Senate Committee introduces OTC derivatives proposal
The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry introduced a draft bill today intended to "bring 100% transparency" to financial markets. According to the news release of Committee Chair Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark, the bill includes mandatory clearing and trading requirements, requires real-time reporting of derivatives trades and would prohibit federal assistance to banks that "engage in risky derivative deals". Thus, the proposed legislation appears to take a tougher stance in its attempts to regulate financial institutions than the legislative proposals emanating from the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed comprehensive financial reform legislation in December 2009, which addressed OTC derivatives trading, but the Senate has yet to pass the House Bill or agree to a different proposal. The latest indications, however, are that the Senate is preparing for a vote in the upcoming weeks. What the final regulations will look like, however, remains unclear.
