All articles by Jeff Dale
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News Brief
FRC fines PwC, auditor combined $4.1M over 2019 work of Wyelands Bank
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council issued penalties against PwC and a former auditor over deficiencies on work related to the 2019 financial statements of now shuttered Wyelands Bank.
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News Brief
FRC launches probe into MacIntyre Hudson’s 2022 audit of collapsed LSG
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council has launched an investigation into MacIntyre Hudson’s audit of collapsed construction company ISG Limited, which abruptly entered administration in September, laying off 2,200 workers.
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News Brief
PCAOB fines KPMG units $3.4M, PwC Singapore $1.5M for audit, independence violations
Nine affiliates of KPMG agreed to pay a total of nearly $3.4 million for alleged violations of audit and quality control standards, while PwC Singapore will pay $1.5 million to settle separate allegation that the firm manipulated independence compliance reporting.
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News Brief
Dismissal of CFPB’s Zelle case marks shift to ‘collective effort’ in consumer protection
The Trump administration isn’t slowing down its efforts to defang the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, with lawsuits dropped against a handful of big banks and financial services firms, most notably a case previously accusing payments app Zelle of failing to secure its network.
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News Brief
Treasury announces plan to narrow CTA's scope; FinCEN says no fines, penalties for failure to report BOI
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network notified businesses that fail to report or update their beneficial ownership information before the agency’s March 21 deadline will not face fines or penalties. The agency further said it would not enforce the Corporate Transparency Act against U.S. citizens and domestic businesses.
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News Brief
FinCEN announces FATF watchlist update: Laos, Nepal added, Philippines removed
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced two countries have been added to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) watchlist, while another has been removed.
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News Brief
PCAOB fines PwC Israel $2.75M amid ongoing sweep for internal training exam cheating
The Israeli affiliate of Big Four audit firm PwC agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle allegations it failed to prevent widespread cheating on training examinations despite internal warnings to staff about an ongoing crackdown.
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News Brief
Crypto exchange OKX latest target of DOJ, hit with $505M penalty over AML, KYC failures
One of world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges agreed to pay more than $500 million in penalties and plead guilty to AML and KYC violations, along with failing to register as a money transmitting business with the U.S. Treasury Department, the DOJ said.
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News Brief
CFTC takes acting off enforcement director’s title
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced the appointment of Brian Young as director of the agency’s Division of Enforcement.
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Opinion
Five reasons why I’m excited about CW’s Cyber Risk & Data Privacy Summit
Having worked for Compliance Week for three years, I’ve found it remarkable how compliance professionals can be so consistently upbeat about their plight. An often refrain in compliance circles is “be comfortable with being uncomfortable.” As difficult as the job can be, that clearly doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.
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News Brief
FRC discloses probe of KPMG over 2022 audit of gambling company Entain
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council disclosed an investigation into KPMG’s audit of international sports betting and gambling company Entain Group.
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News Brief
SEC fines cannabis hedge fund $150K for bogus AML policies, ties to Russian oligarch Abramovich
Cannabis hedge fund Navy Capital Green Management agreed to pay $150,000 to settle charges levied by the Securirties and Exchange Commission that the firm misled investors about its AML/CFT policies and allowed a sanctioned Russian oligarch to invest.
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News Brief
SEC slams WWE founder Vince McMahon for misstatements caused by hush money payments
Vince McMahon, the founder and former CEO of WWE, was fined $400,000 and ordered to reimburse the wrestling giant more than $1.3 million to settle charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission that he failed to disclose hush money payments he made on behalf of himself and the company.
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News Brief
Portuguese bank ousts chief risk officer after ‘suspicious’ transactions uncovered
Portuguese bank Novo Banco, S.A., fired Chief Risk Officer Carlos Jorge Ferreira Brandão “with just cause” after an internal probe discovered “suspicious financial transactions” in his sphere.
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News Brief
FINRA ends year with string of fines against Jefferies, UBS, Citi, Barclays
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority issued fines against four large banks to end 2024, all for different alleged misconduct, but all related to the firms’ failures to implement a supervisory system reasonably designed to achieve compliance with FINRA rules.
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Opinion
Ericsson's 'integrity journey' post-FCPA settlement top compliance triumph of 2024
It’s been a long “integrity journey” for Ericsson, according to the company’s Head of Compliance Global Affairs Alison Howell. Since settling with the DOJ over FCPA violations in 2019, the company has gone through a "business critical transformation," resulting in the end of its compliance monitorship.
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Opinion
Five more compliance triumphs of 2024
Whether you’re a multinational telecommunications company looking to certify your anti-corruption program post-settlement, or a biochemical company victimized by a “rogue” employee, seeing the light at the end of the enforcement tunnel isn’t always easy.
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News Brief
OCC orders Bank of America to shore up BSA/AML, sanctions compliance programs
Bank of America avoided a monetary penalty in agreeing to settle charges with the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency but was ordered to shore up previously disclosed deficiencies in its Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering (BSA/AML) and sanctions compliance programs.
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News Brief
FCA fines Macquarie Bank $16M for control failures that allowed fake trades
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority fined the London branch of Australian-based Macquarie Bank Limited more than 13 million pounds (U.S. $16.3 million) for “serious control failures” that allowed a trader to conceal hundreds of fictitious trades over a 20-month period.
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Premium
President-elect Trump’s Commerce Department pick Howard Lutnick to head tariff, trade agenda
President-elect Donald Trump announced he plans to appoint Cantor Fitzgerald President and CEO Howard Lutnick to lead the U.S. Commerce Department, as the incoming administration is expected to charge import tariffs against friends and foes.