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Commission at a Glance: How the CFTC is Organized and Functions

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The Commission consists of five Commissioners. The President appoints and the Senate confirms the CFTC Commissioners to serve staggered five-year terms. No more than three sitting Commissioners may be from the same political party. With the advice and consent of the Senate, the President designates one of the Commissioners to serve as Chairman.

The Office of the Chairman oversees the Commission's principal divisions and offices that administer and enforce the CEA and the regulations, policies, and guidance thereunder.

The Commission is organized largely along programmatic and functional lines. The four programmatic divisions— the Division of Clearing and Risk (DCR), Division of Enforcement (DOE), Division of Market Oversight (DMO), and the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight (DSIO)—are partnered with, and supported by, a number of offices, including the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE), Office of Data and Technology (ODT), Office of the Executive Direction (OED), Office of the General Counsel (OGC), and the Office of International Affairs (OIA). The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is an independent office of the Commission.

Attorneys across the CFTC's divisions and offices represent the Commission in administrative and civil proceedings, assist U.S. Attorneys in criminal proceedings involving violations of the CEA, develop regulations and policies governing clearinghouses, exchanges and intermediaries, and monitor compliance with applicable rules. In response to the globalization of the derivatives markets, attorneys represent the CFTC internationally in multilateral regulatory organizations and in bilateral initiatives with individual foreign regulators. Commission attorneys also participate in country dialogues organized by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Much of the Commission's legal work involves complex and novel issues.

Auditors, risk analysts, trade practice analysts, and attorneys examine records and operations of derivatives exchanges, clearinghouses, and intermediaries for compliance with the provisions of the CEA and the Commission's regulations. Derivatives trading investigators and specialists perform regulatory and compliance oversight to detect potential fraud, market manipulations and trade practice violations. Risk analysts also perform analyses, which include stress testing, to evaluate financial risks at the trader, firm, and clearinghouse levels.

Economists and analysts monitor trading activities and price relationships in derivatives markets to detect and deter price manipulation and other potential market disruptions. These analysts also monitor compliance with position limits. Economists and analysts evaluate filings for new derivatives contracts and amendments to existing contracts to ensure that they meet the Commission's statutory and regulatory standards. Economists also analyze the economic effect of various Commission and industry actions and events, evaluate policy issues and advise the Commission accordingly.

The CFTC is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with regional offices in Chicago, Kansas City, and New York. The organization structure below was implemented October 9, 2011.

Chart of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission organization structure.

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