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.
AAR Corp. to pay $56M to settle FCPA violations in Nepal, South Africa
Aviation maintenance services provider AAR Corp. will pay nearly $56 million to settle charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act when it paid bribes to government officials in Nepal and South Africa.
CFPB sues big banks behind money transfer app Zelle over lax oversight, fraud
JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of America, and the company behind online money transfer app Zelle were sued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for allegedly failing to safeguard Zelle’s network and causing customers to lose $870 million, the CFPB alleged.
OCC hits USAA with third order in five years; places limits on new services, products, membership
USAA Federal Savings Bank has been hit with its third cease and desist order from the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in the past five years for failing to correct unsafe and unsound banking practices.
’Future-proofing’ products for safety next level of regulation under EU GPSR
Any product that uses AI needs to be safety assessed for its entire lifespan under new rules that went into effect recently across the EU. Experts warned companies using AI to tailor products could be classed as “manufacturers” and face the same duty of care as developed.
Criticism mounts against FCA amid growing calls for regulatory reform
When lawmakers slam the U.K.’s chief financial regulator as “incompetent,” it not only opens the doors for others to pile criticism on it, but it sparks a debate about how the organization can be improved–or removed.
Becton Dickinson pays $175M for misleading investors about flawed IV pump system
Becton Dickinson medical device company will pay $175 million for “repeatedly” misleading investors about its Alaris infusion pump, a product the company knew was flawed and was sold without the required patient-safety approvals, the Securities and Exchange Commission said.
Bankrupt retailer Express avoids fine in SEC understated CEO perks case
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged bankrupt fashion retailer Express with failing to disclose nearly $1 million in perks to a former chief executive, but did not levy a financial penalty thanks to its cooperation, the SEC said.
Minnesota transport company hit with sanctions violations for Cuba, Iran trade
A Minnesota transportation company agreed to pay nearly $258,000 to settle allegations that a subsidiaries violated sanctions against Cuba and Iran more than 80 times, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said.
McKinsey & Co. to pay $650M, improve compliance over opioid advice to Purdue Pharma
McKinsey & Co. will pay $650 million in penalties to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to settle charges that it advised Purdue Pharma on how to “turbocharge” the sale of Oxycontin in the middle of the U.S. opioid crisis.
SeaCrest to pay $375K to settle charges that it failed to supervise rogue adviser
New York-based SeaCrest Wealth Management will pay a $375,000 fine for failing to properly prevent a cherry-picking scheme perpetrated by one of its investment advisers.
SEC fines Cantor Fitzgerald $6.75M for failing to disclose pre-IPO talks
Financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald will pay a $6.75 million fine to the Securities and Exchange Commission for making misleading statements regarding two special purpose acquisition companies that it controlled.
U.K. can’t shake reputation of being a conduit to individual, institutional money laundering
London has long had the dubious reputation of being the world’s money laundering capital and it looks like it’s a title it is likely to retain for some time yet.
SEC fines Morgan Stanley $15M to settle allegations of theft of client funds
A lack of supervision and internal controls at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney allowed four of its investment advisers to steal millions from customers before the behavior was detected, the SEC said in charging the firm.
DOJ hits McKinsey & Co. subsidiary with $123M criminal penalty over bribes in South Africa
A subsidiary of McKinsey & Co. will pay nearly $123 million to the Department of Justice to settle allegations that it bribed officials in South Africa to win consulting contracts.
Whistleblower’s defamation case reveals scope of USAA ‘coverup’
A defamation lawsuit filed by a whistleblower against USAA, which a Florida judge recently dismissed on a technicality, revealed in public court records an estimated 400,000 violations of the Military Lending Act by USAA Federal Savings Bank (USAA Bank), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of USAA.
KPMG report on regs in 2025: Use data analytics to predict, respond to Trump administration changes
Regulations are sure to be rolled back under President Donald Trump, but the question is which regulations, and how much? Is your organization as prepared to respond when regulations are loosened as it was when they were tightened?
