The House Committee on Financial Services announced that it will hold a hearing titled "Examining the SEC's Agenda, Operations, and FY 2016 Budget Request." The hearing is scheduled to take place on March 24, 2015. See: House Financial Services Committee Press Release.

The House Committee on Financial Services announced that the Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises will hold a hearing titled "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's Role in Operation Choke Point." The hearing is scheduled for March 24, 2015. See: Announcement. See also: Wikipedia article on " Operation Choke Point."

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ("Second Circuit") issued a decision that rejected a petition for the review of the SEC's denial of a claim for a whistleblower award. The petitioner, Larry Stryker, sought a whistleblower award after the period between 2004 and 2009 when he supplied the SEC with information that led to a successful enforcement action. In January 2011, Mr. Stryker submitted an application to the SEC for a whistleblower award under Dodd-Frank Section 21F. The SEC held that because the information provided by Mr. Stryker was submitted before the enactment of Dodd

The SEC Office of Investor Education issued two investor bulletins that contain information about the basics of options trading. The bulletins explain what to expect when opening an options trading account with a broker-dealer. The investor bulletin titled "An Introduction to Options" explains what options are, covers basic options terminology and discusses the risks associated with trading options. The investor bulletin titled "Opening an Options Account" discusses the kind of information that investors must provide in an options agreement with a broker, as well as the disclosures that a

The MSRB published a notice to inform firms of a rule change that it submitted to the SEC. The change increases the development fee for MSRB professional qualification examinations from $60 to $150. The proposal, amends MSRB Rule A-16 and is effective immediately. The MSRB stated that individuals who register for an MSRB-owned exam on or after April 1, 2015 will be charged the new rate. See: MSRB Regulatory Notice 2015-05. Related news: MSRB to Amend Its Rules to Create Professional Qualification Standards for Municipal Advisors (Notice 2015-04) (March 2, 2015); SEC Approves MSRB Proposal to