definitions

European Commission Adopts Implementing Regulation on ITS for Reporting Results of Internal Approach Calculations under Article 78(2) CRD IV Directive

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On September 19, 2016, the European Commission adopted an Implementing Regulation implementing technical standards (ITS) for templates, definitions and IT solutions to be used by institutions when reporting the results of their internal approach calculations to the European Banking Authority (EBA) and to competent authorities under the CRD IV Directive (2013/36/EU).

The Implementing Regulation is based on the draft ITS submitted by the EBA to the Commission in March 2015 to which the EBA published an opinion agreeing to the Commission’s amendments to the ITS in May 2016. Once the Implementing Regulation has been published in the Official Journal of the EU (OJ) it will enter into force on the 20th day following its publication.

SEC Issues Staff Report on Accredited Investor Definition

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On December 18, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a staff report (the “Report”) on the definition of “accredited investor” set forth in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act directs the Commission to review the accredited investor definition as it relates to natural persons every four years to determine whether the definition should be modified or adjusted. Staff from the Divisions of Corporation Finance and Economic and Risk Analysis prepared the Report in connection with the first review of the definition.

The Report examines the history of the accredited investor definition and considers comments on the definition received from a variety of sources, including public commenters, the SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee and its Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies. The Report considers alternative approaches to defining “accredited investor,” provides staff recommendations for potential updates and modifications to the existing definition and analyzes the impact potential approaches may have on the pool of accredited investors.

The primary recommendations of the Report are:

  • The Commission should revise the financial thresholds, requirements for natural persons to qualify as accredited investors and the list-based approach for entities to qualify as accredited investors.
  • The Commission should revise the accredited investor definition to allow individuals to qualify  as accredited investors based on other measures of sophistication besides their net worth and income.

The Report suggests detailed alternate approaches to implementing these recommendations.

The Commission is inviting members of the public to provide comments on the accredited investor definition, generally, and specifically on the staff recommendations contained in the Report, although a deadline for submitting comments has not been set.

SEC Rules for Derivative Regulation

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The SEC, on July 6, and the CFTC, on July 10, approved rules and interpretations for key definitions of certain derivatives products. The SEC rules and interpretations further define the terms “swap” and “security-based swap” and whether a particular instrument is a “swap” regulated by the CFTC or a “security-based swap” regulated by the SEC. The action also addresses “mixed swaps,” which are regulated by both agencies, and “security-based swap agreements,” which are regulated by the CFTC but over which the SEC has antifraud and other authority. The rules will be effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. However, solely for the purposes of certain interim relief granted and exemptions adopted under the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the compliance date for the final rules further defining the term “security-based swap” will be 180 days after the publication in the Federal Register. SEC Release. CFTC Meeting Notice.