Crypto has faced some tough times lately, though the kids who are among its most fervent boosters keep insisting that the value of their shiny coins will rebound in 2023. Like, for sure. Faster than you can say Winklevoss! Good times for us and the brothers must be right around the corner, right? Well, it… Read More >>
CAT Data Helps SEC Build Insider Trading Case
The ambitious, big data, securities transaction monitoring project known as the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) helped SEC officials build a case in an alleged, multi-year, insider trading scheme that yielded $47 million for the accused perpetrators, according to the SEC. “The SEC staff analyzed trading using the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) database to uncover [Alan]… Read More >>
DOL Updates ERISA Rules for ESG Investing
The U.S. Department of Labor is hoping that it is providing clarity for Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plan fiduciaries that want to make investments based upon environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns. On November 22, Labor Department officials released a final rule “by clarifying that fiduciaries may consider climate change and other environmental,… Read More >>
SEC Ratifies New Proxy-Voting Disclosure Rules
To say the least, the SEC has been busy for the past two years. Amid the flurry of new and revamped regulation was the recent adoption of “amendments to Form N-PX to enhance the information mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and certain other registered funds report about their proxy votes.” The SEC says the new rules… Read More >>
Firms Brace Themselves for SEC’s New Marketing Rule
Nearly two years ago, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unveiled major changes to the way that securities-trading firms can advertise under the Investment Advisers Act, and the “Modernized Marketing Rule” reforms take effect Friday, Nov. 4. However, the mandated changes will require “significant time and resource investment from firms,” says Bill Simpson, compliance principal… Read More >>
Credit Suisse Settles Great Recession Case for $495M
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has reached a $495 million “settlement in principle” with Credit Suisse to resolve “allegations of fraud and deceit in the sale of the toxic mortgage-backed securities,” that fueled the 2008 financial crisis. For those who might have forgotten: That was the financial crisis that rocked Wall Street at the… Read More >>
UMR May End DerivOps As We Know It
If your firm has not yet met the September 1 deadline for Phase 6 of the ongoing saga of the Uncleared Margin Rules (UMR), you are probably not reading this blog posting. You will be up to your ears in a gargantuan effort to meet the deadline or to find a legal way to sidestep… Read More >>
Form PF Gets an Overhaul via the SEC & CFTC
Form PF is experiencing growing pains after its first decade. Those firms that are required to use Form PF to report confidential information on private funds will be providing many more details if key amendments are ultimately adopted by both the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) The new… Read More >>
FINRA Fines Morgan Stanley for Faulty Research Reports
FINRA, the broker-dealer industry’s self-regulator, alleges that — in the space of less than one year — Morgan Stanley “published approximately 11,000 equity research reports that included price charts with inaccurate historical stock ratings.” Eleven thousand! Oops. FINRA hit the venerable firm, which traces its history back to 1935 and the advent of the Glass-Steagall… Read More >>
Google Cloud Tapped for Climate FinTech & Other News
MAS & Google Launch Climate FinTech Initiative The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Google Cloud report that they are launching an initiative “to drive the innovation, incubation, and scaling of climate FinTech solutions in Asia.” The Point Carbon Zero Program is “a collaboration under MAS’ Project Greenprint,” that will spur climate FinTech solutions to… Read More >>
