The CFTC reissued its order to the CME Group - hire more compliance staffers for the CME and CBT.  The order was originally issued one year ago, following a routine rule-enforcement review of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade.  Over the past year, there's been a tremendous increase in trading volume and products traded on those exchanges. Several reasons likely factors into the inaction - none of which are positive - according to former CFTC Commissioner Sharon Brown-Hruska.

• CFTC is now delving much further into the day-to-day workings of the exchanges than it has in the past - which might be resented at the CME.
• The relationship between the CFTC and the exchanges is not as collegial as it used to be.
• The CME Group has increased its market regulation staffing by 20% in the past 2 years, and it says it continually ensures that its HR and regulatory technology fully support its needs.

Back in 2008, the New York Mercantile Exchange and the Commodity Exchange both merged with CME, and each maintains independent exchange status, though both are policed by one central compliance department at the CME.  All told, the CME monitors the regulatory programs for 4 exchanges. The CFTC didn't say what would happen if CME doesn't add more compliance people.  [WSJ, 9/1/11]