CW2024 mentors explain why ‘in compliance, you’re never an island’
Mary Shirley is always looking for innovative ways to spur conversation, sharing, and crowdsourcing among compliance professionals. Her workshop at Compliance Week’s 2024 National Conference was no different.
CW2024 women’s brunch panel: Five steps from compliance to the board
So, you think it might be fun to sit on a board someday. Panelists shared misconceptions to unlearn, factors to consider, and preparatory steps to take before rehearsing one’s board pitch during the women’s brunch held at Compliance Week’s 2024 National Conference.
U.K. sets recommendations to address misogyny in finance
Sexism, sexual assault, and bullying are rife at financial services organizations, according to a recent report by the U.K. Treasury Committee. “The government and financial regulators have important roles to play in driving change,” the committee said.
Chapter 1: Compliance v. complicity: The ‘underbelly’ of bank culture
Why were decisions made the way they were at the banks that serviced Jeffrey Epstein? Evidence points to a cultural tension: a tug-of-war between the allure of profit and the drag of compliance, with the former having all the pulling power.
DOJ eyeing more FCPA cases with whistleblower program
The Department of Justice anticipates its upcoming whistleblower reward program will help the agency increase its pipeline of cases involving apparent violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri.
Skechers fined $1.25M over related person disclosure failures
Footwear company Skechers agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission of failing to disclose payments to executives’ family members.
Top brands shamed for U.K. minimum wage failings ahead of hike
The U.K.’s Department for Business and Trade named 524 businesses found to have failed to pay the national minimum wage, ahead of wage hikes for certain workers that will take effect April 1.
FINMA eyeing more power over banks. Will it make a difference?
Bonus clawbacks, more fines, and a senior management regime that clearly identifies individual executives’ responsibilities for key governance areas are all options being considered by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority in response to the collapse of Credit Suisse.
Disclosure rules not enough to curb U.K. salary gaps
The issue of “fat cat” pay awards was reignited in the United Kingdom after a think tank found a typical FTSE 100 CEO earned the average annual salary for a full-time worker after just four days into the new year.
Community Health Network to pay $345M in historic Stark Law case
Indiana-based Community Health Network agreed to pay $345 million as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice resolving allegations it overcompensated physicians it employed at a rate that violated the Stark Law.
Ex-BP CEO facing up to $41M in losses over colleague relationship dishonesty
The board of British oil and gas giant BP announced its remuneration determinations after finding former CEO Bernard Looney committed “serious misconduct” in his disclosure of personal relationships with company colleagues.
Five compliance triumphs from 2023
A financial services giant’s compliance mea culpa that could serve to benefit the rest of the profession, a chemical company’s praised FCPA settlement, and an example of the value of whistleblowers highlight CW’s annual list of laudable ethics and compliance moments.
Graphics: 2023 CCO/CECO salary trends
Year 5 of our “Inside the Mind of the CCO” survey saw the average salary of responding chief compliance officers and chief ethics and compliance officers decline slightly, while other statistical trends repeated from previous iterations.
DOJ cooperation credit breakdowns: Albemarle, Tysers, H.W. Wood
Nicole Argentieri, acting head of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, breaks down where Albemarle, Tysers Insurance Brokers, and H.W. Wood went right—and wrong—on the cooperation credit and remediation fronts as part of their FCPA settlements with the agency.
The road from CCO to board: What compliance professionals need to know
Chief compliance officers and chief ethics and compliance officers desire progressing to the board more than any other role change, our “Inside the Mind of the CCO” survey found. So, what does it take for compliance to get on a corporate board?
CFPB fines Enova $15M, orders exec compensation tied to compliance
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau levied a $15 million fine against nonbank online lender Enova International for “widespread illegal conduct” that violated a previous agency order.
Incentive policies suggest calm before storm at DOJ
All the carrots being offered by the Department of Justice in the past year—greater penalty reduction thresholds, relief related to compensation clawbacks, voluntary self-disclosure incentives—are part of a strategy to strengthen the enforcement stick when companies don’t cooperate.
Survey finds gender parity progress in general counsel compensation
Pay among women general counsel outpaced men in 2022 for only the second time since 2018, according to the latest compensation benchmarking report from corporate leadership data provider Equilar.
SEC fines Maximus $500K for not disclosing pay of exec’s siblings
Government healthcare services corporation Maximus settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly failing to disclose an executive’s two siblings were also employed by the company and received annual compensation of more than $120,000.
Canoo to pay $1.5M over misstatements, disclosure lapses
Electric vehicle manufacturer Canoo agreed to pay $1.5 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged material misrepresentations regarding revenue and failing to properly disclose executive compensation.
Women in Compliance Summit proves value of congregating, allyship
Compliance Week’s inaugural Women in Compliance Summit featured two days dedicated to elevating attendees and addressing some of the unique challenges women face in the profession.
Stanley Black & Decker avoids fine in SEC executive perks case
Tool manufacturer Stanley Black & Decker avoided a civil penalty in settling with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding alleged violations of executive perk disclosure rules.
CCO compensation survey: Big gains for energy, healthcare
Annual total compensation for chief compliance officers rose 10 percent in 2022, according to the latest compensation survey by executive search firm BarkerGilmore.
Four takeaways from Senate hearings on SVB, Signature Bank failures
Leaders at Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and the regulators who seized their banks testified before Congress across separate hearings.
CW2023 leadership panel assesses new DOJ priorities, training impact
Recent policy changes at the Department of Justice provided plenty of fodder for a leadership panel of senior legal and compliance practitioners to discuss during Compliance Week’s 2023 National Conference.
Survey: In-house counsel salaries, bonuses decreased in 2022
In-house counsel salaries took a small step back in 2022, according to the latest analysis from executive search firm BarkerGilmore, while overall bonuses suffered a much steeper decline.