The Division of Market Oversight is issuing Guidance to swap execution facilities regarding the calculation of projected operating costs or expenses for the purpose of meeting the financial resource requirements under SEF Core Principle 13 and Commission Regulation 37.1303 and clarifies that commissions paid employee-brokers, calculated as a percentage of transaction revenue, do not have to be included in the calculation.

The Division of Market Oversight is issuing a no-action letter that extends No-Action Letter 14-108 and continues to provide relief from (1) the requirement that a SEF obtain documents that are incorporated by reference in confirmations issued under Commission Regulation 37.6(b) prior to issuing the confirmation, and (2) the requirement that a SEF maintain such documents as records. In addition, the division is providing relief from the requirement set forth in Commission Regulation 45.3(a) that SEFs report terms contained in the agreements that are confirmation data.

The CPO of a commodity pool requested exemptive relief from Regulation 4.22(d)(1), which requires the financial statements included in Annual Reports to be audited. The CPO submitted waivers from all pool participants, consenting to receive an unaudited Annual Report. DSIO granted relief pursuant to Regulations 4.12(a) and 140.93 from Regulation 4.22(d), permitting the filing and distribution of an unaudited 2014 annual report.

The CPO of a commodity pool that began trading in June 2014 requested exemptive relief from Regulations 4.22(c) and (d). The CPO submitted waivers from all pool participants, which included two proprietary and three outside investors. DSIO granted relief pursuant to Regulations 4.12(a) and 140.93 from Regulation 4.22(d), permitting the filing and distribution of an unaudited 2014 annual report.

The CPO of a commodity pool operated pursuant to an exemption under Regulation 4.7 requested exemptive relief from the requirement in Regulation 4.22(d)(1) that the financial statements in the pool’s annual report be audited. The pool began operations in January 2014, and at the end of the 2014 fiscal year, had two proprietary participants.

Staff advisory from the Divisions of Market Oversight and Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight to remind futures commission merchants, clearing members, foreign brokers, swap dealers, and certain reporting markets of their obligation to obtain information on a timely basis from their customers or counterparties in order to comply with the ownership and control reports (OCR) final rule.

The CPO of a commodity pool operated pursuant to an exemption under Regulation 4.7 requested relief from the requirements in Regulations 4.7(b)(3) and 4.22(d) to file and distribute to participants an annual report containing audited financial statements. Though initially marketed to outside investors, the pool became and will remain proprietary in nature, the participants being the CPO and accounts owned by the CPO’s managing member.

The CPO of a commodity pool operated pursuant to an exemption under Regulation 4.7 requested exemptive relief from the requirement in Regulations 4.7(b)(3) and 4.22(d)(1) that the financial statements in the pool’s annual report be audited. At the end of the 2014 fiscal year, the pool had just two participants, who are the partners of the CPO.

The CPO of a commodity pool operated pursuant to an exemption under Regulation 4.7 requested exemptive relief from the requirement in Regulations 4.7(b)(3) and 4.22(d)(1) that the financial statements in the pool’s annual report be audited. At the end of the 2014 fiscal year, the pool had two participants, a controlling principal of the CPO who oversees the daily operations of both the CPO and the pool, and an LLC owned and managed by the principal.

The CPO of a commodity pool operated pursuant to an exemption under Regulation 4.7 requested exemptive relief from the requirement in Regulations 4.7(b)(3) and 4.22(d)(1) that the financial statements in the pool’s annual report be audited. At the end of the 2014 fiscal year, the pool had four participants, a controlling principal of the CPO who oversees the daily operations of both the CPO and the pool; two entities owned and managed by the principal; and one outside investor.