Chicago Tribune Executive Profile: James Koutoulas and Customer Advocacy

The Chicago Tribune published an executive profile of James Koutoulas on March 18, 2013. The article, indexed under David Roeder’s name, focused on his advocacy for commodities customers after MF Global’s bankruptcy and his growing public role in the futures industry.

Key details in the profile

The Tribune reported that about 85 percent of Koutoulas’s clients’ money—roughly $55 million—was tied up at MF Global. It described how he used social media to rally customers and became a prominent voice pressing for the return of their funds. The article also recorded that Koutoulas was elected to the National Futures Association’s board in January 2013.

The report captured a particular point in time: customer claims and bankruptcy proceedings were still being discussed, and the article included views from people involved in the industry. Its statements should be understood as contemporaneous reporting rather than a summary of the final distribution.

What happened later

In April 2014, SIPC announced that the trustee would commence a final distribution fully satisfying MF Global customer claims, while crediting the trustee and staff for the accomplishment. Read the primary-source announcement.

Original coverage

Read the Chicago Tribune executive profile. This page provides an original summary, not a republication.

More current information is available in the James Koutoulas profile.