Gary Gensler Nominated to be the New SEC Chairman

On January 18^th, a few days before Biden was sworn in as President, he announced his nomination for the new Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) chairman.  President Joseph Biden named Gary Gensler as his pick for SEC chairman[1].  While Gensler still needs to be confirmed by the senate[2], it is expected that he will be approved. Gensler’s confirmation will create a 3-2 democratic majority in the SEC commission.

Gary Gensler has an extensive resume within the financial industry.  He is a former Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) chairman, and is known for supporting intensive regulation. During his tenure at the CFTC, he introduced new rules concerning derivative markets, and implemented the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010.  Gensler has also worked inside the industry he regulated, as an executive at Goldman Sachs from 1979 to the late 1990s[3]. Gensler has served as Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Markets[4]. Currently, he is a professor of Global Economics and Management at MIT Sloan School of Management[5].

Gary Gensler is recognized as an aggressive regulator. He is known to be direct about his policy decisions and not straying away from controversy[6]. Gensler’s transparent conduct can be beneficial for the SEC, and also beneficial to those who fall under SEC regulation. Transparency in decision making can make it easier to predict what new polices could be passed, but more importantly, how those polices will affect the securities industry. This is primarily because Gensler is unambiguous about what he wants to accomplish. Gensler is consistent. While Gensler is transparent about his policy decisions, he advocates for that same transparency within securities markets. Possible changes include an increase in ESG disclosures[7], possible new rules to “swaps” (similar to his actions as CFTC Chairman), and increased whistleblower protections[8].

Gensler may impact the cryptocurrency industry. Gensler is a supporter of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, however, he has also indicated the possibility of some cryptocurrencies falling under the scope of securities definitions (such as XRP)[9]. Overall, we can expect Gensler and the SEC to become more hands-on when it comes to regulation. 

At Cosgrove Law Group, we will be keeping a close eye on potential new regulation by the SEC. If you have any questions regarding securities regulations and rules, please feel free to give us a call at 314-563-2490.

Please follow us on Twitter @CosLawGroup, on LinkedIn at Cosgrove Law Group, LLC, and on Facebook at Cosgrove Law Group, LLC. 

 

[1] Politi, J. (2021, January 18). Biden names Gensler as SEC head in push towards more scrutiny. Retrieved January 21, 2021, from https://www.ft.com/content/a1ddd082-a253-4148-975a-1ec85b5e94d0

[2] Dizikes, P. (2021, January 19). MIT Sloan's Gary Gensler to be nominated for chair of Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved January 21, 2021, from https://news.mit.edu/2021/gary-gensler-nominated-chair-sec-0119

[3] Gary Gensler. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21, 2021, from https://ballotpedia.org/Gary_Gensler

[4] Sprunt, B. (2021, January 18). Biden Taps Veteran Financial Regulators To Lead SEC, CFPB. Retrieved January 21, 2021, from https://www.npr.org/sections/biden-transition-updates/2021/01/18/958023670/biden-taps-veteran-financial-regulators-to-lead-sec-cfpb

[5] Lundy, J. G., MacPhail, M. R., & Porteous, D. W. (2021, January 19). President Biden Announces Gary Gensler as SEC Chair Nominee. Retrieved January 21, 2021, from https://www.natlawreview.com/article/president-biden-announces-gary-gensler-sec-chair-nominee

[6] Nicodemus, A. (2021, January 19). 'A very strong and vocal regulator': Biden taps Gary Gensler to lead SEC. Retrieved January 21, 2021, from https://www.complianceweek.com/regulatory-policy/a-very-strong-and-vocal-regulator-biden-taps-gary-gensler-to-lead-sec/29931.article

[7] Glazer, E. (2021, January 18). Companies Brace Themselves for New ESG Regulations Under Biden. Retrieved January 21, 2021, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-brace-themselves-for-new-esg-regulations-under-biden-11610719200

[8] Schweller, G. (2021, January 18). Biden Picks Gary Gensler to Chair SEC. Retrieved January 21, 2021, from https://whistleblowersblog.org/2021/01/articles/whistleblower-news/biden-picks-gary-gensler-to-chair-sec/

[9] Basar, S. (2021, January 21). Crypto Industry Eyes Gary Gensler at SEC. Retrieved January 21, 2021, from https://www.tradersmagazine.com/am/crypto-industry-eyes-gary-gensler-at-sec/

 

What Chairman Jay Clayton’s Resignation Could Mean for Future of Financial Regulation

On November 16^th, 2020 Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Chairman, Jay Clayton announced he will be stepping down from his position at the end of 2020[1]. The Chairman’s announcement comes as no surprise, mainly due to Joe Biden’s presidential victory. SEC chairs typically step down when there is a new president elect[2]. (Former Chair Mary Jo White stepped down in 2016 after current President Donald Trump’s election[3] and former Chair Mary Schapiro resigned in 2012 after former President Barack Obama’s election.[4]) President-Elect Joe Biden is likely to nominate a new chairman before his inauguration on January 20^th, 2021.

