The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board ("MSRB") announced that it will conduct an electronic survey of registered municipal advisors to assess the business activity of municipal professionals. The MSRB stated that the survey will be distributed to the designated regulatory contact for the MSRB at registered municipal advisory firms, and will run from June 16, 2014 to early July 2014. Additionally, the MSRB will host a webinar on June 18, 2014 to provide detailed instructions on how to complete the survey. See: Press Release.

FINRA censured and fined Barclays Capital Inc., Goldman, Sachs Co. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner Smith, Inc. for failing to provide complete and accurate information about trades, commonly known as "blue sheet" data, to FINRA and other regulators. FINRA found that the firms' submissions failed to include certain customers' names, contact information and transactions. In addition, FINRA found that the erroneous submissions contained incorrect name and contact information for some customers, and inaccurate details for some of the transactions. According to the press release, the violations

Federal bank regulatory agencies, including the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the FDIC and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, published the first in a series of requests for comment to identify outdated, unnecessary, or unduly burdensome regulations imposed on insured depository institutions. This request is part of the periodic review of regulations mandated by the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996. The notice seeks comment on regulations from three categories: Applications and

The CFTC issued a letter that extends time-limited no-action relief from certain transaction-level requirements under the CEA. These requirements include transactions when entering into swaps with non-U.S. persons, that are not guaranteed or conduit affiliates of a U.S. person, and that are using the SD's personnel or agents located in the United States to arrange, negotiate or execute such swaps. The no-action relief follows a November 14, 2013 DSIO Advisory which stated that persons regularly arranging, negotiating or executing swaps for or on behalf of an SD are performing core, front

The SEC announced that two individuals, who provided tips and assistance to help the SEC bring enforcement action, would receive a whistleblower award of over $875,000, to be split evenly between them. Together with these two individuals, a total of eight whistleblowers have been given awards by the SEC whistleblower program since it began in late 2011. See: SEC Order Determining Whistleblower Award Claim. See also: Cabinet Whistleblower Page (available to Cabinet subscribers only). Related Cadwalader analyses: Before the Whistle Blows: Understanding and Addressing the Expanding Scope of