Commodity Futures Trading Commission

No Direct Cause, No Restitution

A recent federal appellate decision shows there are limits to the ability of a regulator to claim monetary sanctions for statutory violations. Last week the 11th Circuit held that investors whose losses were solely associated with registration violations by their fraudster traders were not entitled to a restitution award – because such losses had not been proximately caused by the registration violations.

In an enforcement action brought by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the 11th Circuit affirmed a Florida district court’s findings that two companies and their CEO committed fraud by falsely representing to some investors that they had purchased physical metals on their behalf (when they had actually purchased futures), and violated the registration requirements of the Commodities Exchange Act (CEA) by trading in futures without registering as futures commission merchants. The district court had awarded restitution for losses arising from both of these violations. While the 11th Circuit upheld the restitution award of approximately $1.5 million based on the fraudulent misrepresentation, it vacated the award of approximately $560,000 based on the failure to register, holding that this violation did not proximately cause the investors’ losses. READ MORE

President Barack Obama’s Win Also a Win for the SEC and the CFTC

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) can breathe a little easier after President Barak Obama’s re-election on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, according to legal scholars and attorneys.

Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney voiced his criticisms of the Dodd-Frank Act during the October 3, 2012, presidential debate, promising to repeal and replace Dodd-Frank. While the political climate in the United States Congress made repeal of Dodd-Frank unlikely, Romney’s administration may have eliminated or weakened provisions of the Act, appointed SEC and CFTC heads who were less interested in aggressive enforcement, and reduced both agencies’ funding.

Legal scholars and attorneys predict that President Obama’s re-election will allow the SEC and the CFTC to continue their aggressive enforcement campaigns of 2011. President Obama’s re-election is particularly important for the CFTC, which Dodd-Frank awarded new oversight powers. The Romney administration may have eliminated key provisions of the Act, returning the CFTC to the limited role it exercised under President George W. Bush. Under President Obama, the CFTC is likely to continue its expanded watchdog role and receive the funding necessary to do so. READ MORE