On March 3, 2021, the SEC’s Division of Examinations[1] announced its examination priorities for 2021. Noting the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Division of Examinations reported that during the agency’s 2020...more
3/18/2021
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Compliance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Investment Adviser ,
OCIE ,
Private Funds ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Registered Investment Companies (RICs) ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
As President Biden continues to assemble his economic team, reports have emerged that President Biden will nominate Gary Gensler as the next Chair of the SEC. The nomination of Mr. Gensler would clearly signal a more...more
On Monday the SEC announced its enforcement results for FY 2020, accompanied by a report from the Director of its Division of Enforcement. This report confirms what we have seen over the past year for private fund managers:...more
On October 7th, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the rescheduled date of its 2020 national compliance outreach seminar for investment companies and investment advisers. This program is intended to...more
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
With more people working remotely than ever before in light of COVID-19, firms in the private equity and hedge fund space should review their Regulation S-P privacy and information-safeguarding policies to ensure they are...more
6/30/2020
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
OCIE ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Regulation P ,
Regulation S-P ,
Risk Alert ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The private fund industry is more in the public eye than ever before. Private capital and private markets have experienced massive growth over the last two decades, substantially outpacing the growth of public equity. We have...more
2/19/2020
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Capital Markets ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Global Economy ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Banks ,
OCIE ,
Private Equity ,
Private Funds ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Venture Capital
Last week, the SEC's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations released its 2020 Exam Priorities with a number of areas of interest to private fund managers. OCIE reported that it examined 15% of registered investment...more
1/15/2020
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Investment Adviser ,
OCIE ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Standard of Conduct
An increasingly sophisticated and active OCIE division, innovative market disruptors, a maturing credit cycle, and a philosophical change in how the private fund industry views and utilizes litigation are likely to lead to...more
2/21/2019
/ Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fund Managers ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Litigation Funding ,
OCIE ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Token Sales
Last week, former CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler explained in remarks at M.I.T. that he believes the second and third most widely used virtual currencies—Ether and Ripple—may have been issued and traded in violation of securities...more
5/1/2018
/ CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fund Managers ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Investment Adviser ,
OCIE ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Token Sales ,
Unregistered Securities
On April 12, 2018, the SEC's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations ("OCIE") issued a risk alert listing the most common compliance issues concerning fees and expenses charged by SEC-registered investment advisers....more
4/19/2018
/ Advisors Act ,
Billing ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Fee Agreements ,
Fees ,
Form ADV ,
Investment Adviser ,
Marketing ,
OCIE ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Rebates ,
Risk Alert ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Last week the staff of the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) of the SEC announced its 2018 examination priorities. The 2018 examination priorities include five thematic areas: (i) compliance and risks...more
On October 4, 2017, U.S. Representative Sean P. Duffy [R-WI-7] introduced U.S. House of Representatives Bill H.R.3948 entitled the “Protection of Source Code Act.”
If enacted, the Bill would amend the Securities Act, the...more
At the recent SEC Speaks program, sponsored by PLI, senior SEC staff members provided valuable insight into the SEC’s 2017 priorities for private funds. While the tenor of this year’s discussion seemed to focus more on...more
3/13/2017
/ Asset Management ,
Auditors ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Fee Disclosure ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment Adviser ,
OCIE ,
Private Funds ,
Public Pension ,
Retail Investors ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Valuation
Private investment funds and advisers are likely to face new regulatory challenges and increased litigation risks in 2017, not only because of a change in the administration, but also because many advisers have not corrected...more
2/10/2017
/ Acquisition Agreements ,
Advertising ,
Business Development ,
Business Litigation ,
Capital Raising ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Markets ,
Hedge Funds ,
Industry Examinations ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Internal Controls ,
Investment ,
Marketing ,
Merger Agreements ,
OCIE ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Portfolio Companies ,
Private Equity ,
Private Funds ,
Public Offerings ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Restructuring ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Snapchat ,
Unicorns ,
Valuation ,
Venture Capital ,
Whistleblowers
On October 24, 2016, OCIE published a risk alert noting that the SEC exam staff intends to examine registrants' compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act's whistleblower provisions. The alert noted recent enforcement actions...more
11/1/2016
/ Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Ethics ,
Financial Institutions ,
OCIE ,
Pre-Employment Agreements ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Rule 21F ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Severance Agreements ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
On October 17, 2016, Marc Wyatt, the Director of the SEC’s Office of Compliance, Inspection and Examinations, gave a keynote address to the National Society of Compliance Professionals titled: Inside the National Exam Program...more