Key Points - On February 13, 2024, FinCEN issued an NPRM that seeks to include certain investment advisers in the definition of “financial institution” under the BSA. As described in the NPRM as well as in FinCEN’s fact...more
2/16/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Chief Compliance Officers ,
Due Diligence ,
Exempt Reporting Advisers (ERAs) ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investors ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Risk Assessment ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)
Key Points -
Last week, the SEC announced settlements with 10 broker-dealers and affiliated investment advisers in connection with their failures to maintain and preserve electronic “off-channel” communications....more
Investment Advisers: Assessing Risks, Scoping Examinations, and Requesting Documents*
I. Introduction -
The SEC-registered investment adviser (“adviser”) population is large and diverse, ranging from global asset managers...more
9/12/2023
/ Audits ,
Brokerage Accounts ,
Business Operations ,
Compliance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Ethics ,
Financial Records ,
Insider Trading ,
Internal Controls ,
Investment Adviser ,
Marketing ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Risk Alert ,
Risk Management ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trading Platforms ,
Valuation
On June 8, 2023, the SEC Division of Examinations staff (EXAMS) published a risk alert focused on the new Marketing Rule (Rule 206(4)-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940). While this new risk alert largely mirrors...more
Private funds should be prepared for increased oversight from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), following a landmark year of enforcement cases. In 2021, the Commission brought 159 enforcement actions against...more
2/3/2022
/ Enforcement Actions ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Form PF ,
Fund Managers ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Private Equity ,
Private Funds ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations
On August 30, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced three enforcement actions against registered investment advisers for alleged cybersecurity failures involving cloud-based email systems. All three actions...more
- The OCIE of the SEC highlights that responses to COVID-19 present important regulatory and compliance issues for SEC registrants, including “heightened risks of misconduct” tied to recent market volatility.
- The Risk...more
8/21/2020
/ Asset Management ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
Business Operations ,
Compliance ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Fees ,
Financial Transactions ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Fraud ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
OCIE ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Popular ,
Remote Working ,
Risk Alert ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Supervision
- On June 23, 2020, the SEC and OCIE issued its latest Risk Alert describing common deficiencies it has observed in recent examinations of registered investment advisers that manage private equity funds or hedge funds.
-...more
7/6/2020
/ Conflicts of Interest ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fees ,
Hedge Funds ,
Investment Management ,
Non-Public Information ,
OCIE ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Risk Alert ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- DOJ’s update offers additional insights into its approach to evaluating corporate compliance programs.
- The update places emphasis on compliance programs that are continuously improving, data driven and supported with...more
6/12/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Chief Compliance Officers ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Due Diligence ,
Mergers ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Third-Party Risk
• On May 23, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) issued a Risk Alert describing its observations in past examinations of weaknesses and best practices...more
5/29/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Cloud Storage ,
Customer Information ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Data Storage Providers ,
Identity Theft ,
Identity Theft Red Flags Rule ,
Investment Adviser ,
OCIE ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Regulation S-ID ,
Regulation S-P ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Alert ,
Safeguards Rule ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Third-Party Service Provider ,
Vendors
• The SEC released a Risk Alert summarizing key areas in which it continues to see compliance deficiencies related to Regulation S-P, the primary SEC rule regarding privacy notices and safeguard policies of investment...more
4/29/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Customer Information ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Security ,
Employee Training ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Investment Adviser ,
Notice Requirements ,
OCIE ,
Opt-Outs ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Popular ,
Privacy Policy ,
Regulation S-P ,
Risk Alert ,
Safeguards Rule ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Vendors
• On December 14, the SEC’s OCIE issued a Risk Alert summarizing the findings of its limited-scope examination initiative relating to electronic messaging.
• Noting a “pervasive use” of electronic messaging by adviser...more
12/18/2018
/ Best Practices ,
Books & Records ,
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) ,
Cybersecurity ,
Electronic Communications ,
Email Policies ,
Employee Training ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
New Guidance ,
OCIE ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Risk Alert ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Text Messages
• The SEC issued guidance in the form of a rare “21(a) report” this week after investigating a series of email frauds impacting 9 unnamed companies.
• These email-based frauds, referred to as “CEO scams” or “vendor scams,”...more
10/19/2018
/ Accounting Controls ,
Business E-Mail Compromise (BEC) ,
CEOs ,
Corporate Finance ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Email ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Internal Controls ,
New Guidance ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Scams ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Spoofing ,
Wire Fraud