Those who follow developments in derivatives clearing know that the regulation of this area has frequently been a source of conflict among international regulators (see When Regulators Collide).  This past week, in the Financial Times article CFTC chair complains to European Commission over regulation jibe [subscription required], Philip Stafford and Jim Brunsden report that an EU official’s comments during a recent conference, which included the phrase “you fell for it,” in reference to a March agreement between the EU and the US, spurred CFTC Chairman Christopher Giancarlo to write EU Commissioner in charge of Financial Stability, Valdis Dombrovskies, to ask for a clarification of the comments.   For me, the article did double-duty: it updated me about happenings in one of my research areas and it reminded me of the importance of our words.