Several commissioners have spoken out over the CFTC’s no-action letters, claiming that many of them were instituted hastily, leaving little time to review or edit them.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has put in place almost 70 rules since the 2010 regulatory reform law was put into place. Of these rules, 36 were related to Dodd-Frank. However, within these 36 rules, over 200 no-action letters or other forms of guidance have had to be issued after the rules were instituted.

Some commissioners have defended the CFTC no-action letters, saying that their use was inevitable, as overhauling the operations of the $600 trillion dollar derivatives market is no small task. As former commissioner Micheal Dunn explained it to Risk.net, “You can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs.”

Most commissioners agree that some no-action letters will be necessary. However, it seems for many commissioners, the issue revolves around how the CFTC no-action letters were instituted.

Commissioners have pointed out that while some of the no-action letters are only temporary, quite a few of them are indefinite or permanent. Many of the commissioners only received notice of the letters the night before they were issued, which has them feeling as though their input had not been considered over what is essentially a complete change in policy.

CFTC chairman nominee Timothy Massad recognized the need for a more streamlined and organized rule making process while being questioned at a confirmation hearing by the Senate.

While former CFTC chairman Gary Gensler spent most of his time putting many of the Dodd-Frank rules into place, it seems Massad’s focus will fall on figuring out how to amend and enforce these rules.