MF Global Customers to Propose Faster Distribution of Funds Than SIPC Trustee

Commodity Customer Coalition
190 South La Salle Street, Suite 3000
Chicago, IL 60603
www.commoditycustomercoalition.org
info@commoditycustomercoalition.org

November 16, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: John L. Roe (jroe@btrtrading.com) 312-933-6564

Commodity Customer Coalition to Object to SIPC Trustee’s Claims Process for MF Global Bankruptcy, Propose Faster Alternative Claims Process

In response to the SIPC Trustee’s expedited application for an order from the court to put both securities and commodities customers of MF Global through the same claims process, the Commodity Customer Coalition (“CCC”) is filing an emergency objection to that application and proposing a faster, more efficient claims process to immediately release a majority of customer funds. The CCC issued the following statement:

The Commodity Customer Coalition applauds the Trustee’s recent motion to release 60% of assets held in cash on October 31, 2011. However, that simply isn’t good enough. This only represents a very small portion of the total assets frozen in the bankruptcy. Additionally, the Trustee has proposed a snail mail approach to collecting claims.

He says they cannot use the books of MF Global to verify customer claims, but his process will only result in customers mailing him statements based on those books and it will do so over a period of months. Our proposal will streamline this process with a more commonsense approach, affirm the primacy of customer property over the claims of creditors and return funds to their rightful owners in a matter of days, not months.

The basis for the Trustee’s proposal is that he cannot give us an accurate accounting of the shortfall in customer funds. But MF Global’s estate has $1.2 billion in excess equity and the CME has thrown him a life line of $250 million if he sends home too much money. MF Global claimed under oath that only $600 million in funds is missing. So the shortfall in funds is irrelevant; the Trustee has 250% over the shortfall.

That money is supposedly accounted for on a daily basis to the NFA, CFTC and MF’s DSRO, which was the CME. The Trustee has had over two weeks to sort through this and get clients their money. It’s time to truly expedite this process and make customers whole.

Mr. James Koutoulas, Esq. will appear in person tomorrow to argue the CCC motion before the court. He will make himself available to the press immediately following the hearing on the steps of the courthouse.


The Commodity Customer Coalition now represents over 7,000 former MF Global customers whose funds have been frozen by the SIPC Trustee. For more information, or to schedule interviews, please contact John L. Roe
(jroe@btrtrading.com, 312-933-6564).