TD Bank discloses liabilities over AML probes in U.S. balloon to $2.6B
TD Bank has set aside $2.6 billion to settle allegations made by U.S. regulators that deficiencies in its anti-money laundering program allowed fentanyl traffickers to launder money on its platform.
’Bait-and-switch’: Pham critical of CFTC self-reporting policy
Caroline Pham, a commissioner on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, criticized the agency’s policy on credit for self-reporting violations as a “bait-and-switch.”
Latest off-channel comms sweep nets SEC, CFTC $477M in fines
Two regulators doled out more than $477 million in fines on a new group of broker-dealers, investment advisers, and swaps dealers that failed to maintain and preserve the electronic communications of their employees, bringing total such fines issued since 2021 to $3.2 billion.
LexisNexis survey: Compliance costs soared for U.K. banks in 2023
Nearly all but a tiny minority of financial institutions saw their costs of financial crime compliance rise in 2023, a survey by LexisNexis and Oxford Economics found.
Game-changing DOJ pilot whistleblower program panned by critics
The Department of Justice released the details of its long-awaited corporate whistleblower awards pilot program that will prioritize reporting in areas of corporate crime not currently covered by existing whistleblower programs.
SEC awards $37M to whistleblower who was retaliated against by supervisors
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced its second $37 million whistleblower award in as many weeks with four claimants vying for the payout, but only one reaping the benefits.
State Street to pay $7.5M to settle Russia sanctions violations by subsidiary
State Street Bank & Trust Co. will pay a $7.5 million fine to settle allegations by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control that a subsidiary violated sanctions against Russia.
Raytheon parent reserves $1.24B over improper payments, export control violations
RTX Corp., the parent company of Raytheon, disclosed in a public filing it has reserved $1.24 billion to resolve legacy legal matters with the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Department of State.
CFPB warns against censoring whistleblowers via broad NDAs
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is warning companies against intimidating potential whistleblowers by forcing them to sign broad nondisclosure agreements to deter misconduct from coming to light.
SEC whistleblower to receive $37M award
A whistleblower will be paid $37 million by the Securities and Exchange Commission for providing original, credible information that led to a successful enforcement action.
CPE Webcast: Compliance programs under scrutiny
Explore government expectations for compliance programs and how companies facing regulatory scrutiny design and implement programs to position themselves for the best possible outcome.
Autodesk says no restatements following accounting probe
Software company Autodesk said it won’t restate several years of financial statements following an audit committee investigation into potential accounting misconduct.
SEC’s Grewal shares views on ‘Five Principles of Effective Cooperation’
Gurbir Grewal, director of the Enforcement Division at the Securities and Exchange Commission, spelled out plainly his view on the best path to earning cooperation credit during settlement negotiations with the agency.
Revamped compliance processes key Albemarle win as Compliance Program of the Year
For successfully navigating thorny compliance issues related to self-disclosed violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Albemarle was named Compliance Program of the Year at the 2024 Excellence in Compliance Awards.
Broadway Financial discloses ICFR weaknesses due to training shortfalls
Los Angeles-based bank holding company Broadway Financial Corp. disclosed in a public filing weaknesses discovered in its internal control over financial reporting because of training shortfalls.
PCAOB dings MaloneBailey $400K over ‘pervasive’ quality control violations
Audit firm MaloneBailey agreed to pay a $400,000 fine to settle allegations levied by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board over “pervasive” quality control violations.
Flex says no action by OFAC into possible sanctions violations
Flex disclosed in a public filing the Office of Foreign Assets Control is taking no action into potential sanctions violations the global manufacturer voluntarily self-disclosed in 2019.
DOJ orders Evoqua to pay $8.5M over admitted securities fraud
Evoqua Water Technologies agreed to pay $8.5 million as part of a nonprosecution agreement with the Department of Justice to settle admitted criminal charges related to fraudulent revenue recognition.
Insight Global to pay $2.7M over lax security on contact tracing data
Atlanta-based staffing agency Insight Global agreed to pay $2.7 million to settle alleged False Claims Act violations for failing to provide adequate cybersecurity on Covid-19 contract tracing data.
Wirecard whistleblower laments EU speak-up protection inconsistencies
The European Union’s strong stance on whistleblower protection has been undermined by member states’ wildly different approaches to punishing organizations that fail to safeguard people who raise concerns, says Wirecard whistleblower Pav Gill.
CW2024 panelists discuss BYOD at center of off-channel comms debate
The Department of Justice’s renewed scrutiny toward a corporation’s approach to the use of personal devices strengthens the case for companies to get away from bring your own device, a panelist at Compliance Week’s 2024 National Conference argued.
ADM CFO to depart amid accounting probes
Food processing company ADM announced Chief Financial Officer Vikram Luthar, who was placed on administrative leave in January amid a probe into the company’s accounting practices, will resign.
Change Healthcare cyberattack updates detail massive impact, costs
The massive cyberattack on Change Healthcare has potentially compromised the personal and protected health information of an untold number of Americans, according to parent company UnitedHealth Group.
Proterial Cable America earns DOJ declination in apparent fraud case
Proterial Cable America received a declination notice from the Department of Justice related to its voluntary self-disclosure and remediation of apparent fraud committed by its employees.
CW2024 keynote tackles fundamentals of fraud detection
“If you want to start to know who’s lying to you, all you got to do is pay attention differently,” advised body language expert Traci Brown during her opening keynote at Compliance Week’s 2024 National Conference.
