Topic: Domestic Commerce — Securities & Commodities
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Date: 2011-10-31 00:00:00

Swap Jurisdiction Certainty Act - (Sec. 2) Amends the Commodity Exchange Act regarding extra-territorial swap transactions between: (1) a registered swap dealer who is either a U.S. person or a person whose parent company is a U.S. person; and (2) a person who is a U.S. or non-U.S. subsidiary, branch, or affiliate of such swap dealer, or any other non-U.S. person not registered as a swap dealer. Exempts swaps from regulation under the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act of 2010 (WSTAA) (title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act) as long as the swap dealer: (1) is either a U.S. person or a person whose parent company is a U.S. person, and (2) reports such swap to a swap data repository registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Subjects to WSTAA requirements any non-U.S. person that is a registered swaps dealer but only for swaps entered into with a U.S. person who is not a U.S. subsidiary, branch, or affiliate of that non-U.S. person. Requires the CFTC to permit non-U.S. persons that are registered swaps dealers to comply with WSTAA capital requirements by complying with comparable requirements established by the appropriate governmental authorities in their respective home countries, so long as those home countries are signatories to the Basel Accords. Subjects each registered swap dealer to any rules or regulations as the CFTC may prescribe or promulgate as are necessary or appropriate to prevent the evasion of any provision of the Commodity Exchange Act enacted by WSTAA. (Sec. 3) Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 regarding extra-territorial securities-based swap transactions between: (1) a registered securities-based swap dealer who is either a U.S. person or a person whose parent company is a U.S. person; and (2) a person who is a U.S. or non-U.S. subsidiary, branch, or affiliate of such securities-based swap dealer. Exempts security-based swaps from regulation under WSTAA as long as the securities-based swap dealer: (1) is either a U.S. person or a person whose parent company is a U.S. person, and (2) reports such security-based swap to a securities-based swap data repository registered with a security-based swap data repository registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Subjects to WSTAA requirements any non-U.S. person that is a registered security-based swaps dealer but only for security-based swaps entered into with a U.S. person who is not a U.S. subsidiary, branch, or affiliate of that non-U.S. person. Requires the SEC to permit non-U.S. persons that are registered security-based swaps dealers to comply with WSTAA capital requirements by complying with comparable requirements established by the appropriate governmental authorities in their respective home countries, so long as those home countries are signatories to the Basel Accords. Prohibits registered security-based swap dealers from conducting any activities designed to evade any provision of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 enacted by WSTAA. Declares that nothing in this section shall: (1) exempt a transaction from specified restrictions on member bank transactions with affiliates under the Federal Reserve Act or implementing regulations; or (2) affect the authorities of the prudential regulators over certain kinds of swap dealers, major swap participants, security-based swap dealers, or major security-based swap participants under the Commodity Excgange Act as such authorites are established in law other than under WSTAA