On March 30, 2022, the SEC issued “Staff Bulletin: Standards of Conduct for Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers Account Recommendations for Retail Investors” (SEC Retail Standards Bulletin). This guidance builds on prior...more
4/13/2022
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fiduciary-Standards ,
Investment ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investors ,
IRA Rollovers ,
PTEs ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Standard of Conduct
The SEC Division of Examinations recently released its 2022 Division of Examinations “Priorities.” The 2022 Priorities provide critical insight into what the Division of Examinations (the “Division”) considers the most...more
4/1/2022
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Compliance ,
Cryptoassets ,
Data Security ,
Emerging Technologies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Private Funds ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Retail Investors ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Supervision
The lack of specific guidance regarding failure to supervise liability for chief compliance officers (“CCOs”) has been a controversial and opaque topic that both FINRA and the SEC have struggled with for well over a decade....more
In recent years, the SEC has been conducting a nationwide and industry-wide “sweep” of investment advisory firms, pursuant to which it has opened investigations and brought enforcement actions against a multitude of...more
3/22/2022
/ Conflicts of Interest ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Failure To Disclose ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Investment ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Revenue Sharing ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Transaction Fees
On February 14, 2022, the SEC announced charges against BlockFi Lending LLC – a New Jersey-based cryptocurrency lending platform – for failing to register its crypto lending product and violating the Investment Company Act of...more
The SEC’s disgorgement request in a litigated proceeding in federal district court is being challenged in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Liu v. SEC, which limited how much the agency can seek in...more
On July 13, 2021, the SEC announced charges against Stable Road Acquisition Company (“Stable Road”), its sponsor, SRC-NI, its CEO, Brian Kabot, Stable Road’s proposed merger target Momentus Inc.(“Momentus”), and Momentus’s...more
7/16/2021
/ Audits ,
CEOs ,
Enforcement ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investors ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
Upcoming Changes to Rule 10b5-1:
The SEC is seeking to propose four key changes to executive stock trading plans under Rule 10b5-1 in October. Its Chairman, Gary Gensler, reported that the SEC is considering “freshen[ing]...more
7/2/2021
/ 10b5-1 Plans ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Compliance ,
EDGAR ,
Gary Gensler ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment Adviser ,
Market Manipulation ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trading Plans
As publicly reported late last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement (SEC) sent voluntary requests for information to a range of public companies and investment firms seeking voluntary...more
6/24/2021
/ Audits ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Investment Adviser ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Request For Information ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
SolarWinds ,
Voluntary Disclosure
Responding to a “concern” from Chief Compliance Officers (CCOs) to the purported increase in enforcement actions holding compliance personnel personally liable, the New York City Bar Association recently released a framework...more
As political leaders continue to debate how to address climate change, the SEC is poised to take (enforcement) action. In the latest example of how the Biden Administration is influencing the priorities the SEC, the agency...more
The Division of Examination’s (former OCIE) annual announcement of its exam priorities is always noteworthy, as it provides helpful insight into this division’s thinking and can serve as a roadmap for regulated entities to...more
3/10/2021
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
FinTech ,
Innovation ,
Investment Adviser ,
Libor ,
Market Infrastructure ,
OCIE ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On January 18, 2021, the incoming President’s Transition Team announced additional key administration post nominees, including Mr. Gary Gensler as SEC Chair. The announcement specifically provided the following regarding Mr....more
1/20/2021
/ Administrative Proceedings ,
Biden Administration ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Compliance ,
Hedge Funds ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment Adviser ,
New Legislation ,
Private Equity ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Supervision
In a 30-day period, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has released guidance in three ways regarding certain views on the important role and potential liability risks of chief compliance officers (“CCOs”)....more
In a pair of settlements announced on July 28, 2020, the SEC charged VALIC Financial Advisors (the “Firm”) with two separate sets of violations that allowed the Firm to obtain millions of dollars in fees without providing...more
8/27/2020
/ Advisors Act ,
Cash Solicitation Rule ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement ,
Financial Adviser ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Investment Adviser ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Violations ,
Share Classes ,
Teachers ,
Unions
On June 26, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued its ruling on the challenge to the legality of the Regulation Best Interest final rule (Reg BI), promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange...more
A three-judge panel of the Second Circuit entertained arguments on June 2, 2020, in a lawsuit seeking to vacate and set aside the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI). By way of...more
In light of the significance of the final rules and Commission interpretations issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on June 5, 2019, our Best Interest Compliance Team issued a series of articles on the...more
The SEC, through its Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE”), recently issued its most detailed cyber guidance to date. OCIE had previously issued several cybersecurity risk alerts over the past few years....more
2/13/2020
/ Corporate Issuers ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Management ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Internal Controls ,
Investment Adviser ,
New Guidance ,
OCIE ,
Risk Alert ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Security and Privacy Controls ,
Third-Party Service Provider
It appears that the SEC has initiated a “sweep” examination to inquire into the sales practices applicable to retirement plans for teachers and state and local government employees. We understand that multiple SEC regional...more
11/7/2019
/ 403(b) Plans ,
457(b) Plans ,
Annuities ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Military Service Members ,
NYDFS ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Retirement Plan ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative (SCSD) ,
Teachers
The staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Investment Management released frequently asked questions (FAQs) on October 18, 2019, which discuss certain compensation arrangements and related...more
10/30/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Division of Investment Management ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Form ADV ,
Investment Adviser ,
Mutual Funds ,
Revenue Sharing ,
Sale of Assets ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative (SCSD)
On September 30, 2019, the SEC ordered an additional 16 self-reporting investment advisory firms to pay nearly $10 million in disgorgement. Some have referred to this as the “second wave” of the SEC Division of Enforcement’s...more
In light of the significance of the final rules and commission interpretations issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on June 5, 2019, Drinker Biddle & Reath’s Best Interest Compliance Team is publishing a...more
On August 29, 2019, the SEC filed a complaint against a registered investment adviser alleging failures to disclose four categories of conflicts of interest and seeking disgorgement of $10 million in undisclosed compensation....more
9/12/2019
/ Conflicts of Interest ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Disgorgement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Failure To Disclose ,
Investment Adviser ,
OCIE ,
Revenue Sharing ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Self-Reporting ,
Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative (SCSD) ,
Share Classes
On September 9, 2019, the states of New York, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Mexico and Oregon, and the District of Columbia (collectively, the States) filed a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief...more
9/11/2019
/ Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Declaratory Relief ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Final Rules ,
Form CRS ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Regulation BI ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Standard of Conduct ,
Statutory Authority