Emphasizing the critical importance of cybersecurity to registered investment companies (RICs), including insurance separate accounts and business development companies, and to investment advisers, the SEC’s Division of...more
On February 3, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a Risk Alert prepared by its Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) that summarizes the results of a sweep of more than 100 broker-dealers...more
Confirming that auditor independence continues to be a regulatory priority, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) issued orders on December 8,...more
On December 1, 2014, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) Consolidated Supervision Rules will take effect. The Consolidated Supervision Rules, which were approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange...more
To ensure that broker-dealers (BDs) do not inadvertently facilitate an unlawful distribution of securities, the Securities and Exchange Commission has long required BDs to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” into the circumstances...more
On September 22, 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced the largest-ever whistleblower award, more than double last year’s record-breaking award. According to the Order, the award, which will likely...more
On July 22, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) proposed Rule 2081, which prevents firms or associated persons from conditioning settlement or...more
On June 16, 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) initiated and resolved its first case charging an employer with unlawfully retaliating against a securities whistleblower under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street...more
On June 3, 2014, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) issued a whistleblower award to two individuals who had provided information leading to a successful SEC enforcement action. The whistleblower...more
During a recent panel discussion at the Georgetown University Law Center’s 18th Annual Corporate Counsel Institute, the head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of the Whistleblower, Sean McKessy, warned...more
On January 31, 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Trading and Markets issued a No-Action Letter (Letter)1 that allows a private business broker (M&A Broker) to receive transaction-based...more
On January 28, 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) issued a Risk Alert entitled: Investment Adviser Due Diligence Processes for Selecting...more
On January 9, 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published its 2014 examination priorities (SEC Letter), just one week after the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) published its 2014...more
On January 9, 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published its 2014 examination priorities letter (“SEC Letter”) for its National Examination Program (NEP). The NEP covers all markets and entities...more
A recurring question under the federal whistleblower laws is whether plaintiffs suing their employers for retaliation have the right to a jury trial. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act1 appears...more
1/10/2014
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Consumer Protection Act ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Jury Trial ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Termination ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
In a recent order denying a whistleblower’s award claim,1 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission upheld the prospective application and discovery limitations of two of its rules implementing the Dodd-Frank Wall Street...more
In the dog days of August, it would be tempting to put aside challenges created by new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules. But we all know that would be a mistake. Instead, attention needs to be paid now to new...more
During an open meeting of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on July 10, 2013, the SEC adopted a rule that lifts the ban on general solicitation of unregistered securities offerings and paves the way for...more
In Murray v. UBS Securities, LLC, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York recently held that Dodd-Frank’s whistleblower protections can extend to employees who do not qualify as statutory “whistleblowers.”...more
Originally published in Corporate Compliance Insights, December 10, 2012.
On Aug. 22, 2012, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted rules that are likely to impact the operations of thousands of...more