Protect the CFPB: Fact Sheet
AFR submitted a comment on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed rule for Swaps Execution Facilities (SEFs). The Dodd-Frank Act gives the SEC authority over the trading of security-based swaps, such as the credit
default swaps that brought down AIG and helped trigger the financial crisis. The AFR comment criticized the proposal for not following the expressed intent of Congress that cleared security-based swaps be traded on open exchanges with transparent and competitive pricing. The current SEC rule would permit the continuation of swaps trading in opaque bilateral transactions. This type of trading helps big swaps dealers but is harmful to derivatives users and could increase systemic instability.