Investment managers who invest in futures or swaps are reminded
that important registration and/or filing deadlines with the U.S.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the "CFTC") are
quickly approaching.
The deadline in many cases is December 31, 2012.
Managers who invest in futures or swaps who have not considered the
impact of the changes in the CFTC regulations outlined below should
do so immediately.
Elimination of Rule 4.13(a)(4)
As noted in our
earlier client alert, one of the key changes under the new CFTC
regulations is the rescission of the exemption from registration
under Rule 4.13(a)(4).
Under Rule 4.13(a)(4), a commodity pool operator ("CPO")
is exempt from registration with the CFTC if all investors in the
CPO's fund are:
- (i) natural persons that are "qualified eligible persons" as defined under CFTC Rule 4.7(a)(2) (generally this means a Qualified Purchaser as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940) and
- (ii) entities that are "qualified eligible persons" or accredited investors.
Rule 4.13(a)(4) imposes no limits on the amount of futures trading that can be conducted, and for this reason commonly has been relied on by many managers of hedge funds and funds of funds. The CFTC has issued no-action relief that permits CPOs to claim this exemption up through December 31, 2012. The Rule, however, will be rescinded in its entirety effective December 31, 2012.
Registration
As a result, any manager relying on Rule 4.13(a)(4) will need to
register with the CFTC before year-end unless it can rely on the de
minimis exemption available under Rule 4.13(a)(3).
Any managers who intend to register and have not yet begun the
process should do so immediately. Registration requires access to
the National Futures Association's ("NFA") online
registration system in order to complete Form 7-R and pay the
application fee of $200 and membership dues of $750. An application
on behalf of each "principal" and "associated
person" ("AP") of the CPO/CTA must also be filed,
which includes Form 8-R, fingerprint cards, passage of the Series 3
exam (unless a waiver is granted), and an application fee of
$85.
Managers registering with the CFTC should consider whether they
are eligible for relief under Rule 4.7 (commonly referred to as
"regulation lite"). Rule 4.7 provides regulatory relief
to registered CPOs and CTAs whose only clients are "qualified
eligible persons." Managers registered under Rule 4.7 will be
exempt from some of the more onerous requirements imposed upon CFTC
registrants, but will still need to comply with certain
self-examination, recordkeeping and disclosure requirements.
In order to rely on Rule 4.7, a manager must file a notice of
claim with the NFA. This notice requires a CPO or CTA to certify
that:
- (i) neither the CPO/CTA nor its principals are subject to statutory disqualification under Sections 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Commodity Exchange Act,
- (ii) the CPO/CTA will comply with the applicable requirements of Rule 4.7, and
- (iii) if a CPO, that the exempt pool will be offered and operated in compliance with the applicable requirements of Rule 4.7.
The notice will generally be effective upon filing. However, to accommodate the transition, the NFA will permit CPOs to register under Regulation 4.7 prior to December 31, 2012 with an effective date of January 1, 2013.
Switching to an Exemption Under 4.13(a)(3)
h3
The CFTC has amended but retained the exemption available under
Rule 4.13(a)(3). If a manager determines that its trading complies
with the de minimis limits (discussed below), it can claim an
exemption from registration under Rule 4.13(a)(3).
In order to switch from an exemption under Rule 4.13(a)(4) to Rule
4.13(a)(3), a non-registered CPO should contact the NFA in writing
to withdraw its current notice of claim of exemption. The CPO
should wait for confirmation from the NFA that its claim under Rule
4.13(a)(4) has been withdrawn before filing a claim under Rule
4.13(a)(3) through the NFA's website.
For registered CPOs who intend to switch from an exemption under
Rule 4.13(a)(4) to Rule 4.13(a)(3), they can login to the NFA
online registration system and withdraw the Rule 4.13(a)(4) claim
online.
Managers must notify participants of the change in exemption.
Changes to Rule 4.13(a)(3) (the "De Minimis Exemption")
Under Rule 4.13(a)(3), a manager is exempt from registration as a CPO if:
- (i) the fund is engaged in a de minimis amount of futures trading (no more than 5% of the liquidation value of the fund's portfolio is used to establish futures and swaps trading positions or the aggregate net notional value of such positions does not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the fund's portfolio), and
- (ii) the pool's investors are all accredited.
While swaps previously were not included, beginning on December
31, 2012, managers trading in swaps (alone or together with
futures) will have to factor such trading into their analysis to
determine whether they can operate under the de minimis exemption.
Managers should include all swaps entered into prior to December
31, 2012 and all swaps going forward.
In addition, the CFTC adopted an annual notice filing requirement
under which CPOs and CTAs must reaffirm their claim of exemption or
exclusion from registration. The annual notice must be filed at the
end of each calendar year.
With respect to funds of funds relying on Rule 4.13(a)(3), the
CFTC is expected to release new guidance. We will provide updates
as they become available.
Swaps
In addition to counting swaps in the de minimis calculations,
CPOs, CTAs and their APs trading in swaps subject to CFTC
jurisdiction will need to be approved by the NFA as a swaps firm or
swaps AP. This requirement, set forth under NFA Bylaw 301, will be
effective January 1, 2013 but requests for approval may be
submitted now and effective immediately.
A CPO or CTA seeking approval as a swaps firm must have at least
one principal that is registered as an AP and designated as a swaps
AP. Firms and APs seeking designation as a swaps firm and swaps AP,
respectively, should apply through the NFA's online
registration system.
CICIs and LEIs
Swap counterparties will need to obtain CFTC Interim Compliant
Identifiers ("CICI") in order to comply with the new
reporting requirements. A CICI is a code that identifies a legal
entity for purposes of monitoring systemic risk associated with
certain financial transactions. Any fund that is a counterparty to
a swap agreement must obtain a CICI. More information is available
here.
As apparent from its name, CICIs are being used in the interim
only until the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) plan is implemented.
Similar to CICIs, the purpose of the global LEI system is to
establish a common entity identifier that applies internationally
so that information can be gathered and shared across borders.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.