CPE Webcast: Navigating Contact Compliance in 2025: An Overview of Upcoming Legislation and How to Prepare
As we approach 2025, the regulatory landscape for the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and Do Not Call (DNC) regulations is becoming increasingly complex. Not only are there federal laws to take into consideration, but many states also have distinct requirements that differ from federal standards.
U.K., EU enforcement regimes set to escalate, but critics question sanctions’ effectiveness
With a new political regime ready to take over in the U.S., the effectiveness of sanctions against malign foreign actors like Russia, North Korea, and Iran have come into question. While the European Union and U.K. have increased sanctions pressure, critics have publicly asked: Is it enough?
German firm Aiotec to pay $14.5M to settle Iran sanctions violation
German petrochemical parts supplier Aiotec agreed to pay $14.5 million to settle allegations that it engaged in a four-year conspiracy to dismantle and ship a plastics manufacturing plant owned by a U.S. company to Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions.
SEC levies no fine against Kiromic BioPharma after material omissions self-disclosure
Kiromic BioPharma will pay no fine to the Securities and Exchange Commission after self-reporting that it failed to disclose material information about two cancer drugs to investors.
U.S. Appeals Court ruling in Tornado Cash case opens door for AML regulatory unwind
In striking down penalties against cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash for violating U.S. sanctions, a federal appeals court may have started to chip away at anti-money laundering regulations established by Democrats even before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Top E&C fails of 2024: Boeing, TD Bank, RTX/Raytheon on compliance naughty list
The biggest Compliance Fails of 2024 show the real-world consequences of noncompliance for the companies that faltered, but also for their customers and their employees.
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.
Trump names Scott Bessent to be Treasury secretary, with a clear deregulation agenda
Hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, named by Donald Trump on Friday as his nominee for Treasury Secretary, has a clear mandate to deregulate the financial markets should he take the helm.
SEC enforcement priorities under Trump: Fewer disclosures, less ESG-focused, more crypto
Change is likely coming to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement priorities with the pending handover of the White House to Republican President-elect Donald Trump. Adjust your compliance priorities accordingly.
Adani Group CEO, seven business executives charged in huge $250M bribery scheme
Eight business executives, including the billionaire owner of Indian energy company Adani Group, were charged with fraud for their alleged roles in a multi-million bribery scheme to win a solar energy contract in India.
DOJ recommends Google sell Chrome browser to break up monopoly
Three months after a U.S. district judge declared Google to be running a monopoly, the Department of Justice recommended the tech giant be forced to sell off its popular Chrome browser as part of an effort to resolve antitrust concerns and reshape the power of tech’s biggest companies.
SEC Chair Gary Gensler to step down Jan. 20 after busy, controversial tenure
Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler will step down from his position as the top U.S. regulator of Wall Street when Donald Trump is sworn in as president on Jan. 20, ending weeks of speculation about his future.
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond examiner pleads guilty to insider trading
A bank examiner and senior manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond pled guilty to insider trading after allegedly misappropriating confidential information on seven banks to make profitable trades.
Drexel Hamilton to pay $1.1M, four employees fined for ‘flipping’ municipal bonds
New York-based investment firm Drexel Hamilton will pay more than $1.1 million in penalties, with four current and former employees paying fines as well over committing hundreds of violations of rules regarding the sale of municipal bonds.
BIT Mining changes business model, pays $10M fine to resolve FCPA violations
A publicly traded cryptocurrency mining company will pay $10 million and completely change its business model to one with “lower corruption risk” as part of a settlement over violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), two regulators announced.
MetLife subsidiary fined $178K by OFAC for issuing premiums to Iran-controlled entities
A subsidiary of MetLife will pay more than $178,000 for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran when it provided insurance policies to entities in the United Arab Emirates owned or controlled by Iran.
Drug company and CEO pay $47 million over alleged kickbacks and false claims
A pharmaceutical company and its chief executive have agreed to pay $47 million to settle allegations first brought by whistleblowers, that the company paid kickbacks and filed false claims, the Department of Justice said.
