Capital Briefs: Uniform Standards Governing Securities Enacted

President Clinton on Friday signed legislation replacing a patchwork of federal and state securities statutes with uniform standards.

The law "will enhance capital formation and the competitiveness of the American economy by ... significantly rationalizing and simplifying the way mutual funds and corporate securities are regulated," the President said in a statement issued Friday.

The new law benefits banks with mutual fund operations and securities brokerage affiliates. Under the law, mutual funds are subject only to federal registration requirements. In addition, states may not impose licensing, bookkeeping, capital, or other operational requirements that differ from Securities and Exchange Commission rules.

"This will lessen the paperwork burden caused by overlapping regulations at the state and federal level," said Sally Miller, general counsel of the American Bankers Association Securities Association.

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