CFTC Finds One Area for Improvement A rule enforcement review of the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) and the Commodity Exchange (Comex) by the CFTC’s Division of Market Oversight has yielded a recommendation that both exchanges institute a better way to monitor position limit exemptions. Market participants can exceed position limits as long as they… Read More >>
Why the Wells Fargo Mess Makes Wall Street Nervous
My guess is that the dizzying fall from grace for Wells Fargo Chairman and CEO John Stumpf is making some Wall Street executives a little nervous, especially if they have something to hide. To recap, after a scandal broke about the bank setting up fraudulent consumer accounts, the Wells Fargo board of directors decided this… Read More >>
Luxembourg Bank Tackles IRS Reporting Regs
BCEE Implements SmartStream’s Corona Banque et Caisse d’Epargne de l’Etat of Luxembourg (BCEE) has implemented a way to help the bank meet reporting and audit trails regulatory requirements of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that have a tight turnaround time. In general, banks only have a few weeks to reconcile annual data before the legal… Read More >>
CFTC Fines Wells Fargo $400K on Faulty LTR Charges
The CFTC reports that it has ordered Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. to pay a $400,000 civil monetary penalty for “failing to comply with its obligations to submit accurate large trader reports (LTRs) for physical commodity swap positions.” The bank, a provisionally registered swap dealer since 2012, neither admitted nor denied the CFTC’s findings, but agreed… Read More >>
More Crimes and Misdemeanors on Wall Street
To quote the late Yogi Berra, “It’s déjà vu all over again” when it comes to the crimes and misdemeanors of Wall Street. Given the ongoing scandals among banks and other financial services firms, it seems that some on the left of the political scale are getting worried that Wall Street (and Main Street) institutions… Read More >>
Credit Suisse, Ipreo, Symbiont, R3 Finish First Step for Syndicated Loan Blockchain
Blockchain Proof of Concept Effort Will Go On Credit Suisse, Ipreo, Symbiont and R3 have completed the successful initial stage of a project to demonstrate how blockchain technology can be used to improve the syndicated loan market, officials say. The proof of concept will continue throughout the year and will includes participation from agent banks,… Read More >>
Barclays Penalized for EFRP Records Violations
A U.S. regulator has cited Barclays Bank on charges of record-keeping violations and is imposing a $500,000 civil monetary penalty upon the bank, months after the U.K. banking giant was cited for problems with its submissions of large trader reports (LTRs) on physical commodity swap positions. The CFTC, the regulator in both cases, is now… Read More >>
CFTC Wants Firms to Test Cybersecurity Systems
The CFTC has finalized new rules for cybersecurity safeguards systems-testing requirements at its most recent open meeting at which Chairman Timothy Massad called the risk of cyberattack “probably … the single greatest threat to the stability and integrity of our markets today.” At the meeting, commissioners approved final rules for testing requirements for designated contract… Read More >>
RNC Genter Deploys Single-Point Access to Fiserv Network
Firm to Use Fiserv’s Asset Manager Connect Asset manager RNC Genter Capital Management is using Asset Manager Connect from Fiserv to “increase access to managed account sponsors and grow their client base,” officials say. The Asset Manager Connect links lets firms easily communicate with managed-account sponsors across the Wealth Management Network from Fiserv, officials say…. Read More >>
Support Growing for ISDA’s Initial Margin Standard
Support is growing for a new methodology for calculating initial margin for non-cleared derivatives instruments that was developed by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA). Simultaneously, exchange and clearinghouse operator, the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), reports that the ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA) group, a provider of regulated benchmarks, launched a crowdsourcing facility in support of… Read More >>