I support today’s adoption of amendments to the exemption from the swap clearing requirement for certain affiliated entities within a corporate group.  The amendments that update the conditions for the exemption incorporate several years of observation and analysis to build upon its utility within the global regulatory landscape, while affirming the Commission’s appropriate use of its public interest authority under section 4(c) of the Commodity Exchange Act.  It can be tempting to use somewhat fluid and undeniably desirable objectives such as the promotion of responsible economic and financial innovation and fair competition to support all manner of regulatory changes.  And I have not hesitated to highlight my own concerns for the imprudent use of 4(c) exemptive authority.  However, I am pleased that when it comes to the risks associated with U.S firms entering into uncleared swaps with non-U.S. affiliates or evading the clearing requirement altogether, the Commission has consistently demonstrated that its reliance on the 4(c) authority provides the checks to ensure that the policy and outcomes remain legally sound and rational.

I support today’s final rule, as I did the proposal, because it provides legal certainty, benefits from careful analysis and consideration of the data as well as the global regulatory landscape as it has developed, and leaves in place critical tools for Commission monitoring, oversight, and enforcement.[1]  However, I am mindful that guardrails put firmly in place by today’s amendments as a substitute for clearing outward-facing swaps may produce additional risk to external creditors and/or third parties, and that there may be an increased likelihood of risk to the financial system resulting from the availability of the exemption.  While I encouraged interested parties to comment on this aspect of the exemption—the alternative compliance framework—the Commission did not receive any responsive comments.[2]  Without comments, the Commission’s findings and conclusions remain neither vigorously supported nor expressly undermined, and we will continue to discharge our regulatory responsibilities, remaining quick to respond as we closely monitor the data and global regulatory developments to ensure that the exemption does not add unnecessary and preventable risk to the U.S. financial system.

I thank staff from the Division of Clearing and Risk for their thoughtful responses to my questions, and for making edits that reflect my comments and suggestions.