Notices to Members

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Notice I-08-04

February 1, 2008

Annual Regulatory Reminder for Commodity Pool Operators

National Futures Association has always been committed to providing our Members with the resources they need to meet their regulatory obligations as efficiently as possible. During some of our recent audits, NFA Members have suggested that we provide them with an annual reminder regarding certain requirements that are not part of their day-to-day operations. Responding to this request, NFA is pleased to send you this email listing certain requirements you have for the upcoming year. This list does not capture all of your responsibilities, but it should help remind you of certain non-routine requirements.

Within the next 12 months you will be required to:

    1. Complete the Annual Registration Update and Questionnaire on NFA's Web site and pay your NFA dues on the anniversary date of your firm's registration. Failure to satisfy all the requirements in the annual update process within 30 days of your anniversary date will result in the withdrawal of your firm's NFA registration and/or Membership. Carefully check your registration record including address, contact information, and listed principals. Ensure any individual in a line of supervisory authority over Associated Persons ("APs") is also registered as an AP. For additional information on who has to register as an AP, see NFA's Notice to Members I-07-38 at http://www.nfa.futures.org/news/newsNotice.asp?ArticleID=1963.

    2. Complete NFA's Self-Examination Checklist located on NFA's Web site at http://www.nfa.futures.org/compliance/selfexam.asp [hyperlink updated 11-22-2021].

    3. Send your firm's Privacy Policy to every current participant (in addition to every new participant when the participant invests in a fund). For guidance in preparing your policy, please consult NFA's Privacy Policy questionnaire (Appendix D of the Self-Exam Checklist).

    4. Test your Disaster Recovery Plan and make any necessary adjustments. For guidance in preparing your plan, please consult NFA's Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan questionnaire (Appendix B of the Self-Exam Checklist) [hyperlink updated 11-22-2021].

    5. Provide Ethics Training as outlined in your firm's written Ethics Training Procedures. For guidance in developing your procedure, please consult NFA's Ethics Training Policy questionnaire (Appendix C of the Self-Exam Checklist).

    6. File any new exemption notices electronically through NFA's EasyFile system.

    7. If soliciting new pool participants, distribute a Disclosure Document that is no more than 9 months old and that has been reviewed by NFA.

    8. Submit to NFA through NFA's EasyFile system, and distribute to current participants, a certified Annual Report for each pool as of the close of the pool's fiscal year. CFTC Regulations require Commodity Pool Operators to follow strict deadlines and filing requirements, and failing to meet those deadlines may result in a disciplinary action against a CPO. To learn more about EasyFile, go to NFA's Web site and access the seminar at http://www.nfa.futures.org/member/indexArchive.asp.

    Since NFA acts as the CFTC's delegate when NFA receives and reviews Annual Reports, the reports are subject to requests under FOIA. CPOs may request confidential treatment of Annual Reports but must strictly follow the CFTC procedures contained in CFTC Regulation 145.9 for filing such requests. For information on how to request confidential treatment of Annual Reports filed with NFA, consult the information on NFA's Web site at http://www.nfa.futures.org/compliance/CPO_confidentialTreatmentRequests.asp [hyperlink updated 11-22-2021].

    When preparing pool Annual Reports, refer to the CFTC's annual letter for useful tips. This letter can be found at http://www.cftc.gov/IndustryOversight/Intermediaries/CPOs/guidancecporeports.html.

We recommend that you keep this email as a reference guide to ensure that all requirements are completed on time throughout the year. As always, if you need assistance with these or any other NFA requirements, please contact NFA's Information Center at (800) 621-3570.

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