U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Divisions Issue Time-Limited No-Action Letter Extending Relief from Certain Recordkeeping Requirements Under Commission Regulations

On December 8, 2015, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (the “CFTC”) Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight and Division of Market Oversight issued a time-limited no-action letter extending the relief provided in CFTC Letter No. 14-147. The relief would otherwise expire on December 31, 2015 and applies to commodity trading advisors (“CTAs”) that are registered with the CFTC and are members of designated contract markets (“DCMs”) or swap execution facilities (“SEFs”). The extension grants no-action relief to these entities from the requirement to record oral communications, and also to covered market participants from the requirement to link records of oral and written communication that lead to the execution of a transaction in a commodity interest and related cash or forward transactions. Such relief will expire on the effective date of any final CFTC action with respect to the CFTC’s proposal to amend Regulation 1.35(a). Press Release. No-Action Letter.