Compliance Week Acquires Raisch Financial Info. Services

Compliance Week recently announced that it has acquired Raisch Financial Information Services of Newton, Mass.

Raisch Financial is a data analytics and research firm that specializes in extracting and interpreting complicated financial information from regulatory filings. The acquisition provides Compliance Week subscribers with a growing array of governance and compliance data aimed at helping them comprehend and comply with the latest regulations.

“This is a logical move, as our subscribers have already demonstrated an insatiable appetite for data provided by Raisch Financial,” said Compliance Week editor and publisher Scott S. Cohen. The publication currently makes available numerous governance databases—from corporate charters and “material definitive agreements” to executive certifications and internal control report “scorecards”—that are provided by Raisch Financial.

“This acquisition will provide our subscribers with critical governance data, enabling them to benchmark their performance and better understand how their peers are addressing the new regulatory regime’s unique challenges,” added Cohen.

The acquisition also fuels the growth of Compliance Week’s parent company, Financial Media Holdings Group of Boston, Mass. The publishing company is rapidly expanding into new markets and adding products that widen its existing focus—including executive compensation and asset management compliance—and RFIS is expected to play a critical role in new product development.

Raisch

As part of the acquisition, RFIS founder Robert Raisch will join Compliance Week as chief technology officer. A 28-year veteran of the Internet, Raisch is an acclaimed pioneer and digital media expert who has provided services for numerous global publishers, including America Online, The New York Times Company, The Boston Globe, Microsoft, Ziff-Davis Interactive, and others. Raisch was the chief technical architect of O’Reilly & Associates’ Global Network Navigator, one of the first online publications (acquired by America Online), and was co-founder of The Electronic Newsstand, an online subscription service launched with The New Republic in July 1993.

“There are few people who understand interactive media like Rob Raisch,” added Cohen. “He has demonstrated technical proficiency and has anticipated market demand at RFIS, and we look forward to leveraging his expertise to the continued benefit of Compliance Week subscribers, and to fuel the growth of Financial Media Holdings Group.”

“We're very excited to become part of Compliance Week, and we see this as a perfect match,” said Raisch. “Compliance Week offers us market penetration that would have taken years to develop, and our data extraction and interpretation technology will not only satiate the demands of Compliance Week subscribers, but will open new markets for the company.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

If Compliance Week subscribers have questions about the acquisition, please do not hesitate to contact CW editor Scott Cohen via email at editor@complianceweek.com or toll free at (888) 519-9200.