In a recent decision, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed a proposed class action against Seeking Alpha, Inc., ruling that the financial content platform falls within the "publisher's...more
Katten's Privacy, Data and Cybersecurity Quick Clicks is a monthly newsletter highlighting the latest news and legal developments involving privacy, data and cybersecurity issues across the globe....more
On May 16, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unanimously approved amendments to Regulation S-P, which imposes new rules relating to cybersecurity breaches involving investment advisers and brokers. Larger entities...more
On February 6, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted two new rules that expand who may be considered a dealer or a government securities dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended...more
FINRA Updates its Sweep on Social Media Influencers, Customer Acquisition and Related Information Protection -
On February 28, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) provided an update for its sweep on Social...more
SEC Announces Inspection Priorities for 2023 -
On February 7, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced its inspection priorities for the current year. The announcement began by noting that the SEC examined 15...more
2/22/2023
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fund Managers ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Whistleblowers
Additional Requirements to Go Into Effect June 9, 2023 -
As we discussed in our March 3 Advisory, on October 27, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced revisions (the 2021 Revisions) to its information...more
On March 30, the SEC released comprehensive proposals for rule changes that would materially expand the liability regime for SPAC transactions, including by limiting the availability of a commonly used safe harbor for...more
Key Points -
- New proposed SEC rules would expand who may be considered a dealer or a government securities dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
- If the proposed new rules are adopted, a large group of...more
On February 9, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted to propose new rule 206(4)-9 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (Advisers Act) and 38a-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (collectively...more
Investment advisers that manage private funds should promptly review their compliance policies and procedures, practices and disclosures to ensure these address, and are not inconsistent with, the areas of concern raised in a...more
On February 9, by a vote of three to one, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed five sweeping new rules governing private funds. The comment period on the proposal expires 60 days from February 9 or 30 days...more
Key Points -
Effective as of August 16, the dollar amount tests specified in the definition of “Qualified Client” in Rule 205-3 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (Advisers Act) will increase for the net-worth...more
The recent defaults by Archegos caused several large broker-dealers to incur significant losses. Archegos represented that it operated as a single-family office, which made it exempt from many provisions of the federal...more
Key Points -
- Beginning February 1, new and amended rules will go into effect in New York that require certain individuals associated with investment advisers to register with the state and to meet examination...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission issued a proposed order that, if adopted, would provide an exemption to certain "finders," persons who connect potential buyers and sellers of securities for a fee, from broker-dealer...more
Key Points -
- The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) recently released a Risk Alert warning investment advisers, broker-dealers, investment companies,...more
Key Points -
- Recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement actions against investment advisers and fund managers point to continued pressure points in the areas of conflicts of interest and disclosures to...more
KEY POINTS -
- Amendments to FINRA Rules 5130 and 5131, which govern the offer and sale of "New Issue" securities went into effect on January 1.
- FINRA Rule 5130 prohibits a broker-dealer from selling New Issues to...more
1/10/2020
/ Amended Rules ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Business Development Companies ,
Charitable Organizations ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Sovereigns ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Portfolio Managers ,
Regulation S ,
Retirement Plan ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Proposes New Amendments to Modernize Shareholder Proposal Rules -
On November 5, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted to propose amendments to Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange of 1934...more
11/11/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Governance ,
Derivatives ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Investment Adviser ,
No-Action Letters ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Rule 14a-8 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
UK Brexit
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Adopts Additional Rules for Security-Based Swaps -
On June 21, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a panoply of final rules dealing with the following
aspects of the regulation of...more
7/1/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Cross-Border ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Instruments ,
Investment Adviser ,
MSBSPs ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Security-Based Swaps ,
Stand-Alone SBSDs ,
Swap Dealers ,
Swaps
BROKER-DEALER -
SEC Adopts Rules and Interpretations To Enhance Protections and Preserve Choice for Retail Investors -
On June 5, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted to adopt a package of rules and...more
6/10/2019
/ Best Interest Standard ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Derivatives ,
Economic Growth Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
ISDA ,
NASAA ,
New Rules ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On April 30, 2019, US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit decided an important case involving the disclosure obligations of investment advisers. The case decided that an adviser’s disclosure that it “may” have a conflict of...more
5/16/2019
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Form ADV ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Mutual Funds ,
Negligence ,
Revenue Sharing ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On December 7, FINRA published its Report on 2018 Examination Findings1 (the "Report"). This is the second year that FINRA issued a summary of its observations from recent examinations. This Report, read in conjunction with...more
12/21/2018
/ Annual Reports ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
ETFs ,
Exchange-Traded Products ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
MSRB ,
Private Placements ,
REIT ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Supervision
On September 26, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged a dually registered broker-dealer and investment adviser (the "Registrant") with deficient cybersecurity procedures. This is the first SEC action alleging...more