially cease altogether as a result of traders moving their forex activities offshore. Comments regarding this offshore threat include:

  • …will send business to London and unregulated offshore markets
  • …consumers will take accounts offshore
  • …will drive smaller guys out of markets entirely or to offshore, unregulated brokers
  • …when traders move accounts offshore, CFTC and NFA will have no control of clients’ trading
  • …I’ve already moved my account offshore
  • …people will do business with offshore brokers

Government Regulation

In terms of the new regulation proposal as a whole, some people support more industry regulation while others are against the idea entirely. Bradford Smith writes,

I feel that regulation of firms is needed…regulation is needed to help people understand the risks such as risk disclosure. [Regulating] the  retail forex market in a similar fashion to how commodities and futures are regulated is a good idea. Stopping companies from trading against their clients is a high priority issue that needs to be stopped.

John M. Bland, on the other hand, who views the proposal as “unfair”,  writes,

…the CFTC has done a lot in recent years to correct many of the problems in the industry…this decision is unfair and anti-competitive.

Other comments regarding opposition to the proposal and/or government interference include:

  • …new rules will destroy US financial firms business and lead to loss of thousands of jobs during the worst economy in decades
  • …regulation should be aimed at encouraging economic growth and innovation vs. restricting it
  • …against proposal
  • …how did forex regulation get in the Farm Bill?
  • …whoever initiated proposal has no knowledge of forex…this rule is utter nonsense…rules for forex in the USA are already quite strict
  • …you are busybody bureaucrats with intrusive minds…you are interested in only one thing: bureaucratic power and complete control of every microscopic aspect of life…you are monsters
  • …rules will harm people who make an honest living trading currency
  • …important to educate and inform, not regulate and ban
  • …proposal is a disaster-in-warning for traders
  • …if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
  • …proposal is lunacy-communist-legislation
  • …I do not support the proposal…proposal closes doors for forex investors and will make forex market accessible to financial institutions only
  • …vehemently against new, narrow-sighted legislation

Agreement/Disagreement with Proposal

Many of the comments discuss that education about forex and trading risk is the best solution. On a similar note, many traders expressed the fact that anyone who trades in the forex market is aware of the inherent risks, so people who decide to trade are willing to take these risks. There is a general consensus that it is the individual’s, and not the government’s, responsibility to evaluate the level of risk that s/he is willing to take. Remember, higher leverage will be reflected in both your profits and your losses. Thus, if you have high leverage and profit, you will profit a lot more than if your trading had not been leveraged. But the same goes for losses; if you lose, you will lose a lot more based on the higher leverage.

Conclusions Thus Far

The biggest concern thus far is the proposed reduction in leverage to 10:1. Almost every comment mentioned a strong opposition to this rule. Furthermore, most people seem to be concerned that the new regulations will significantly decrease forex activity in the US—if not kill it off—and drive most investors overseas to offshore firms. We will continue to monitor comments received until the March 22 due date. Please leave us a comment below with your feedback. Should you feel inclined, you may submit your own comment to the CFTC through the methods listed above.

To view CFTC’s proposed rules, click here.

How to Comment

Comments must be received by March 22, 2010 and can be submitted the following ways:

  • Through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov/search/index.jsp. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
  • By e-mail: secretary@cftc.gov. Include “Regulation of Retail Forex” in the subject line of the message.
  • By fax: (202) 418-5521.
  • By mail: Send to David Stawick, Secretary, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581.
  • Courier: Same as Mail above.

(Note that all comments received will be posted without change to http://www.cftc.gov, including any personal information provided.)

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Other related CFTC articles include:

Bart Mallon, Esq. of Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP runs the Hedge Fund Law Blog and provides forex registration services to forex managers. Mr. Mallon also runs the Forex Law Blog.  He can be reached directly at 415-868-5345.

CPO Annual Financial Report Filing

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Information on Filing Annual Report with NFA

Commodity Pool Operators (“CPOs”) are required to distribute an Annual Report, certified by an independent public accountant, to each participant in each pool it operates (i.e. the investors in the commodity/futures hedge fund) within 90 days after the pool’s fiscal year-end (normally December 31).  CPOs are also required under the Commodity Exchange Act and commission regulations to file this report electronically with the National Futures Association (“NFA”) through the NFA’s EasyFile system.  Alternate due dates exist for pools that are operated as a “fund of funds“.  CPOs can monitor their filings and review their due dates for each pool in the EasyFile system.  We have included an overview of the requirements and process below and Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP would be able to help CPOs to make this filing as well.

Filing Overview

  • Who – all CPOs must file the annual financial report unless they are exempt under the CFTC Regulation 4.13.
  • What – a certified financial statement (PDF of the exact statement distributed to the pools limited partners) from an auditor needs to be filed with the NFA.  (Please note that CPOs who are exempt under the CFTC Regulation 4.7 does not need to have their statements audited.)
  • When – commodity pool annual reports must be distributed to pool participants and filed with the NFA within 90 calendar days of the pool’s fiscal year end.  (Mallon P.C. can also check the due date by logging into the EasyFile system on the Filing Index page.)
  • How – CPOs must submit annual reports to NFA electronically in accordance with NFA’s EasyFile electronic filing system and procedures.

