(Bloomberg) — The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is poised to name a former executive of Wall Streets self-regulator as its top overseer of exchanges, brokerages and clearing firms, according to three people familiar with the matter.
SEC Chairman Mary Jo White has selected Stephen Luparello as the new director of the Trading and Markets Division, said the people, who asked to not be named because the decision hasnt been announced. Luparello, now a partner in the Washington office of law firm WilmerHale, previously served as vice chairman of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, where he worked for more than 16 years.
Luparello would be responsible for developing Whites plans for reviewing regulation of stock exchanges and competitors such as dark pools, as well as drafting new regulations to control risks posed by automated trading systems. Hed also take over responsibility for finishing derivatives rules mandated by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act for the portion of that market overseen by the SEC.
Hes very experienced and very knowledgeable in the area of market structure, said Christopher Nagy, president of KOR Trading LLC, a lobbying and consulting firm. He essentially did this role withinFinra, so it makes perfect sense because hes really going to be able to hit the ground running.
Lengthy Search
It has taken White 10 months to fill the trading and markets post, one of the agencys senior staff positions. She set out to hire someone with experience working for an exchange or broker-dealer, according to a fourth person with knowledge of the process. Candidates including Christopher R. Concannon of Virtu Financial LLC, a high-frequency trading firm and market maker on IntercontinentalExchange Group Inc.s New York Stock Exchange, declined to pursue the job.
Luparello, 55, didnt immediately respond to messages seeking comment. SEC spokesman John Nester declined to comment.
While working atFinra, Luparello oversaw all of its examination, enforcement and market regulation programs. He became Finras head of market oversight in 1999 when he was hired by by Mary Schapiro, who later became SEC chairman.Finrawas known then as NASD Regulation and oversaw trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
Finratends to collaborate much more with broker-dealers than the SEC does, and through that hes gained a very significant understanding of the market, Nagy said in a phone interview.
Oversight Expansion
Finrafurther consolidated its oversight of U.S. equity markets when Luparello was its vice chairman, adding surveillance of NYSE Euronexts U.S. exchanges in 2010. The organization also expanded its Order Audit Trail System, which maintains a life history of orders, quotes and trades, while Luparello was there.
Finras OATS is considered to be a model for the Consolidated Audit Trail approved by the SEC to reconstruct market events such as the May 2010 flash crash, which briefly erased $862 billion from U.S. share values.
The SEC announced several other hires yesterday, including a new Investor Advocate, a position required under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Law. The agency said it selected Rick A. Fleming, deputy general counsel of the North American Securities Administrators Association, for the role.
Paul A. Leder will serve as director of the SECs Office of International Affairs and David Frederickson will become chief counsel of the Corporation Finance Division, the SEC said in news releases.
