News Centre

Statement Of Jill E. Sommers Before The Subcommittee On General Farm Commodities And Risk Management, House Committee On Agriculture

Date 25/05/2011

Good morning Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Boswell and members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for inviting me to today’s hearing on “Harmonizing Global Derivatives Reform: Impact on U.S. Competitiveness and Market Stability.” I am Jill Sommers. I have worked in the derivatives industry for over fifteen years and have been a Commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission since August of 2007. The views I present today are my own and not those of the Commission.

Speech By SEC Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar: Excluding Established Wrongdoers from Engaging In Rule 506 Transactions

Date 25/05/2011

Right now, anyone can participate in Rule 506 offerings. Even a convicted felon, fresh out of prison, could solicit millions of dollars from unsuspecting investors. This is a reality — convicted fraudsters really do participate in Rule 506 offerings. For example, last year, the SEC filed an emergency action to stop a convicted felon who was operating a multi-million dollar fraud in unregistered securities. Additionally, just two weeks ago the SEC sued a recidivist for defrauding investors in unregistered securities offerings.

CFTC Staff To Host Public Roundtable To Discuss Protection Of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral

Date 25/05/2011

Staff of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will hold a public roundtable on June 3, 2011, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., to discuss issues related to the protection of cleared swaps customer collateral. The roundtable will assist the CFTC in the rulemaking process to implement the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Speech By SEC Chairman Mary L. Schapiro: Opening Statement At SEC Open Meeting: Item 2 — Whistleblower Program

Date 25/05/2011

Next, we will consider whether to adopt rules to create a whistleblower program that would incentivize those close to a fraud to come forward and provide information to the Commission. These rules, originally proposed last November, would implement Section 922 of the Dodd-Frank Act.

FIF Announces the Formation Of The Options Market Share Methodology Working Group - Updated

Date 25/05/2011

The Financial Information Forum is pleased to announce the formation of its Options Market Share Methodology Working Group. The group will focus on opportunities for bringing more transparency to options volume data by identifying the types of trades that could be broken out by OPRA or the OCC. The formation of a working group came out of an FIF meeting at the Options Industry Conference where the different methodologies for calculating market share used by the OCC, ISE and BATS were discussed. At that meeting, representatives of the exchanges expressed a willingness to meet with an FIF working group after requirements had been defined.

Speech By SEC Chairman Mary L. Schapiro: Opening Statement At SEC Open Meeting: Item 1 — Felons and Bad Actors

Date 25/05/2011

Good morning. This is an Open Meeting of the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 25, 2011.

Today, the Commission will consider two actions.

First, we will consider proposing a rule that would deny certain securities offerings from qualifying for an exemption from registration if the offerings involve certain “felons and other bad actors.”

And second, we will consider adopting a rule to create a whistleblower program that would reward individuals who provide the agency with high-quality tips leading to successful enforcement actions.

Both sets of rules are required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

SIFMA Statement On Final SEC Whistleblower Rules

Date 25/05/2011

SIFMA today released the following statement from Ira Hammerman, senior managing director and general counsel, after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved final rules on the treatment of whistleblowers.

Speech By SEC Chairman Mary L. Schapiro: Remarks Before The Financial Accounting Foundation’s 2011 Annual Board Of Trustees Dinner

Date 25/05/2011

Introduction

Thank you, Jack, for that kind introduction.

I would like to thank the Financial Accounting Foundation for inviting me to be here this evening.

Standard & Poor's Announces Changes In The S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index

Date 25/05/2011

Standard & Poor's will make the following changes in the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index after the close of trading on Thursday, May 26, 2011:

• Rare Element Resources Ltd. (TSXVN:RES) will be removed from the index. The company will graduate to trade on TSX under the same ticker symbol. Rare Element will remain a constituent of the S&P/TSX Venture 30 Index until the next index rebalancing at the end of July, 2011.

New York City Proclaims May 26, 2011 To Be ‘Dow Jones Industrial Average Day’ In Recognition Of Iconic Index’s 115th Anniversary - NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Calls Dow: ‘Most Recognizable, Most Frequently Quoted, Longest-Serving Market Indicator Of Its Kind’ - Charles Dow Was A ‘Pioneer’ Who Anticipated Investors ‘Would Value Objective Measure Of How Large Companies Traded During A Standard Session In The Stock Market’, Mayor Bloomberg Adds

Date 25/05/2011

The City of New York has proclaimed May 26, 2011 to be “Dow Jones Industrial Average Day” in recognition of the iconic index’s 115^th anniversary.