On February 21, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) published interpretive guidance on public company cybersecurity disclosures. While the new guidance confirms the SEC’s intensified focus on cybersecurity...more
In early 2018 both the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE”) and FINRA announced their examination priorities for 2018.
As in previous years, both OCIE and FINRA share many examination priorities...more
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY –
Following testimony February 6th before the U.S. Senate, as well as a series of recent enforcement actions, it is clear that both the SEC and CFTC are picking up steam in their efforts to command a...more
Attorney-Client Privilege and Corporate E-Mail: Navigating the Morass of Personal Communications in Investigations -
Internal investigations are an important process for identifying potential wrongdoing by agents of a...more
SEC Chairman Jay Clayton has issued a broad warning to companies and individuals trying to “cash in” on the market frenzy surrounding Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. His prepared remarks at the Securities Regulation...more
In the week since the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Kokesh v. SEC, which rejected the Securities and Exchange Commission’s longstanding position that disgorgement was an equitable remedy not subject to the five-year...more
6/14/2017
/ Disgorgement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Management ,
Kokesh v SEC ,
Misappropriation ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Statute of Limitations ,
White Collar Crimes
Experienced practitioners know that the purpose of the attorney-client privilege is to protect the confidentiality of client communications. Thus, as company policies that allow monitoring of emails or provide third party...more
In early January, both the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE”) and FINRA announced their examination priorities for 2017. As in previous years, both the SEC and FINRA share many examination...more
On December 6, 2016, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Salman v. United States, holding that a tipper’s gift of confidential, inside information to a trading relative constituted a sufficient personal benefit...more
12/7/2016
/ Confidential Information ,
Dirks v SEC ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Markets ,
Illegal Tipping ,
Insider Trading ,
Non-Public Information ,
Personal Benefit ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Violations ,
Tippees ,
Tippers ,
US v Newman ,
US v Salman
House Financial Services Committee Votes To Repeal And Replace Dodd-Frank -
On September 13th, the House Financial Services Committee approved the Financial CHOICE Act of 2016 to repeal and replace key parts of the 2010...more
10/5/2016
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Real Estate Market ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cyber Threats ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
FSOC ,
OCC ,
Private Equity ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblowers
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced two settled enforcement actions against private equity fund advisers last week involving certain fee practices and potential conflicts of interest. Consistent with its...more
9/1/2016
/ Administrative Proceedings ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Excessive Fees ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Registration Requirement ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Settlement ,
Transparency
On June 23, 2016, the SEC instituted a settled enforcement action against Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. and Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp. (collectively, “Merrill”), in which Merrill agreed to pay $415...more