A CFTC Commissioner said that activity leading up to the bankruptcy of brokerage firm MF Global appears to be "either nefarious or illegal." Bart Chilton, a Democratic commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, made the statements on CNBC.  He further added that, in his personal view, the activity "looks suspicious as heck."  He could not comment specifically on the agency's investigation.

[C-I Note:  Keep in mind that comments or statements made by a CFTC Commissioner, as was made by Mr. Chilton - who's got a reputation for being outspoken - do not necessarily reflect the position of the Agency nor others at the Agency.  The same representation goes for persons working for the SEC.]

When asked about whether customers will get their money back, Chilton said: "It depends on what is there," and added that, "We're closer than when we first went in there."  He also noted that, "The money is not where it should be." An MF Global representative was not immediately available for comment and it should be noted that neither MF Global nor former CEO Jon Corzine have been charged with any wrongdoing. MF Global filed for bankruptcy protection on 10/31/11 after concerns over risky bets on European sovereign debt sped its collapse.  The CFTC and other regulators are still searching for roughly $600 million in customer account funds.  [Reuters 11/15/11]