Fund Industry Challenges CFTC Registration

Joining in the Forum’s brief were former SEC Chairman Richard Breeden, former Commissioners Paul Atkins, Ed Fleischman and Joe Grundfest, and former directors of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management Allan Mostoff, Paul Roye and Marianne Smythe.

The brief argues that the CFTC failed to account for and justify the impact that its rule change would have on shareholders of mutual funds. The brief notes that the CFTC failed to adequately quantify the increased costs that would result from funds being dually registered with the SEC and CFTC and did not show how shareholders would benefit from the new rule.

“It is still very unclear what, if any, benefits there will be to shareholders from having funds register with the CFTC,” said Susan Ferris Wyderko, president & CEO of the Mutual Fund Directors Forum, in a statement. “Investors will bear additional costs without offsetting benefits, and will be harmed when the number of risk management strategies offered by mutual funds is inevitably reduced as a result of funds trying to avoid triggering the burdens of dual registration.”