Amid a challenging environment for exits, especially in the wake of the recent market volatility, private fund managers continue to pursue alternative strategies, such as term extensions and liquidity solutions, to ride out...more
With Paul Atkins as the new SEC Chair, the agency’s priorities have shifted away from many of the aggressive policies of former Chair Gensler. The first four months of the Republican controlled SEC saw a dramatic shift in the...more
6/18/2025
/ Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Fund Managers ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Management ,
Private Funds ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Retail Investors ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
Over the past year, regulatory scrutiny of the credit markets has intensified, with the SEC investigating the potential use of material nonpublic information (“MNPI”) relating to credit instruments. The SEC brought a number...more
In a significant enforcement action, the SEC sanctioned a private fund manager for failing to establish and maintain adequate policies and procedures to prevent the misuse of material nonpublic information (MNPI) while...more
9/9/2024
/ Collateralized Loan Obligations ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equity ,
Fraud ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
MNPI ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
On June 14, 2024, the SEC announced an enforcement action settlement with a Pennsylvania-based hedge fund manager for violating the Marketing Rule under the Investment Advisers Act. The SEC found that the adviser had misled...more
As we reach the midpoint of 2024, the SEC has maintained its rigorous enforcement stance on the private funds industry, proposing new rules and oversight tools to better identify and investigate market practices. As 2024...more
6/14/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Data Retention ,
Employee Training ,
Enforcement ,
Fraud ,
Fund Managers ,
Hedge Funds ,
Indemnification ,
Instant Messaging Apps ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
New Rules ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Private Funds ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
In a significant decision released Wednesday morning, a unanimous three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated what have come to be known as the Private Fund Adviser Rules, a set of rules and...more
The SEC’s recent settlement involving a “pay-to-play” rule violation by a private equity firm is a timely reminder for fund managers, especially with the November elections approaching.
As a refresher, Rule 206(4)-5 of...more
5/29/2024
/ Compliance ,
Employee Training ,
Enforcement ,
Exempt Reporting Advisers (ERAs) ,
Fund Managers ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Contributions ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Settlement
In its final Private Fund Adviser Rules adopted last year, the SEC dropped one of the more controversial proposed rules—the proposal to prohibit contractual exculpation or indemnification provisions that would shield or...more
4/16/2024
/ Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Indemnification ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Negligence ,
Private Funds ,
Releases ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
This Webinar aims to provide some practical advice regarding Generative AI (“Gen AI”) and the issues its presents for private fund managers related to securities law and compliance. To the presenters, this is an dynamic time...more
Recent enforcement actions highlight the increased regulatory scrutiny that private funds may face with respect to internal cybersecurity protocols and responses to cyber-crimes and cyber incidents under new and updated...more
5/23/2023
/ Coinbase ,
Compliance ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Privacy Laws ,
Private Funds ,
Robinhood Financial ,
Sanctions ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
As IPOs and other traditional paths to liquidity for private assets have become more challenging, GP-led secondary transactions have emerged as a powerful and popular tool across closed-end private funds, leading to explosive...more
The SEC’s Enforcement Division is conducting a sweep investigation of large investment advisers regarding their employees’ use of “off-channel” communications. The sweep, which has been widely reported in the press, focuses...more
4/25/2023
/ Asset Management ,
Breach of Duty ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Investigations ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Private Funds ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Implications of SEC attempt to curb indemnification for private fund managers -
The SEC spent 2022 making multiple and sweeping proposals to amend rules under the Advisers Act, many of which have the ability to...more
The SEC last month proposed rules under the Advisers Act indicating a dramatic shift in how the SEC intends to reduce conflicts of interest involving private fund managers and their investors. As we previously noted in the...more
5/3/2022
/ Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Clawbacks ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Fund Managers ,
Investment ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
Private Funds ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
Last month, the SEC proposed new rules under the Advisers Act that, if implemented, would be the most significant enhancement of disclosure obligations for private fund managers since the Dodd-Frank Act.Citing investor...more
2021 continued the trend of increased regulatory focus on privacy and cybersecurity for private investment funds in the U.S. and abroad. There are no signs of the trend leveling off any time soon. One of the topics that...more
Asset managers commonly engage regulatory compliance consultants to aid them in addressing regulatory requirements and implementing compliance programs. The work of those compliance professionals can be drawn into SEC...more
10/15/2020
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Asset Management ,
Compliance ,
Consultants ,
Form ADV ,
Good Faith ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Motions in Limine ,
Scienter ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations
We have seen the SEC increase its focus on valuation of privately-held portfolio companies recently. The SEC’s increased focus is in line with our prediction made in the Top Ten Regulatory and Litigation Risks for Private...more
9/1/2020
/ Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
GAAP ,
Internal Controls ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Portfolio Companies ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Transparency
As investors drive demand for investment products focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, fund managers have increasingly offered ESG-focused or “sustainable investing” funds. However, a recent speech...more
8/25/2020
/ Asset Management ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fund Managers ,
Internal Controls ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
OCIE ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Taxonomy
The SEC issued an order imposing sanctions against private equity adviser Rialto Capital Management, LLC (“Rialto”) for violations of the Advisors Act relating to expense allocation. The settlement addressed Rialto’s...more
8/14/2020
/ Allocation of Funds ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
LPAC ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Sanctions ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Third-Party ,
Transparency
In August 2020, the SEC issued two orders against VALIC Financial Advisors Inc. (VFA) related to VFA’s management of 403(b) and 457(b) plans. These matters arise out of two of the SEC’s enforcement initiatives, the Teachers...more
8/12/2020
/ 403(b) Plans ,
457(b) Plans ,
Asset Management ,
Breach of Duty ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Compliance ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Firms ,
Investment Funds ,
Retail Investors ,
Retirement Plan ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
In a cautionary tale about the career-limiting risks of SEC sanctions, a private fund adviser and its owner were found to have misused over $1 million of fund assets, resulting in a bar from the investment industry as well as...more
Last month the SEC brought an enforcement action illustrating how cross trades can trip up a manager of a private fund. The SEC’s settlement with investment manager Lone Star Value Management LLC was based on allegations...more
On January 13, 2020, the United States Supreme Court denied certiorari to an appeal of a June 2019 order from the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that dismissed an action seeking to invalidate certain...more
2/27/2020
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Compelling Governmental Interest ,
Denial of Certiorari ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
First Amendment ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
MSRB ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Contributions ,
Quid Pro Quo ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rule G-37 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Time-Barred Claims