FINRA filed a proposed rule change with the SEC to adopt FINRA Rule 6732 ("Exemption from Trade Reporting Obligation for Certain Transactions on an Alternative Trading System"). The purpose of the change is to provide FINRA with the authority to exempt certain transactions by a member alternative trading system that meet specific criteria from the transaction-reporting obligations that would apply otherwise under FINRA Rule 6730 ("Transaction Reporting"). Additionally, FINRA proposed a related change to FINRA Rule 9610 to specify FINRA's exemptive authority.

The CFTC will hold an open meeting to consider (i) a proposed rule for Division of Clearing and Risk ("DCR") safeguards, (ii) a proposed rule for Division of Market Oversight ("DMO") safeguard-testing requirements and (iii) its final rule on the margin for uncleared swaps. The meeting will take place on December 16, 2015 at 10:30 a.m.

Eight of ten voting members of the Financial Stability Oversight Council ("FSOC") testified at a House Financial Services Committee oversight hearing on FSOC's agenda, operations and structure. In opening remarks, Representative Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) observed that FSOC has earned "bipartisan condemnation" through measures such as (i) its designation of non-bank financial institutions as "systemically important financial institutions" ("SIFIs") and (ii) its annual report, that was intended to identify emerging threats to financial stability, but "omit[ted] any references to specific government

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued an order granting summary judgment against former Enron president, COO, and CEO Jeffrey K. Skilling. The judgment concludes the SEC's civil case, which was stayed by the court beginning in 2004 until the outcome of criminal proceedings and appeals.

FINRA introduced a new category of trade submissions that it called clearing-only, non-regulatory reports. The reports can be used by firms to submit to clearing OTC transactions in equity securities that have been reported previously through a FINRA facility. FINRA specified that clearing-only, non-regulatory reports cannot be used for regulatory reporting purposes, and that firms may use these reports only when their regulatory reporting obligations to FINRA have been satisfied through other submissions (tape reports - i.e., submitted for public dissemination purposes - or non-tape reports).