The Securities and Exchange Commission issued a proposed order that, if adopted, would provide an exemption to certain "finders," persons who connect potential buyers and sellers of securities for a fee, from broker-dealer...more
Key Points -
- The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) recently released a Risk Alert warning investment advisers, broker-dealers, investment companies,...more
Key Points -
- Recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement actions against investment advisers and fund managers point to continued pressure points in the areas of conflicts of interest and disclosures to...more
Key Points
- SEC proposes significant changes to the Advisers Act “Advertising Rule” and “Cash Solicitation” Rule.
- The proposed definition of “Advertisements” expands the types of communications that are considered...more
12/16/2019
/ Advertising ,
Books & Records ,
Cash Solicitation Rule ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Form ADV ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
No-Action Letters ,
Private Funds ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Proposes New Amendments to Modernize Shareholder Proposal Rules -
On November 5, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted to propose amendments to Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange of 1934...more
11/11/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Governance ,
Derivatives ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Investment Adviser ,
No-Action Letters ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Rule 14a-8 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
UK Brexit
On August 21, a sharply divided Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued two interpretive releases addressing the proxy voting obligations of investment advisers and the obligations of proxy advisory firms....more
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Division of Corporation Finance Issues C&DIs Regarding Inline XBRL -
On August 20, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the staff) of the Securities and Exchange Commission released...more
8/26/2019
/ C&DIs ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Derivatives ,
Enforcement Actions ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
FDIC ,
Investment Adviser ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Regulation FD ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
XBRL Filing Requirements
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Adopts Additional Rules for Security-Based Swaps -
On June 21, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a panoply of final rules dealing with the following
aspects of the regulation of...more
7/1/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Cross-Border ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Instruments ,
Investment Adviser ,
MSBSPs ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Security-Based Swaps ,
Stand-Alone SBSDs ,
Swap Dealers ,
Swaps
BROKER-DEALER -
SEC Adopts Rules and Interpretations To Enhance Protections and Preserve Choice for Retail Investors -
On June 5, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted to adopt a package of rules and...more
6/10/2019
/ Best Interest Standard ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Derivatives ,
Economic Growth Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
ISDA ,
NASAA ,
New Rules ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On April 30, 2019, US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit decided an important case involving the disclosure obligations of investment advisers. The case decided that an adviser’s disclosure that it “may” have a conflict of...more
5/16/2019
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Form ADV ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Mutual Funds ,
Negligence ,
Revenue Sharing ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On September 26, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged a dually registered broker-dealer and investment adviser (the "Registrant") with deficient cybersecurity procedures. This is the first SEC action alleging...more
On April 18, concurrently with its publication for comment of a proposed set of enhanced investment adviser regulations, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published a separate proposal related to the conduct...more
On April 18, concurrently with its publication for comment of a proposed fiduciary rule for brokers,1 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) took several actions that broadly implicate investment advisers....more
On February 7, the US Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) published its examination priorities for 2018 (the "2018 Priorities Report"). Given that OCIE's...more
On November 29, the US Department of Labor (DOL) finalized its 18-month extension of the transition period under the Best Interest Contract Exemption (the "BIC Exemption"). As described in Katten's earlier advisory,...more
On August 9, the US Department of Labor (DOL) announced in a court filing that it has proposed an 18-month extension of the full implementation of the Best Interest Contract Exemption (the "BIC Exemption") under the ERISA...more
The DOL's "fiduciary advice rule" (the "Rule") will take effect on June 9, 2017. The DOL has published FAQs on the implementation of the Rule applicable to the period between June 9th and December 31st (the "Transition...more
This is an update on the upcoming effective date of the "fiduciary rule" or "fiduciary advice rule" (the "Rule") that was issued under the US Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The Rule was published by...more
On August 25, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to Form ADV and to certain rules promulgated under the Investment Adviser Act of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers Act"). These amendments will be...more
On November 16, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued an investment adviser, Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc., who had hired another adviser, F Squared Investments, Inc., to sub-advise certain mutual funds...more
On September 22, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a settled administrative proceeding[1] alleging that a registered investment adviser failed to adopt cybersecurity procedures in violation of an SEC...more
On August 25, 2015, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the US Department of the Treasury, released proposed rules that would extend anti-money laundering (AML) requirements to investment advisers...more