Chemours: DOJ, SEC probing exec accounting misconduct
Chemours disclosed it received requests for information from the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission regarding findings from an internal review into alleged accounting misconduct by several of its top executives.
Equinix probing short seller accusations amid DOJ scrutiny
Data center owner Equinix disclosed it launched an independent investigation to review matters referenced in a recent short seller report that also caught the attention of the Department of Justice.
Chapter 4: Investigations into misconduct: What banks can do
Both JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank retained their respective Jeffrey Epstein relationships for too long. Yet, there is a case to be made for why exiting a high-risk relationship too soon can become an inverse form of recklessness.
Chapter 3: Egregious failures: Customer due diligence and transaction monitoring
Why did JPMorgan Chase retain Jeffrey Epstein for more than a dozen years? How did the relationship persist despite glaring red flags? The “why” is straightforward; the “how” is more complicated.
Chapter 2: KYC shortfalls: JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank’s onboarding of Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein’s designation as a high-risk client should have subjected him to enhanced due diligence that never appeared to occur, most notably at Deutsche Bank. Instead, Epstein was allowed to continue his misconduct despite numerous red flags.
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.
EFG International settles Cuba, blocked persons U.S. sanctions case
Swiss-based global private banking group EFG International agreed to pay more than $3.7 million as part of a settlement with the Office of Foreign Assets Control addressing apparent violations of U.S. sanctions against Cuba and two blocked individuals.
DOJ joins SEC in probing ADM accounting practices
ADM disclosed the Department of Justice joined the Securities and Exchange Commission in probing the food processing company’s accounting practices.
Chemours says probe found accounting misconduct by execs
Chemours said an internal review into the actions of senior managers alleged to have engaged in accounting misconduct uncovered violations of the chemicals company’s code of ethics regarding the promotion of full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure.
CW National 2024 preview: Former Albemarle CCO on FCPA case lessons
Andrew McBride, former chief risk and compliance officer at chemical company Albemarle Corp., joins the Compliance Week podcast with Aaron Nicodemus to preview his session at CW’s National Conference in Washington, D.C.
Gunvor to pay $661M to settle FCPA violations in Ecuador
Swiss-based oil trader Gunvor will pay more than $661 million as part of a plea agreement with the Department of Justice to resolve violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act involving a long-running scheme to bribe officials in Ecuador to secure oil contracts.
Chemours places senior execs on leave over accounting review
Chemours announced it placed its chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and principal accounting officer on leave pending completion of an internal review into potential material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting.
ADM delays annual report filing amid ICFR assessment
ADM disclosed it will be late in filing its annual report for 2023 as it continues to investigate potential accounting improprieties regarding its nutrition reporting segment.
The path to DOJ cooperation credit: Analyzing recent FCPA cases
Recent enforcement actions offer guidance on what the Department of Justice considers to be an “imminent threat” of disclosure or government action, what it means by “prompt” disclosure, and how a company can earn credit for revealing all relevant facts.
Ex-Sterling Bank GC cited by OCC over BSA-related failures
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a cease-and-desist order against the former general counsel at Sterling Bank and Trust for not ensuring the institution’s Bank Secrecy Act compliance and failing to timely file suspicious activity reports.
Zoetis says no action from OFAC in Iran sanctions matter
Zoetis, a developer and manufacturer of vaccines and medicines for animals, disclosed it was informed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control that it won’t face enforcement for potential violations of Iran sanctions uncovered during an acquisition integration.
Experts: SCOTUS ruling shifts onus to employers in whistleblower cases
The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to reaffirm whistleblower protections under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a case involving UBS has wide ramifications in many other industries beyond financial services, according to legal experts.
SCOTUS reaffirms whistleblower protections in ruling against UBS
The Supreme Court reaffirmed whistleblower protections guaranteed under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a unanimous decision expected to set a precedent that impacts all corporate internal reporting cases.
Raytheon parent discloses indications of improper payments in Middle East
RTX Corp., parent company of aerospace and defense giant Raytheon, disclosed an internal investigation launched into potential improper payments in connection with contracts in the Middle East found indications of misconduct.
China-based Cloopen Group avoids fine in SEC accounting fraud case
China-based technology company Cloopen Group Holding won’t pay a fine in settling with the Securities and Exchange Commission over an alleged accounting fraud scheme perpetrated by two of its former senior managers.
Experts: Good data breach response grounded in preparation
Two chief compliance officers and an attorney discussed preparation for the “when, not if” threat of a data breach during a panel at CW’s Cyber Risk & Data Privacy Summit.
Calavo Growers discloses potential FCPA issues
Multinational produce and agriculture company Calavo Growers disclosed in an annual filing an investigation into its Mexico operations found potential issues under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
FCPA violations in China: Lessons learned from 2023 cases
Enforcement actions regarding alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act at 3M, Albemarle, Clear Channel Outdoor, and Royal Philips each had China touchpoints. Experts assess third-party risk management lessons learned from each case.
ADM puts CFO on leave pending accounting probe
Food processing company ADM announced Chief Financial Officer Vikram Luthar was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into accounting practices and procedures flagged by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
ICBC fined $32M by NYDFS, Fed over compliance lapses
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and its New York branch agreed to pay $32.4 million in penalties levied by two regulators for failing to address compliance failures and for the unauthorized disclosure of confidential supervisory information to an overseas regulator.