Payment for Order Flow (PFOF) and Gamification: Your Questions Answered
Summer Enforcement Action Review; Raising Money in a Pandemic - Investment Management Roundtable Discussion
Investment Management and Private Funds Roundtable – June 2020
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – FinTech initiatives
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – Fiduciary investment advice: The patchwork emerges
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – SEC enforcement
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – Complying with new SEC rules for broker-dealers
Investment Management Roundtable Discussion – Regulatory and Enforcement Update
Regulation Best Interest Videocast Series: Establishing An Investment Platform Post-Regulation BI
Investment Management Update - Focus on Data Privacy and Cybersecurity
The following newsletter provides a roundup summarizing enforcement actions, guidance, rulemakings, and other public statements taken by a federal and/or state financial services regulatory agency, specifically focusing on:...more
While it’s true that the recent SPAC craze has significantly cooled, there are still more than 300 SPACs searching for a deal, according to SPAC Insider. The good news for those still searching for a deal is that there isn’t...more
Trading app Robinhood, which “popularized one-click trading and helped fuel last year’s meme stock frenzy,” announced this week that it’s firing 23% of its workforce. The move comes on the heels of the company laying off 340...more
As a fitting cap to a busy month, on March 30, the SEC Division of Examinations announced its 2022 Examination Priorities. These priorities are consistent with the recent activities of the SEC more generally, as exemplified...more
In This Issue. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed rules to include certain significant market participants as “dealers” or “government securities dealers” to essentially eliminate the trader exclusion...more
A common phrase to abide by in the New Year is “out with the old, in with the new.” FINRA’s 2022 Report on its Examination and Risk Monitoring Program (the “Report”), however, contains a combination of old and new priorities....more
On February 9, FINRA published its 2022 Report on FINRA’s Examination and Risk Management Program (2022 Report), an authoritative resource for member firms to evaluate and, where necessary, enhance their compliance programs...more
FINRA adds new topics for 2022 and new material to previously covered topics. Overview - On February 9, 2022, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) published its 2022 Report on FINRA’s...more
Over the last couple of decades, the securities self-regulatory organization FINRA (f/k/a NASD) informs its membership each year of what compliance risks are noted by its examination program. Those are risks firms should...more
Takeaways - While the SPAC IPO and PIPE markets were challenging in 2021, the enormous amounts of capital already raised should drive merger activity in 2022. As more shareholders choose to redeem shares and potential...more
SPACs (special purpose acquisition companies) had a volatile year in 2021, raising more funds in the public market and doing more business combinations than ever before. After an extremely busy first quarter the pace of SPAC...more
There was no shortage of excitement and drama in the world of SPACs in 2021. The year started with IPOs of hundreds of SPACs in numbers that eclipsed everyone’s expectations. The exuberance in the SPAC market in the first...more
It is not entirely a surprise to those watching the goings-on in the SPAC market to see the recent wave of litigation against SPACs and SPAC-related deals. After all, the avalanche of SPAC IPOs that kept all financial, legal,...more
You know what the happiest animal on Earth is? It's a goldfish. Y'know why? It's got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish. During the pandemic, we have had a lot of lows, as well as a few highs. And that’s just in pop...more
So far in 2021, we have seen more than 500 Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) go public and raise more than $123 billion, and more than 160 of these “blank check firms” complete mergers with or acquisitions of...more
After a period of astounding growth in the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) market, FINRA recently joined the SEC in announcing further scrutiny of broker-dealers and their affiliates involved in SPAC offerings,...more
In This Issue. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to modernize filing fee disclosure and payment methods; the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced an examination of...more
In April 2021, the SEC released several public statements that may have begun to cool a superheated SPAC market. FINRA soon followed suit, announcing in July 2021 a regulatory sweep aimed at SPACs. Now, for the first time, a...more
While 2021 has been exceptionally lucrative for SPAC sponsors – even more so than 2020’s “Year of the SPAC” – U.S. regulators appear emphatic that 2021 be the year of SPAC supervision. In April, the SEC released guidance on...more
FINRA, the securities industry’s self-regulator, issued a sizeable $70 million fine against Robinhood Financial on Wednesday—the largest in the history of the body—as part of a settlement deal over an alleged “series of...more
In the face of volatile markets and a global pandemic, an old capital markets vehicle has been taking the markets by storm: special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). Although SPACs have been around for many years, the...more
Notwithstanding the economic difficulties following the pandemic, 2020 saw a huge increase in initial public offerings ("IPOs") and merger activity relating to "SPACs" (Special Purpose Acquisition Companies). The number of...more
Why It Matters - The 2021 Report on FINRA’s Examination and Risk Monitoring Program serves as an authoritative resource for member firms to evaluate and, where necessary, enhance their compliance programs and operations...more
In a law journal note titled “The Seller’s Curse and the Underwriter’s Pricing Pivot: A Behavioral Theory of IPO Pricing,” author Patrick Corrigan considers various theories advanced to explain IPO underpricing. Given that...more
FINRA Amendments to Rules 5130 and 5131 - The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) recently effected changes to its rules regarding the purchase, sale, allocation, and distribution of initial equity...more