SEC Commissioner, Allison Lee is positioned to become the acting Chair until President Biden appoints a replacement for Jay Clayton[5]. Possible appointments include former SEC commissioner Kara Stein, Former commissioner Rob Jackson, Preet Bharara, a former United States attorney for the Sothern District of New York, Maxine Waters head of the House Financial Services Committee and, Gary Gensler who is currently leading the financial policy transition team for the future Biden administration[6].  

An appointment of a democratic chair will create a democratic majority within the commission. Historically, democratic members of the SEC rely heavier on enforcement than their republican counterparts. Gary Gensler, for example, aggressively implemented regulations such as the Dodd-Frank Act during his tenure as chairman of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”)[7]. The appointment of a democratic chair within the SEC will result in increased enforcement and investigations.

The main question lies in where the priorities of enforcement will be.  Over the previous 3-years, the SEC commission focused more on deregulation and lowering business costs[8].  A democratic commission will possibly shift focus onto increased regulation, specifically on private markets. Additionally, environmental, social, and corporate governance (“ESG”) disclosures are likely to become a larger part of SEC enforcement in a democratic commission, particularly regarding environmental disclosures. Democratic Commissioner Allison Herren-Lee has advocated for standardized reporting for public companies regarding their climate risk[9] efforts which could lead to another amendment to Regulation S-K. Regulation Best Interest and Shareholder Proxy Voting are both expected to come under review with a democratic commission[10]. While these are just theories about what could potentially happen, it is still not for certain. When a new chair is nominated and confirmed, we will have a better idea of what to expect from the SEC. Here at Cosgrove Law Group, LLC we will keep an eye on future changes within the SEC and CFTC.

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[1] Sorkin, A., Karaian, J., Merced, M., Hirsch, L., & Livni, E. (2020, November 16). Trump's S.E.C. Chairman Is Stepping Down. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/business/dealbook/clayton-sec-stepping-down.html 

[2] Cox, J. (2020, November 16). Jay Clayton says he will step down early as head of the SEC at the end of 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/16/jay-clayton-says-he-will-step-down-early-as-head-of-the-sec-at-the-end-of-2020.html 

[3] Merle, R. (2019, March 28). SEC chair to step down, clearing path for Trump to eliminate tough Wall Street regulations. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2016/11/14/sec-chair-to-step-down-clearing-path-for-trump-to-eliminate-tough-wall-street-regulations/ 

[4] Press Release. (2012, November 26). Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2012-2012-240htm 

5 Schroeder, P., Price, M., & Johnson, K. (2020, November 27). Factbox: The top contenders to run Biden's financial agencies. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-wallstreet-regulators-factb/factbox-the-top-contenders-to-run-bidens-financial-agencies-idUSKBN28716L 

[6] Schroeder, P., Price, M., & Johnson, K. (2020, November 27). Factbox: The top contenders to run Biden's financial agencies. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-wallstreet-regulators-factb/factbox-the-top-contenders-to-run-bidens-financial-agencies-idUSKBN28716L

 [7] Miedema, D. (2014, January 03). Swaps regulator Gensler: Banker turned Wall Street scourge. Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-financial-regulation-gensler/swaps-regulator-gensler-banker-turned-wall-street-scourge-idUSBREA020OC20140103 

[8] Zanki, T. (2020, October 20). 4 Ways A Biden Election Could Swing SEC Priorities. Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.law360.com/articles/1319347 

[9] Pisani, B. (2020, November 12). What a Democrat-controlled SEC might look like and what it would mean for markets. Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/11/what-a-democrat-controlled-sec-might-look-like-and-what-it-would-mean-for-markets.html 

[10] Rasmussen, P., & Tehrani, P. (2020, November 7). ANALYSIS: Four Spots Biden Is Likely to Reverse SEC Deregulation. Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bloomberg-law-analysis/analysis-four-spots-biden-is-likely-to-reverse-sec-deregulation

 AUTHOR: Julianna M. Ness

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