SEC Proposes Amendments to Exchange Act Rule 15c2-11

The Securities and Exchange Commission today proposed amendments to Exchange Act Rule 15c2-11, which sets out certain information gathering and review requirements for broker-dealers that publish quotations for, or maintain a continuous quoted market in, securities in the over-the-counter (OTC) market. Since its adoption, Rule 15c2-11’s focus has been on preventing certain manipulative and fraudulent trading schemes in the OTC equity markets. The proposed amendments would amend Rule 15c2-11 to refer to only equity securities. “Regulations should be appropriately tailored to fit the asset class to which they apply,” said SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins. “This proposal would clarify regulatory obligations when publishing quotations and affirm what was always understood: Rule 15c2-11 applies to equity securities.” The proposing release is published on SEC.gov and will be published in the Federal Register.