Federal prosecutors take an oath to execute their duties faithfully. Yet, like all professions, some federal prosecutors have violated this oath. For years, prosecutorial misconduct has come under heightened scrutiny. Do not...more
A federal judge has delivered another win for TikTok over the weekend, temporarily blocking a White House ban “on new downloads of the video-sharing network, which would have gone into effect at 11:59 p.m. in Washington.” The...more
Never one to let a competitor’s misfortune pass by without looking for an opportunity, Facebook’s Instagram is hoping to capitalize on TikTok’s questionable U.S. status by launching Reels, a new feature that allows users to...more
On 17 June 2020, the London branch of Commerzbank AG (“Commerzbank London”) was fined £37,405,400 by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”). The FCA’s fine against Commerzbank emphasises a continued focus on Anti-Money...more
May saw a huge jump in consumer activity to the tune of +17.7%, as Americans unleashed their pent-up demand. It was welcome news for markets and beyond, but “the underlying data presents a more complicated picture and shows...more
The United States and Mexico appear poised to move past a last-minute snag over new language on Labor Department attaches to posts in Mexico. Mexico feared that the diplomats would “act as labor inspectors,” and for a day or...more
Elon Musk and the SEC have reached an agreement to revise their earlier agreement to settle the latest round of issues caused by Musk’s Twitter habit. Under its terms, a Tesla securities attorney must now “preapprove any of...more
Facebook revealed on Wednesday that it’s expecting a one-time $3 to 5 billion FTC fine over privacy violations, an amount that would be a “record penalty for a technology company by the agency.” In preparation, Zuck & co....more
Jobs report Friday again. Which, after February’s dismal numbers, is carrying extra importance today. We’ll be keeping an eye on US manufacturing, among other things. Here’s what to watch....more
Warner Bros. studio division chief—part of AT&T’s recently acquired media empire—has “stepped down after accusations surfaced that he had pushed for a woman with whom he had a sexual relationship to be considered for roles in...more
After the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 this weekend, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and China have moved to ground all flights on Boeing’s new 737 Max 8 planes until further notice. ...more
The DC Circuit Court of Appeals dealt the DOJ a blow yesterday with a ruling that “rejected the government’s claim that a lower court had applied antitrust laws incorrectly in allowing the merger” between AT&T and Time Warner...more
The Fed wrapped its January meetings yesterday with the expected news that it would leave the benchmark interest rate unchanged and the less-guaranteed report that it was hitting the pause button on future rate hikes (aka,...more
PM May will live to fight another day after surviving Wednesday’s no-confidence vote. But her prospects of getting the controversial Brexit plan through the UK parliament are still poor, at best....more
The Commerce Department on Thursday announced a deal with China that will see the US lift stringent American sanctions on telecom giant ZTE in exchange for ZTE’s payment of a $1 billion fine and allowing the US to “more...more
Fresh off news of decreased SEC enforcement in the past year and the outgoing FDIC chief’s concerns about weakening regs, we’ve got word that the OCC is dialing back its regulatory bent in an effort to return to its “natural...more
Despite a stronger global economic outlook than we’ve seen in years, the world’s central bankers appear loath to let go of stimulus measures while lower-than-expected inflation bedevils them....more
Financial Industry Developments - SEC Adopts T+2 Settlement Cycle for Securities Transactions - On March 22, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted an amendment to Rule 15c6-1(a), shortening the...more
Uber’s board is sticking with the devil it knows. And that means that CEO Travis Kalanick’s safe where he is, despite a few pretty awful months for the ride-hailing company and promises to change the company culture....more
Canada’s signaled an interest in joining the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank—often seen as China’s answer to the World Bank. The bid is controversial at home for new PM Justin Trudeau, but it reflects the...more
On July 13, 2016, the Frankfurt Higher Labor Court held the dismissal of an employee in response to demands by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) was invalid. (Frankfurt Labor Court, 18 Sa 1498/15)....more
On December 23 and 24, Commerzbank AG filed four actions in the Southern District of New York against Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., and the Bank of New York Mellon in their...more
The Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control continues to ramp up sanctions enforcement. Even with the likely relaxation of the Iran and Cuba sanctions, OFAC has been continuing its aggressive enforcement...more
On June 18, 2015, Justice Marcy Friedman of the New York Supreme Court dismissed RMBS fraud claims brought by Commerzbank AG London Branch (“Commerzbank”) against UBS, Nomura Holdings Inc., Barclays Bank PLC, Citigroup and...more
Increased anti-money laundering (AML) regulation enforcement by federal and state agencies in recent months should have financial institutions across the country reviewing and strengthening their in-house AML policies and...more