Securities and Exchange Commission 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to Section 15F(b)(6) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Exchange Act''), as added by Section 764(a) of Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (``Dodd- Frank Act''), the Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') is adopting Rule of Practice 194. Rule of Practice 194 provides a process for a registered security-based swap dealer or major security- based swap participant (collectively, ``SBS Entity'') to make an application to the Commission for an order permitting an associated person that is a natural person who is subject to a statutory disqualification to effect or be involved in effecting security-based swaps on behalf of the SBS Entity. Rule of Practice 194 also provides an exclusion for an SBS Entity from the prohibition in Exchange Act Section 15F(b)(6) with respect to associated persons that are not natural persons. Finally, Rule of Practice 194 provides that, subject to certain conditions, an SBS Entity may permit an associated person that is a natural person who is subject to a statutory disqualification to effect or be involved in effecting security-based swaps on its behalf, without making an application pursuant to the rule, where the Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``CFTC''), a self-regulatory organization (``SRO''), or a registered futures association has granted a prior application or otherwise granted relief from the statutory disqualification with respect to that associated person.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC'' or ``Commission'') is proposing rules that would require the application of specific risk mitigation techniques to portfolios of security-based swaps not submitted for clearing. In particular, the proposal would establish requirements for each registered security-based swap dealer (``SBS dealer'') and each registered major security-based swap participant (``major SBS participant'') (each SBS dealer and each major SBS participant hereafter referred to as an ``SBS Entity'' and together referred to as ``SBS Entities'') with respect to, among other things, reconciling outstanding security-based swaps with applicable counterparties on a periodic basis, engaging in certain forms of portfolio compression exercises, as appropriate, and executing written security-based swap trading relationship documentation with each of its counterparties prior to, or contemporaneously with, executing a security-based swap transaction. In addition, the Commission is proposing an interpretation to address the application of the portfolio reconciliation, portfolio compression, and trading relationship documentation requirements to cross-border security-based swap activities and is proposing to amend Rule 3a71-6 to address the potential availability of substituted compliance in connection with those requirements. Moreover, the proposed rules would make corresponding changes to the recordkeeping, reporting, and notification requirements applicable to SBS Entities. Finally, the Commission is requesting comment on how certain aspects of the proposed rules address how a security-based swap data repository (``SDR'') could potentially satisfy its obligation to verify the terms of each security-based swap with both counterparties to the transaction.