On February 21, 2020, the Massachusetts Securities Division (the “Securities Division”) announced the finalization of its Fiduciary Rule.
This Part I summarizes the evolution of the Massachusetts Fiduciary Rule and the...more
Last Friday, the staff of the SEC Division of Investment Management (the “Staff”) released an FAQ on disclosures of conflicts related to investment adviser compensation (the “FAQ”). The FAQ specifically focused on...more
The political melee surrounding Regulation Best Interest (“Reg BI”) escalated yesterday with the filing of a lawsuit against the SEC by several state attorneys general (the “State Plaintiffs”). In their complaint, the State...more
Last week, the SEC issued guidance with respect to the proxy voting responsibilities of investment advisers (the “Proxy Guidance”). The Proxy Guidance follows on the heels of the SEC’s interpretation of the fiduciary duties...more
On July 8th, Morningstar announced changes to two forward-looking ratings systems that it uses to rate managed investments (e.g., mutual funds). One of the affected ratings systems is the Morningstar Analyst Rating, which...more
To mark the one-year anniversary of the passage of The Senior Safe Act (the “Act”), the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the North American Securities Administrators Association (“NASAA”), and the Financial...more
Regulations regarding privacy, cybersecurity and the use of technology seem to be in constant flux. Compliance consultants and vendors do their best to stay on top of them, but ultimately neither are regulated by the SEC,...more
5/30/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Cloud Storage ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Data Storage Providers ,
Investment Adviser ,
OCIE ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Popular ,
Vendors
On Monday, April 15, the New Jersey Bureau of Securities (“NJBS”) released its long-awaited proposed fiduciary rule (the “Proposed Rule”) for broker-dealers (“BDs”) and investment advisers (“IAs”).1 Key points from the Rule...more
As just about everyone who operates in the mutual fund, closed-end fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) industries knows, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), requires certain key registered...more
New Jersey released its long-awaited proposed fiduciary rule (the “Fiduciary Rule”) for broker-dealers and investment advisers. The 60-day comment period for the Fiduciary Rule began today, and will end on June 14, 2019....more
Last week FINRA issued guidance (Regulatory Notice 19-10) with respect to communications with customers about registered representatives (“RRs”) who have left a broker-dealer (the “Notice”).
With increased frequency, RRs...more
Last April, the SEC released proposed rules related to the standard of care that broker-dealers (“BDs”) owe their customers and issued proposed guidance related to the standard of care that investment advisers (“IAs”) owe...more
As we prepare for a new year of regulatory initiates and actions, we believe it is important to take inventory of the most significant regulatory events from the past year. True to its word, the SEC focused on reducing...more
1/3/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Form ADV ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investors ,
Liquidity ,
OCIE ,
Opportunity Zones ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act
On April 18, 2018, the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (the “OCIE”) released a Risk Alert on the most frequent compliance issues relating to advisory fees and expenses. As a general matter, the OCIE...more