European Commission accuses Meta of anticompetive practices, issues $841M fine
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has been fined nearly 798 million euros (U.S. $841 million) by the European Commission to resolve the agency’s long-running investigation into alleged “abusive practices” by Facebook Marketplace.
CFTC cites ‘unreasonably delayed reporting’ for unevenly split $4M whistleblower award
“Unreasonably delayed reporting” cost one of two claimants whom will unevenly split a $4 million whistleblower award from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for providing information that led to a successful enforcement action.
DOJ orders Paragon Systems, subsidiary to pay $54M over front company contracts scheme
Paragon Systems, a Virginia-based security contractor, and a subsidiary will pay nearly $54 million to resolve allegations that its corporate executives–including its compliance manager–conspired to win Department of Homeland Security contracts by creating fraudulent small business front companies.
FCA slaps Metro Bank with $21M fine for inadequate AML monitoring
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has fined Metro Bank 16.6 million pounds (U.S. $21 million) for an alleged failure by its automated system to adequately monitor money laundering risks.
Spanish telecomm Telefónica S.A. fined $85M over bribes to government officials in Venezuela
A subsidiary of Spanish telecommunications provider Telefónica S.A. will pay $85.2 million to settle a charge that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act when it paid bribes to Venezuelan officials to gain preferential access to a currency auction.
SEC orders Invesco to pay $17.5M over misleading investors about ESG assets
Invesco Advisors agreed to pay $17.5 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle allegations that the company misled investors about the extent of its assets that included environmental, social, and governance factors.
Navy Federal Credit Union to pay $95M in fines, redress over ‘surprise’ overdraft fees
Navy Federal Credit Union will pay a $15 million fine and return $80 million in “surprise” overdraft fees to its members to resolve an enforcement action from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
FTC to monitor compliance at AI-enabled product review platform after misleading ratings
Artificial intelligence-enabled product review platform Sitejabber agreed to a 10-year compliance monitorship with the Federal Trade Commission following allegations that it inflated product ratings and misled the public.
FINRA fines Morgan Stanley $1M for alleged documentation failures
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority fined broker-dealer Morgan Stanley $1 million over alleged documentation failures related to risk management controls and supervisory procedures involving violations of the Market Access Rule.
Texas health group pays $14.2M for alleged physician self-referral violations
A Texas health care organization agreed to pay $14.2 million to settle allegations it filed false claims related to violations of the “Stark” self-referral law, according to the Department of Justice.
Underfunding of BSA/AML compliance made TD Bank an unwitting partner to cross-border crime
Law enforcement officials stumbled on TD Bank’s role in money laundering while investigating a Mexican drug cartel. They found that the bank’s corporate culture considered compliance, particularly BSA/AML compliance, a low priority. As they dug deeper, authorities discovered that multiple money laundering schemes had infiltrated the bank’s network.
Real estate firm JLL fined by Canada’s FINTRAC for AML, KYC failures
Canada’s anti-money laundering regulator fined Toronto-based real estate firm Jones Lang Lasalle $107,827 Canadian dollars (U.S. $77,632) for six violations of its anti-money laundering rules, after discovering gaps in recordkeeping and reporting requirements for know your customer rules.
Vystar pays $1.5 million for alleged lack of due diligence with launch of troubled banking system
VyStar credit union has agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine and make restitution to customers harmed by its alleged lack of due diligence when it launched a new banking platform, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said.
Meta discloses potential CFPB lawsuit following probe into advertising, disclosure practices
Meta disclosed in a public filing that an investigation by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau related to financial product advertising on platforms Instagram and WhatsApp may lead to a lawsuit.
JPMorgan Chase to pay $151M in penalties, restitution to settle disclosure lapses
Two affiliates of JPMorgan Chase have agreed to pay $151 million to settle five separate enforcement actions for making misleading disclosures, breaching fiduciary duties, and other failures related to investors.
Irish DPC fines LinkedIn $335M over GDPR violations related to targeted advertising
The Irish Data Protection Commission fined Microsoft-owned LinkedIn 310 million euros (U.S. $335 million) over violations of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation related to the social media company’s data processing and targeted advertising.