The United States signed Model 1-style Intergovernmental Agreements ("IGAs") with the Singapore, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Moldova. According to the U.S. Treasury Department ("Treasury"), 52 jurisdictions have signed an IGA with the United States. An additional 60 countries have "agreed in substance" to the terms of either a Model 1 or Model 2 form of IGA, including Greece, the Philippines and Kazakhstan. The IRS and the Treasury announced recently that any IGA which was agreed to in substance would be considered in effect until signed, unless the Treasury and the IRS concluded that the partner

FINRA filed with the SEC a proposal to amend FINRA Rule 2360(b)(5) ("Options"), which involves the reporting of options positions. FINRA proposed to codify the existing requirement that the reporting rules apply to all accounts acting in concert, and added that the proposed changes are consistent with the application of the reporting rules of the options exchanges. See : Text of Proposed Rule Change.

FINRA announced that it fined 10 firms for allowing their equity research analysts to solicit investment banking business, and for offering favorable research coverage in connection with the planned initial public offering of Toys "R" Us in 2010. According to FINRA, in April 2010, Toys "R" Us and its private equity owners invited 10 firms to compete for a role in Toys "R" Us planned IPO. FINRA found that each of the 10 firms used its equity research analyst as part of its solicitation for a role in the IPO, and implicitly or explicitly offered favorable research coverage in return for a role

The SEC announced that Karol Pollock will serve as the new Associate Director the Los Angeles Regional Office's examination program. In her new role as Associate Director of the exam program in the Los Angeles office, Ms. Pollock will oversee a staff of approximately 60 examiners, accountants and attorneys responsible for examining firms in Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Guam. See: SEC Press Release.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority ("HKMA") and the Securities and Futures Commission ("SFC") jointly issued a report ("Conclusions Paper") on the reporting of OTC derivatives transactions in Hong Kong. The Conclusions Paper is based on comments received regarding the agencies' July 2014 joint consultation paper on Securities and Futures ("OTC Derivatives Transactions – Reporting and Record Keeping") Rules (the "Consultation Paper"). The Consultation Paper solicited comments on the following key proposals regarding the OTC derivatives market: types of transactions that will have to be reported