The Treasury Department updated its FATCA Resource Center with the intergovernmental agreements ("IGAs") that the United States entered into with the Republic of Kosovo and the State of Qatar. Both agreements are Model 1 IGAs. The agreement with Kosovo was signed as of February 26, 2015; the agreement with Qatar was signed on January 7, 2015. See: FATCA Resource Center; Qatar IGA; Kosovo IGA. See also: FATCA Specialty Page (available to Cabinet subscribers only).

FINRA issued a regulatory notice regarding the SEC's recent approval of FINRA's rule change to adopt NASD Rule 3010(e) (Qualifications Investigated), relating to background checks on registration applicants, as FINRA Rule 3110(e) (Responsibility of Member to Investigate Applicants for Registration). FINRA Rule 3110(e) is based in part on substantially similar provisions in NASD Rule 3010(e) and Incorporated NYSE Rule 345.11 (Investigation and Records), and includes new provisions relating to the verification of information in the Form U4. The SEC also approved FINRA Rule 3110.15 (Temporary

The Republic of Finland signed a reciprocal Model 1 intergovernmental agreement ("IGA") with the United States, under which each country will automatically share tax information with the other with respect to certain financial accounts. Chile also signed an IGA with the United States, the first South American country to do so. The agreement with Chile, which is a Model 2 agreement, will generally require Chilean financial institutions, unless deemed compliant or otherwise exempt, to enter into a separate agreement directly with the IRS. See: FATCA Resource Center; Finland Model 1 IGA; Chile

The SEC granted no-action relief to Canadian Stock Transfer Company Inc. ("CST") and its affiliate, CST Trust Company, under Exchange Act Section 15(a)(1) to allow CST to engage in limited business as a securities broker in connection with its stock transfer business under the same conditions and representations that were made by CIBC Mellon Trust Company in a previous exemptive order. See: SEC No-Action Letter.

The Financial Stability Board ("FSB") and the International Organization of Securities Commissions ("IOSCO") published a public consultation document titled "Assessment Methodologies for Identifying Non-Bank Non-Insurer Global Systemically Important Financial Institutions." It is the second consultation document by FSB and IOSCO on the subject. The publication outlines a methodology for assessing asset managers and investment funds for possible designation as global systemically important financial institutions ("G-SIFIs"), extending the SIFI framework that currently covers banks and insurers