All Regulatory Enforcement articles – Page 146
-
Blog
Level Global Case Continues to Rewind
Watching developments in the Level Global insider trading case -- which fell apart after the Second Circuit's landmark decision in Newman resulted in the conviction of its co-founder and another defendant being overturned -- feels like watching a movie rewind.
-
Blog
FinCEN Takes Aim at Real Estate Industry
Compliance officers, beware: the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s increasingly aggressive push to combat money laundering has entered a new phase, and this time it has its sights on high-end real estate transactions. “We are seeking to understand the risk that corrupt foreign officials, or transnational criminals, may be using premium ...
-
Blog
SEC Invests $18 Million to Further Modernize SEC.gov
The SEC's website, SEC.gov, is one of the federal government’s busiest websites, reportedly serving up more than 562 million page views every month. Earlier this month, Accenture Federal Services announced that the SEC has awarded it a $17.9 million contract to modernize and “create an improved user experience” for users ...
-
Blog
SEC Awards $700,000 to Whistleblower Who Was Company Outsider
Image: It took over five years, but we finally have a success story in the “professional whistleblower” area. The SEC has awarded more than $700,000 to an industry expert (a company outsider) who conducted a detailed analysis that led to a successful SEC enforcement action. Sean McKessy, chief of the ...
-
Blog
Consumer Group Protests Post-Settlement Tax Breaks
Goldman Sachs recently announced that it had reached an agreement in principle with the U.S. Department of Justice and others to resolve civil claims relating to the firm’s securitization, underwriting, and sale of residential mortgage-backed securities from 2005 to 2007. The $5 billion settlement has drawn the ire of U.S. ...
-
Blog
Court: Compliance Officers Must Ensure Compliance With AML Laws
A federal district court this month upheld a $1 million fine imposed against the former chief compliance officer for MoneyGram International, finding that individual officers of financial institutions, including chief compliance officers, may be held responsible for ensuring compliance with the anti-money laundering provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act.
-
Blog
Duff & Phelps Expands Global Disputes and Investigations Practice
Duff & Phelps, a global valuation and corporate finance advisor, has added managing director Steve Cornmell and director Victoria Richards to its Disputes and Investigations practice in London. The addition of these new professionals aligns with the firm’s strategy to expand its capabilities in disputes and investigations and strengthens its ...
-
Blog
SEC Charges State Street for Pay-to-Play Scheme
State Street Bank and Trust Company last week reached a $12 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle charges that it conducted a pay-to-play scheme through its then-senior vice president and a hired lobbyist to win contracts to service Ohio pension funds.
-
Blog
From Bad to Worse -- and Finally to Prison -- for Apple Day-Trader Sued by SEC
I always try to warn people not to get themselves thrown in prison by obstructing justice in SEC investigations. No really, I do! They just don't listen.
-
Blog
SEC Initiated Record Enforcement Actions in 2015
The number of enforcement actions initiated by the SEC has steadily increased over the past six fiscal years, reaching a record high in 2015, according to a recent report drawing on data from the Securities Enforcement Empirical Database (SEED) that tracks and records information on SEC enforcement actions filed against ...
-
Article
Bad News for Banks: More Regulatory Risk Is Coming, With a Political Twist
Banks can look forward to a 2016 with additional regulatory risk, with rules layered upon rules, heightened capital requirements, and cyber-security casting an ever-darkening shadow. Even political risk is a reason for concern; With a presidential race underway, calls for breaking up big banks, and reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act, are ...
-
Article
Systemic Cases Dominate EEOC Enforcement
Image: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission achieved record enforcement results in 2015 and shows no signs of letting up this year. The good news is that employers now have a leg up in defending EEOC claims where they had little to no leverage before. “The EEOC’s focus on systemic investigations ...
-
Blog
New Report Shows SEC Bringing More, Larger APs Against Public Companies
A new report offers some interesting angles on the SEC's enforcement actions against public companies since 2010. Among other things, the report shows that since FY 2010, SEC enforcement has undergone a "dramatic shift" in its choice of venue for bringing cases against public company defendants, with a significant move ...
-
Blog
SEC Settles for Two-Year Bar in Steve Cohen 'Failure to Supervise' Case
The SEC announced today that it has settled its high-profile lawsuit against hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen, founder of SAC Capital. Under the Order resolving the case, Cohen will be prohibited from supervising funds that manage outside money until 2018.
-
Blog
Dental Practice Software Provider to Pay FTC $250K for Misleading Customers About Encryption
Henry Schein Practice Solutions, a provider of office management software for dental practices, this week agreed to pay $250,000 to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it falsely advertised the level of encryption it provided to protect patient data.
-
Blog
Interview With Former KPMG Partner Scott London on Why He Broke Bad
Today, NPR's Planet Money posted an interesting interview with former KPMG Partner Scott London about his insider trading ordeal, the famous "envelope of cash" photo, and why London ever agreed to become involved in the insider trading scheme in the first place.
-
Blog
SEC: JPMorgan Misled Customers on Broker Pay
Image: JPMorgan’s brokerage business has agreed to pay $4 million to the SEC to settle charges that it falsely stated on its private banking website and in marketing materials that advisers are compensated based on client performance, rather than commission. According to SEC Enforcement Division Director Andrew Ceresney, “JPMS ...
-
Blog
Are VW Execs Breathing Easier Now?
Image: Senior executives at Volkswagen took a very deep sigh of relief when the Justice Department announced a civil suit (?a suit many say is a cakewalk as opposed to the tougher policy set by the Yates memo) against the company for damages from its emissions fraud scandal. In addition, ...
-
Article
New Sentencing Guidelines Could Alter Fraud Prosecutions
Image: Several important changes to the federal Sentencing Guidelines could drastically reduce the sentences imposed for violations of fraud and antitrust laws, even as the Justice Department heightens its focus on prosecuting individuals in corporate misconduct cases. “Some of the changes in the Sentencing Guidelines are a step in the ...
-
Article
Year in Review: Regulatory Enforcement in Europe
Image: For compliance officers in Europe, 2015 has been a big year. Aside from focusing on reporting wrongdoing and promoting a speak-up culture, watchdogs have been keeping compliance practitioners busy with a barrage of regulations that show no sign of easing. As compliance officers wonder to what degree the past ...