West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – In testimony before the House Financial Services Subcommittee; “Perspectives on Hedge Fund Registration”, the Managed Funds Association (MFA) announced its support for the new push for mandatory registration of managers with the SEC.

"Though hedge funds were not the cause of the ongoing problems in our financial markets and our economy, MFA and our members share the commitment of policy makers to enact measures that will help restore stability to our markets, strengthen financial institutions and restore investor confidence." Richard H. Baker, MFA President and CEO, said, "We believe supporting mandatory registration for investment advisers is just one of the many important steps that can be taken towards these mutually shared goals."

Baker’s testimony stressed that while hedge funds are important to the capital markets and the financial system, the relatively small size and scope of the industry, with approximately $1.5 trillion in assets under management, did not pose significant systemic risk. He also stressed that hedge funds are substantially less leveraged than banks, have outperformed the overall market and have not sought any federal assistance.

“A registration framework that overwhelms the resources, technology and capabilities of regulators will not achieve the intended objective, and will greatly impair the ability of the regulator to fulfill their existing responsibilities, as well as their new responsibilities.