Cornerstone Research Experts in Focus: Andrea Eisfeldt
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – Regulators step up pressure to implement LIBOR transition plans
Podcast: CFTC Issues LIBOR Transition Relief for Swaps
Podcast: Credit Funds: Replacing LIBOR – Steps To Consider Taking Now
Wayward Financial Institutions Facing Increasingly Stricter Punishment
Weekly Brief: New DOJ Tact Pushes Bank Subsidiaries To Admit Guilt
Weekly Brief: Will RBS Plead Guilty In LIBOR Scandal?
Corporate Law Report: U.S. Manufacturing, Social Media, Online Endorsements, Hart Scott Rodino, More
Weekly Brief: Lawyers Advised To Accept New Reality
Jonathan Armstrong on Global Regulatory Cooperation
The Great Index Reformation is coming. (I note in passing that the last Reformation led to the 100 Years War…just saying.) This is a massive change to our market that did not bubble up from the great unwashed on the...more
The credit derivatives determinations process has, for some time, been clouded in relative mystery. As credit default swap (CDS) strategies have grown more complex and gray-area issues have become more commonplace, advocacy...more
More than a year ago the world fell victim to a global pandemic that would change life in ways that could never have been predicted. In the early stages of the pandemic, we published a White Paper directed at financial...more
The end of March has welcomed Spring, and this year it marks a new era for the financial markets, particularly for loans and financial products which would usually use Sterling LIBOR as the benchmark for calculation of...more
New legislation would ease benchmark transition for tough-to-amend contracts governed by NY law - New York State Senator Kevin Thomas has introduced a bill that would provide a legislative fix for contracts that lack...more
The International Swaps and Derivatives Association Inc. (ISDA) has published its long-awaited 2020 IBOR Fallbacks Protocol (the Protocol) and related Amendments to the 2006 ISDA Definitions (the Amendments). These documents,...more
On August 31, 2020, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC or Commission) announced relief for swap dealers (SD) and other market participants related to the industry-wide transition from swaps that reference the...more
On May 27, 2020, the US Alternative Reference Rates Committee (ARRC) published updated best practices guidance, including a summary factsheet, complete best practices guidance and a graphical timeline. ...more
On May 27, 2020, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”) published recommended best practices for preparing for the end of USD LIBOR (the “Best Practices”). The Best Practices aim to provide appropriate target...more
On April 8, 2020, the Alternative Reference Rate Committee (“ARRC”) agreed to align itself with the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (“ISDA”), in recommending to the market a “spread adjustment”...more
1. What is LIBOR and why is it going away? The London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” is a reference rate commonly used in a broad range of financial contracts. In fact, it serves as a reference rate for tens of...more
The EU Working Group on Risk-Free Rates has published a report setting out recommendations for the transition of financial products from EONIA to the Euro Short-Term Rate (€STR). The recommendations aim to ensure liquidity in...more
Recent updates from the Bank of England, the New York Federal Reserve, and the International Swaps and Derivatives Association and Bloomberg in connection with publication of IBOR fallback rate adjustments should be welcomed...more
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has issued three no-action letters providing relief for swap transactions (and amendments to swap transactions) in connection with the expected market transition from using the...more
The ARRC Consultation on Spread Adjustment Methodologies for Fallbacks in Cash Products Referencing USD LIBOR is finally here. How the spread adjustment from LIBOR to a SOFR index will be calculated is one of the more...more
While not unlimited, the relief is welcome for counterparties seeking to transition to risk-free rates for legacy swaps. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has issued no-action relief to help market...more
Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton gave opening remarks in connection with the Investor Advisory Committee meeting. The Committee’s meeting agenda includes a discussion of whether and how investors use...more
The collective staffs of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Divisions of Corporation Finance, Investment Management, and Trading and Markets and the Office of the Chief Accountant issued a joint statement on the...more
Tax relief may be coming for issuers and holders of debt instruments and parties to derivatives and other financial contracts governed by LIBOR (the London Interbank Offered Rate). ...more
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell gave a speech on Tuesday, October 8, that touched upon recent events in the repo market. We discuss below certain aspects of this speech in the context of the market discussion regarding...more
The staffs of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance, Division of Investment Management (IM Division), Division of Trading and Markets, and Office of Chief Accountant (collectively, Staff) on...more
With over $370 trillion of global financial contracts referencing LIBOR (London Inter-bank Offered Rate), many oil and gas companies are curious about how the phase-out of LIBOR by 2021 could impact their organization. Many...more
As a continuation of our previous update on the phase-out of the London Interbank Overnight Rate (“LIBOR”) (April 30, 2019: What the LIBOR Phase-out Means for Debt Capital Market Participants), the Securities and Exchange...more
Earlier this month, staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published guidance that encourages market participants to move away from LIBOR (the Staff Statement). The interest benchmark rate is expected to...more
On July 12, 2019, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) joined the call to prepare for the transition away from LIBOR. The staff of several Divisions of the SEC (the Divisions of Corporation Finance (DCF),...more