The Power of Lawyer Letters
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: A Deep Dive into Mass Mailings by Debt Relief Law Firms
Two weeks ago, this Blog wrote about an enforcement action involving an investment adviser’s former co-chief investment officer who had been charged with running a more than $600 million cherry-picking scheme (here). Today,...more
Who may be interested: Investment Advisers; Compliance Staff - Quick Take: The SEC announced that it had settled charges against a registered investment adviser (Adviser) for failing to establish, maintain, and enforce...more
In June 2024, multiple state regulators took joint action against Plutus Financial, Inc (Abra) ordering Abra to cease and desist certain operations in the U.S. and reimburse customers of virtual assets valued at $81.1 million...more
Generally speaking, investigatory procedures, including use of compulsory process, may be used by Federal Trade Commission (FTC) attorneys in connection with the spectrum of activities that the agency is authorized or...more
In December 2023, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) finalized amendments to its rules on official FDIC signage, bank advertisements, deposit insurance misrepresentations, and the misuse of the FDIC’s name or...more
We have often written about the SEC’s whistleblower program and, in particular, the success of the program with respect to detecting and preventing violations of the federal securities laws. The success of the program...more
Who may be interested: Investment Advisers. Quick Take: The SEC recently settled charges with nine investment advisers related to their use of hypothetical performance information on their websites without adopting or...more
Recently, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced charges against an investment adviser (the “Adviser”) for using hypothetical performance metrics in advertisements that were misleading pursuant to...more
Who may be interested: Registered Investment Companies; Registered Investment Advisers; Boards of Directors; Compliance Staff. Quick Take: The SEC recently settled charges against a registered investment adviser (Adviser)...more
Who may be interested: Registered Investment Advisers, Mutual Funds, Compliance Officers - Quick Take: The SEC settled charges against two affiliated registered investment advisers, alleging that the advisers failed to...more
Case Overview - This week’s U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement cease-and-desist order (Order) In re App Annie Inc., out of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office, underscores the importance of taking...more
Tracking the key areas of concern to SEC enforcement can be beneficial for issuers, investment advisers and others that may be subject to scrutiny by the Commission. For example, identifying key areas of focus by determining...more
A settlement last week involving a private equity fund sponsor is a reminder that compliance with fee calculation provisions and valuation policies and procedures are crucially important for fund managers. Even when an error...more
On August 20, 2019, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a cease-and-desist order against TherapeuticsMD, a pharmaceutical company, finding that it violated Regulation FD and Exchange Act Section 13(a),...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced on July 2, 2018, that The Dow Chemical Company had agreed to a cease and desist order and to pay a $1.75 million penalty for failing to disclose certain expenses as...more
It is important for registered investment advisers to determine if the correct workers – regardless of employee or consultant labels — have been designated as Access Persons. Originally published as a guest post on Hedge...more
I have been exploring the PTC Inc. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) settlement this week. It included a Non-Prosecution Agreement (NPA) from the Department of Justice (DOJ) with two Chinese subsidiaries and a Cease and...more
On September 22, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and R.T. Jones Capital Equities Management, Inc. (“R.T. Jones”), a St. Louis-based investment adviser, settled charges that R.T. Jones failed to adopt...more
Highlights Areas of High Risk and Examination Priorities for Financial Industry Firms - On September 15, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Office of Compliance, Inspections and Examinations (OCIE),...more
In recent years, the SEC has been focused on cybersecurity. It has issued risk alerts, conducted examinations and provided guidance about what the agency sees as widespread weaknesses in many policies and procedures to...more