NFA EasyFile System

Pool operators should have their NFA login and password to access the EasyFile system.  Submitting pool financial statements using EasyFile involves a three step process:

  1. The CPO (or compliance group) will upload a PDF of the identical pool financial statement provided to the pool’s limited partners, including the balance sheet, income statement, schedule of investments, footnotes, and the Independent Auditor’s Opinion, if applicable.
  2. The CPO (or compliance group) will then enter approximately 30 key financial balances into an electronic schedule. These balances will be pulled directly from the balance sheet, income statement and statement of changes in net asset value included in the pool’s PDF filing.
  3. The CPO (or compliance group) will finally submit the electronic filing, the system will run some basic edit checks. It will also prompt the CPO to read and agree to an electronic oath or affirmation. This oath or affirmation will apply to the information included in the PDF, as well as, the information entered into the schedule of key financial balances.

A common pitfall with this process include miscalculations with the key financial balances. In order to prevent this from occurring, the CPO should make sure the values/balances input into the system correspond with the PDF certified financial statement.  After submission, the CPO should ensure the updated status of the filing becomes “Received” by logging into Pool Index page the in the EasyFile system.  This status should show up within a few days after the filing has been submitted.

Conclusion

In addition to the various yearly compliance measures, such as the NFA Self-Examination Checklist, CPOs should be aware that they need to file their audited reports with the NFA.  This is especially important because the NFA has fined large firms for failing to file on time (see previous NFA Action).  If you need help with filing your annual financials, please contact Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP for further information on our commodities and futures compliance services.

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Other related NFA compliance articles include:

Bart Mallon, Esq. runs the Hedge Fund Law Blog and provides hedge fund information and manager registration services through Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP. He can be reached directly at 415-868-5345.

NFA Self-Examination Checklist 2010 | FCMs, IBs, CPOs and CTAs

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Easy Step by Step Guide for NFA Member Firms

NFA Member Firms are all required to complete a yearly self-examination checklist to ensure that the Member Firm is complying with all the NFA Rules (as well as the CFTC Regulations and other applicable laws).  The NFA has provided some resources on their website.  We believe that the resources are good, but they are not easy to use for NFA Member Firms.  Accordingly, Mallon P.C. has reworked the forms into a more easy-to-use format.  Below is a description on how you should proceed with this process along with the various checklists that each Member Firm should print off and complete.

All of the checklists below are based on, and contain the same information, as the NFA checklists which can be found here.

Overview of Process

The whole process should take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours (or more) depending on the exact structure of the NFA Member Firm.  Firm authorized personnel should complete the following steps:

  1. Print off the General Checklist
  2. Print off the Registration Specific Checklist
  3. Print off the Attestation Sheet
  4. Go through the checklists step by step and write notes and initial the appropriate areas.  If a certain area is not applicable, write N/A.
  5. Sign the Attestation Sheet
  6. File the Checklists according to the Firm’s internal compliance procedures

If there are compliance issues which arise during the course of the self-examination process, please record the issue and how the issue has been or will be addressed.  Do not try to cover up the issue – the NFA is more interested in the fact that a firm identifies and appropriately deals with compliance issues than a firm that has a perfect self-exam checklist (through a cover-up).  Do not be afraid to take ample notes in the appropiate places on the checklist – this will show the NFA examiners that the Firm is committed to thinking about the relevant compliance issues.

* Note: there are other yearly compliance procedures that a firm will need to complete in addition to the self-examination checklist.  For more information, please see the Mallon P.C. NFA Compliance Guide or contact your compliance consultant.  Please note that the compliance guide may not cover all compliance requirements.

Checklists

Each Member Firm will need to complete at least two checklists – (1) a general NFA Member Firm checklist and (2) a specific registration category checklist (i.e. FCM, IB, CPO, CPA).

General Checklist

Registration Specific Checklist

Attestation

Each Member Firm will need to complete an attestation sheet which acknowledges that the Firm has completed the annual self-examination checklists.

Appendices

Each of the checklists makes reference to certain appendices.  Below we have created links to those appendices.

Acronyms

Each of the checklists include acronyms.  We have listed them below for your convenience.

  • AML – Anti-Money Laundering
  • AP – Associated Person
  • BASIC – Background Affiliation Status Information Center
  • BSA – Bank Secrecy Act
  • CIP – Customer Identification Program
  • CRD – Central Registration Depository
  • DSRO – Designated Self-Regulatory Organization
  • FATF – Financial Action Task Force
  • FIFO – First-in, First-out
  • FinCEN – Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
  • NAV – Net Asset Value
  • NCCT – Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories
  • OFAC – Office of Foreign Assets Control
  • SAR – Suspicious Activity Report
  • SDN – Specially Designated Nationals
  • SPAN – Standard Portfolio Analysis

Rules & Regulations

Some of the checklists have references to certain CFTC Regulations and NFA Rules.  We have listed them below for your convenience.

  • CFTC Part 4 Regulations
  • CFTC Regulation 160
  • CFTC Interpretation #10
  • NFA Compliance Rule 2-7
  • NFA Compliance Rule 2-29
  • NFA Compliance Rule 2-30
  • NFA Bylaw 1301
  • Securities Exchange Act of 1933 – Sections 9(a), 9(b), 10(b)

Forms

Some of the checklists have references to forms and these are included below.

  • CFTC Form 40
  • CFTC Form 8-T
  • Form U5

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Other related NFA compliance articles include:

Bart Mallon, Esq. of Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP runs the Hedge Fund Law Blog.  He can be reached directly at 415-868-5345