All Securities and Exchange Commission articles – Page 65
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Blog
Qualcomm to pay SEC $7.5 million for hiring practices
Digital telecommunications maker Qualcomm this week reached a $7.5 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by hiring relatives of Chinese government officials. These officials were in positions to decide whether to select Qualcomm’s mobile technology products amid ...
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SEC probing hiring practices of HSBC and many other banks
London-based HSBC said in an earnings release last week that it is one of several banks being investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its hiring practices in Asia. Hiring a family member or friend of a government official violates the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act if the intent ...
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Article
SEC, CFTC ‘milestones’ resolve issues with cross-border swaps deals
Consider it regulatory kismet. Independently, on Feb. 10, the SEC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission finalized long-lingering rules and agreements needed to resolve concerns with the international marketplace for derivatives deals. The SEC’s new rules cover foreign swaps dealers who maintain trading desks in the United States, closing a perceived ...
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House advances controversial slate of SEC rule changes
A legislative package, recently passed by the House of Representatives, is drawing fire from Democrats and the White House. The bills, bundled as the Capital Markets Improvement Act of 2016, include changes to current SEC rules pertaining to company-issued employee stock, broker-dealer research reports, M&A brokers, and the use of ...
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General Cable sets aside $28 million for bribery case
General Cable said last week in an earnings release that it has set aside an estimated charge of $28 million that it believes the Securities and Exchange Commission likely will disgorge from profits derived from sales tainted by improper payments made in several countries. As previously disclosed, General Cable said ...
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Blog
PTC to pay $28 million in FCPA case
Two China subsidiaries of computer software company PTC this week reached a combined $28 million settlement—a $14.5 million criminal penalty to the Department of Justice, and $13.6 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest to the Securities and Exchange Commission—to resolve an investigation of potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices ...
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SEC’s White offers insight on 2016 priorities
In a wide-ranging conversation at Northwestern University, SEC Chairman Mary Jo White detailed her thoughts on a variety of topics, offering fresh perspective on agency priorities for the months ahead, including the ongoing disclosure effectiveness review, a new accredited investor definition, and the “clawback” rule for executive compensation.
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White House plan would double SEC’s budget by 2021
Don’t expect the proposal to emerge unscathed from its trip through partisan debate, but a budget plan announced this week by President Obama would provide the SEC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission the biggest boost to their bottom lines in recent years, with plans to double their fiscal year 2015 ...
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Article
Fiduciary duty rules poised to redefine an industry
It sounds reasonable enough: hold broker-dealers and investment advisers to a fiduciary standard when they offer investment advice, specifically with retirement plans. Firms, however, fear that pending rules, split between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Labor, are not in sync and unintended consequences will radically alter traditional ...
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SEC Petitioned for Gender-Based Pay Ratio Disclosures
An investment adviser to the Pax Ellevate Global Women’s Index Fund has filed a rulemaking petition with the SEC, seeking a requirement that companies disclose gender-based pay ratios on an annual basis. “We believe that pay equity is a useful and material indicator of well managed, well-governed companies, and conversely, ...
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BlogSciClone to Pay SEC $12.8 Million in FCPA Case
SciClone Pharmaceuticals announced that it has entered into a $12.8 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve an investigation of potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act with respect to its China operations. SciClone further said that the Department of Justice has also completed its related ...
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Blog
SEC Extends Comment Period for Extractive Payments Rule
The Securities and Exchange Commission has extended its public comment period for its second attempt at a rule requiring the disclosure of payments made to governments by energy and mining companies for extraction rights. The new deadlines are Feb. 16 for the first round of commentary and March 8 for ...
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Blog
SEC Adopts Rules to Meet FAST Act Mandates
The SEC has approved interim final rules needed to implement provisions of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act that revise financial reporting forms for emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies. The FAST Act, enacted by Congress last month, includes mandates to revise Forms S-1 and F-1 and allow emerging ...
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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.
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SEC Announces 2016 Examination Priorities
The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations has released an overview of its examination priorities for 2016. New areas of focus include liquidity controls, public pension advisers, product promotion, exchange-traded funds, and variable annuities. A continuing focus will be placed on protecting investors in ongoing risk areas such as ...
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SEC Seeks Comment on Transfer Agent Rules
The SEC has issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking and a concept release for new rules governing transfer agents. The Commission intends to propose new rules for transfer agents similar to those recently adopted for registered broker-dealers regarding amended annual reporting, independent audit, and notification requirements. The intent is ...
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Blog
SEC Issues Annual Reports on Credit Rating Agencies
The SEC has issued annual staff reports on credit rating agencies registered as nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs). The news in the annual report, summarizing examinations of each NRSRO as required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, is cautiously good. It shows that NRSROs have made operational improvements and have ...
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Bill Requires Disclosure of Board’s Cyber-Security Expertise
Security experts have long pressured companies to bring cyber-security expertise onto their boards. U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have introduced legislation known as the Cyber-security Disclosure Act of 2015 that could apply even more pressure. If passed, publicly traded companies would be required to disclose to ...
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SEC Urged Not to Abandon Political Spending Disclosures
Dozens of senators and members of Congress have sent a letter to the SEC expressing their view that the agency is still free to work on a rule requiring public companies to disclose political spending, despite a provision in the omnibus spending bill that prohibited it from using fiscal year ...
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SEC Offers a Trial Run of Crowdfunding Filings
Under new SEC rules that take effect on May 16, companies will be permitted to offer and sell securities through crowdfunding. To do so, they must file the required disclosures about the offering on a new Form C. Future filers are now able to submit test filings on the new ...