On December 9, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) settled an enforcement action against ICE Data Pricing & Reference Data LLC (PRD), a global securities pricing service and registered investment adviser, for...more
Covering legal developments and regulatory news for funds, their advisers and industry participants through October of 2020. ...more
11/17/2020
/ Accredited Investors ,
Amended Regulation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Investment Management ,
OCIE ,
Proxy Voting ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholders
RULEMAKING AND GUIDANCE -
SEC Adopts Amendments to Exemptive Applications Procedures -
On July 6, 2020, the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission adopted rule amendments to establish an expedited review procedure...more
9/21/2020
/ Amended Rules ,
Compliance ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Ethics ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Companies ,
Investment Management ,
New Rules ,
OCIE ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On June 3, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued an Information Letter (Letter) concerning private equity investments within an asset allocation fund that is a designated investment alternative in an individual account...more
SEC Grants Additional COVID-19 Relief to Business Development Companies -
On April 8, the SEC issued an order granting relief to business development companies (BDCs) by permitting BDCs to issue and sell senior securities...more
6/17/2020
/ Business Development Companies ,
Closed-End Funds ,
Co-Investment Rights ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Form ADV ,
Form CRS ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
Investment Management ,
OCIE ,
Offerings ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Relief Measures ,
Risk Alert ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
WKSIs
On April 8, the SEC issued an order granting relief to business development companies (BDCs) by permitting BDCs to issue and sell senior securities and participate in certain joint enterprises or other joint arrangements that...more
The spread of COVID-19 and its impact on the global economy has presented a seemingly endless list of complications for enterprises across a number of industries. ...more
On March 25, the SEC issued orders under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (New ICA Order) and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (New Advisers Act Order) that extend the relief previously provided on March 13 in response...more
As a result of the current and potential effects of COVID-19, the SEC has relaxed certain requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and rules under the Acts....more
3/17/2020
/ Business Development Companies ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Filing Requirements ,
Form ADV ,
Form N-CEN ,
Form N-PORT ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
Prospectus ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Relief Measures ,
Required Forms ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Stock Repurchases
On January 7, the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) announced its 2020 national examination priorities. This is the eighth year that OCIE has published its fiscal year examination priorities. ...more
1/31/2020
/ Digital Assets ,
Examination Priorities ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
FinTech ,
Information Security ,
MSRB ,
OCIE ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Registered Investment Companies (RICs) ,
Retail Investors ,
Robo-Advisors ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
SEC Proposes to Update Accredited Investor Definition to Increase Access to Investments -
On December 18, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments to the definition of “accredited investor” in...more
1/27/2020
/ Derivatives ,
ETFs ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Markets ,
Form N-CEN ,
Form N-LIQUID ,
Form N-PORT ,
Global Code of Ethics ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
OCIE ,
Proposed Rules ,
Registered Investment Companies (RICs) ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Repurchase Agreements ,
Revenue Sharing ,
Risk Management ,
Rule 18f-4 ,
Rule 6c-11 ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Section 15(c) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Share Classes ,
Wealth Management
SEC Adopts ETF Rule -
On September 25, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unanimously adopted Rule 6c-11 under the 1940 Act to modernize the regulation of exchange-traded funds by establishing a clear and...more
10/23/2019
/ Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
ETFs ,
Exchange-Traded Products ,
Exemptive Relief ,
Form N-1A ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Mortgage Servicing Rules ,
No-Action Relief ,
OCIE ,
Popular ,
Prospectus ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Risk Alert ,
Rule 6c-11 ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Trading Platforms ,
Transparency
On September 25, the SEC unanimously adopted Rule 6c-11 under the 1940 Act to modernize the regulation of exchange-traded funds by establishing a clear and consistent framework for the vast majority of ETFs operating today....more
Covering legal developments and regulatory news for registered funds, their advisers and industry participants through June 30, 2019.
Auditor Independence With Respect to Certain Loans or Debtor-Creditor Relationships -
On...more
7/19/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Capital Formation ,
Common Reporting Standard (CRS) ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Duty of Care ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
ETFs ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Form CRS ,
Investment Management ,
Investor Protection ,
Public Comment ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Regulation S-X ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
On March 15, in Chamber of Commerce v. U.S. Department of Labor, No. 17-10238 (5th Cir. March 15, 2018), the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) fiduciary rule in a 2-1 decision. ...more
3/20/2018
/ Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retirement Plan ,
Vacated
LIBOR has been referred to as “the world’s most important number,” and $350 trillion in financial products pegged to LIBOR provide strong reason for believing that description to be true. LIBOR, the London Interbank Offered...more