PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Raising Capital 101: A Securities Podcast - What Makes it a Securities Offering?
All Things Investigations: Anchored in Fraud: Mike DeBernardis and Shayda Vance on Austal USA’s Scandal
The Legal Tightrope: Surviving Parallel Investigations
Navigating Government Contracts: Diana Shaw on Oversight and Whistleblower Protections
From Court to Code: Smart Contracts and Arbitration
Episode 335 -- The New DOJ Whistleblower Program
Navigating Emerging Privacy Issues in Financial Services — The Consumer Finance Podcast
Implications of the SEC Cybersecurity Disclosure Rule
Corruption, Crime and Compliance: SEC Suffers Dismissal of Claims in Solarwinds Securities Fraud Case
Episode 334 -- District Court Dismisses Bulk of SEC Claims Against Solarwinds
The Woody Report: The Solar Winds Dismissal
In That Case: Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy
Corruption, Crime and Compliance: Deep Dive into The SEC’s Settlement with R&R Donnelly on Cybersecurity Controls
Episode 332 -- Deep Dive into SEC’s Internal Controls and Cybersecurity Settlement with R&R Donnelly
The Justice Insiders Podcast: Jarkesy’s Implications for the Administrative State
DE Under 3: OFCCP Must Shut Down its Administrative Court Prosecutions as a Result of SCOTUS’ SEC Jury Trial Case Decision
Dogecoin’s Day in Court
Unpacking the Lummis-Gillibrand Payment Stablecoin Act: Implications for the Digital Asset Industry — The Crypto Exchange Podcast
Podcast: Is Cryptocurrency a Security (like an orange grove)?
Navigating the Regulatory Waters: The SEC's Wells Notice to Uniswap and its Impact on DeFi — The Crypto Exchange Podcast
On July 1, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced new rules for registered index-linked annuities (RILAs) and registered market-value adjustment annuities (MVAs). The new rules will significantly impact...more
Last Lap in SEC RILA Rulemaking Critical Unresolved Issues - Congress directed the SEC to adopt a new registration statement for registered indexed annuities (RILAs) by the end of June. Several months ago, the SEC...more
Recently, in response to a request from the Committee of Annuity Insurers, the staff in the Chief Counsel's Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Division of Investment Management issued a no-action letter...more
Funds Not Caged by SEC Names Rule Amendments: Roaming Room Remains - The SEC recently adopted amendments to its investment company “names” rule that apply to most SEC-registered funds, including underlying funds in which...more
Suitability in the sale of annuity products has been a topic of state regulation since at least 2003 - well before the federal focus on “Best Interest.” State insurance regulators have overseen the sale of annuities to ensure...more
Regulators Hit Jackpot: Off-Channel Communications - Several years before announcing the first “off-channel” communications enforcement action, the SEC and FINRA cautioned broker-dealers and investment advisers about...more
On July 12, the SEC adopted, on a 3–2 party line vote, so-called money market fund reforms. The reforms substitute a required redemption (liquidity) fee for proposed “swing pricing” for certain institutional money market...more
For broker-dealers distributing and selling variable annuities, examinations will test for compliance with Reg BI and FINRA Rule 2330 because both standards apply to variable annuity sales. Firms distributing and selling...more
Court Reinstates Life Insurance Company's Fraud Claims Over Defunct Laboratory - A New Jersey state appeals court reinstated Aetna Life Insurance Company’s (Aetna) fraud claims against the minority owners of the now defunct...more
SEC Divided on Securities Law Exemptions - SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce in October published an explanation of her dissent from an SEC enforcement action concerning certain collective investment vehicles established by a...more
SEC Replaces Rather than Revises - In late October, the SEC approved a wholesale replacement for the patchwork of interpretive and no-action positions it had developed over more than 40 years to regulate fund use of...more
Changes Follow 10-Year Check-Up - In the decade’s waning months, the Securities and Exchange Commission awarded the largest payout so far — $114 million — under its whistleblower program. This reflects the program’s...more
The SEC has adopted new Rule 12d1-4 under the Investment Company Act and taken other action “to streamline and enhance the regulatory framework applicable to fund of funds (FOF) arrangements.” This includes FOFs in which life...more
On March 11, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission adopted new Rule 498A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and related form and rule amendments. The new rule and amendments are intended to modernize...more
The SEC may continue to seek disgorgement of a wrongdoer’s profits, but the amount must be: - Awarded to the wrongdoer’s victims; and... - Net of the wrongdoer’s legitimate expenses....more
The SEC has approved amendments to FINRA’s corporate financing rule. The purpose of the rule is to allow FINRA to determine that public offering terms and conditions are not unfair, unreasonable, or inconsistent with FINRA...more
Any consent judgment with the SEC includes what is often called a “gag clause.” These clauses prohibit the defendant from challenging the truth of any allegation in the SEC’s complaint or making any statement that might be...more
The SEC has proposed “comprehensive modifications to the mutual fund … disclosure framework,” as highlighted below. More detailed analysis of the proposal is also available in our legal alert. See “SEC Proposes Changes to...more
On June 23, the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations issued a risk alert providing an overview of certain compliance deficiencies observed in examinations of registered investment advisers managing private...more
Mutual fund boards of directors need not meet in person to approve investment advisory contracts, Rule 12b-1 plans, or independent public accountants through December 31. ...more
Implementing all the reforms adopted by the SEC in connection with its variable insurance product summary prospectus rule (Rule 498A) is potentially a major undertaking, depending on the number and nature of an insurer’s...more
The level of attention that the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations has been giving to cybersecurity issues can hardly be overstated. ...more
As spring begins, and after many years of fertilizing and watering by industry representatives, the SEC has adopted comprehensive reforms to its disclosure requirements for variable annuities (VAs) and variable life insurance...more
On March 11, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) adopted a new prospectus disclosure framework, including new rules, rule amendments and registration statement form amendments, for...more
New Streamlined Disclosure Approach for Variable Contracts - Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted Rule 498A – the long-awaited variable contract summary prospectus rule. The new rule represents...more