Lanny A. Schwartz

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Mr. Schwartz is a partner in the trading and markets practice within Davis Polk's Financial Institutions Group. [Full Bio]

In the first major trading and markets initiative under SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, on March 14, 2018, the SEC proposed to establish a transaction fee pilot program to study the effects of maker-taker fee structures. A pilot study was initially recommended by the SEC’s Equity Market Structure Advisory Committee in…
Continue Reading SEC Proposes Equity Market Study: Beginning of the End for the Maker-Taker Model?

Responding to a 2016 request by the SEC (in consultation with the Treasury Department), FINRA recently reviewed the extent to which various FINRA rules apply to U.S. Treasury securities.  Following up on that analysis, on February 6, 2018, FINRA issued Regulatory Notice 18-05, requesting comment on whether it should…
Continue Reading FINRA Seeks Comment on Applying Various Rules to U.S. Treasuries and Extending Certain Equity Market Rules to All Debt Securities

In a move that took some by surprise, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton on Tuesday rejected requests from the SROs to delay the implementation of the Consolidated Audit Trail (“CAT”), despite the SROs’ cybersecurity concerns and indications that the CAT is not yet operationally ready.  Thus, the first phase of CAT…
Continue Reading The CAT is Peeking Out of the Bag

The Treasury Department’s recent report on capital markets regulation includes a robust discussion of equity market structure issues.  The report does not break new ground or raise issues that have not been debated previously at length, including by the SEC’s Equity Market Structure Advisory Committee (“EMSAC”).  That said, the report

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Continue Reading Treasury Chimes in on Equity Market Structure

The U.S. Treasury’s new Capital Markets Report recommends additional administrative requirements for regulatory actions by the SEC and the CFTC (the “Agencies”).  If adopted, the process by which the Agencies issue new regulations and guidance may be more transparent and subjected to more rigorous cost-benefit analysis.  Rulemaking and issuing no-action…
Continue Reading Treasury Report Recommends Additional Process and Constraints for Market Regulators

In the wake of a highly-publicized cybersecurity breach involving the SEC’s EDGAR system, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton has been in the hot seat at recent congressional hearings, fielding pointed questions as to whether the SEC should delay implementation of the Consolidated Audit Trail (“CAT”).  The SEC has not announced a…
Continue Reading Security Concerns Prompt Questions Regarding Whether the SEC Should Delay the CAT

Regulatory Considerations for Integrating a Brokerage Firm into a Corporate Group

The recent Davis Polk and Oliver Wyman webcast discussion on the regulatory issues faced when integrating a broker-dealer, is now available On Demand for your convenience.

The webcast reviews our memoon common regulation-driven integration considerations.

View the Webcast…
Continue Reading Webcast: So, Now You Own a Broker-Dealer!

In the August 25th episode of the CFTC podcast, CFTC Talks, the new Director of the CFTC’s Enforcement Division, James McDonald, discussed his priorities for the Division (transcript here), including providing incentives for entities to self-report non-compliance issues to the CFTC.

McDonald stressed that as part of…
Continue Reading New CFTC Enforcement Director Emphasizes Benefits of Self-Reporting

In a closely watched case, the Seventh Circuit last week affirmed the felony conviction of Michael Coscia, a New Jersey high frequency trader, rejecting his arguments that the anti-spoofing provision in the Commodity Exchange Act under which he was charged is unconstitutionally vague and that the evidence in the…
Continue Reading Spoofing Rule Governing Commodities Trading Survives Constitutional Vagueness Challenge in the Seventh Circuit

A recent decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals effectively raises the standard for SEC review and approval of rule change filings submitted by national securities exchanges, FINRA, and registered clearing agencies.  This decision could materially slow down a process that is a critical path for most self-regulatory organization…
Continue Reading D.C. Circuit Raises the Bar on SEC Review of SRO Rule Filings – May Further Slow Pace of Agency Actions