Proposed “Volcker Rule” Regulations Provide Banks a Broad Exemption for Liquidity Management

Written by Michael Ouimette

On October 11, 2011, the Federal Financial Regulators published for public comment a jointly proposed regulation implementing the so-called “Volcker Rule” requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The Volcker Rule generally contains two prohibitions, both of which are subject to certain exemptions. First, it generally prohibits insured depository institutions, bank holding companies, and their subsidiaries or affiliates (“Banking Entities”) from engaging in short-term proprietary trading of any security, derivative, and certain other financial instruments for their own accounts. Second, it generally prohibits Banking Entities from owning, sponsoring, or having certain relationships with, a hedge fund or private equity fund.