The CFTC is amending its regulations delegating authority to the CFTC’s Office of General Counsel, so that all delegations thereto will be to the General Counsel, with authority to sub-delegate to any CFTC employee under the supervision of the General Counsel. Effective Date: January 8, 2013. View rule release: 78 FR 1144.

In response to numerous questions received about new FINRA Rule 2210 since it was announced in Regulatory Notice 12-29, FINRA has published an FAQ with additional guidance on its website. The FAQ covers internal communications, transitional filing issues, guidance for new firms, retail-structured products, disclosure requirements regarding recommendations, and public appearances. The new communications rules become effective February 4, 2013. View Notice in full here (links externally to FINRA website).

The SEC announced that Geoffrey F. Aronow has been appointed as the agency’s new General Counsel. As the SEC’s chief legal officer, Aronow will lead the Office of the General Counsel in advising the Commission on enforcement actions, rulemakings, and legal proceedings in federal courts throughout the country. “Geoff brings the ideal combination of practical knowledge, expertise, and common sense that is so critical to addressing the often nuanced and difficult issues that come before the Commission,” said Chairman Elisse B. Walter. “Geoff is a faithful steward of the securities laws with a

The MSRB is seeking qualified applicants to fill seven positions on its Board of Directors beginning October 1, 2013. The MSRB, which regulates the $3.7 trillion municipal securities market, is governed by a Board of Directors which makes policy decisions, authorizes rulemaking and market transparency initiatives, and oversees MSRB operations. The Board is seeking to appoint four individuals representing the public and three individuals representing regulated entities to serve three-year terms. Applicants representing regulated entities must be affiliated with a broker-dealer, bank or

FINRA is filing with the SEC a proposed rule change to amend the Customer and Industry Codes of Arbitration Procedure (“Codes”) to revise the definition of “public arbitrator” to exclude persons associated with a mutual fund or hedge fund from serving as public arbitrators and to require individuals to wait for two years after ending certain affiliations before they may be permitted to serve as public arbitrators. FINRA believes that the proposed amendments to the public arbitrator definition would improve investors’ perception of the fairness and neutrality of FINRA’s public arbitrator roster