BlueCrest Capital Management has settled charges via the SEC that it failed its investors by assigning its best human traders to a proprietary hedge fund while its external investors were serviced by an allegedly mediocre algorithm. The U.S. regulator reports that the hedge fund “has agreed to pay $170 million to settle charges arising from… Read More >>
ICE Unit Settles Charges of Failed Pricing Compliance
A securities pricing subsidiary of the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has settled with the SEC over charges that it should have done a better job of vetting certain prices that were based on data from single broker market participants. The wholly-owned subsidiary, ICE Data Pricing and Reference Data (PRD), which is also a registered investment adviser,… Read More >>
Clayton to Step Down as SEC Chairman
SEC Chairman Walter Joseph “Jay” Clayton III confirmed earlier this week that he will be stepping down from his post by the end of December instead of June 2021, paving the way for President-Elect Joe Biden to appoint a successor in time for the start of the new administration. When he steps down, Clayton, a… Read More >>
Goldman Sachs Admits Guilt in Foreign Bribery Case
Goldman Sachs is admitting guilt and paying a fine of $2.9 billion for its role in a scandal that saw officials from the firm bribing Malaysian and Abu Dhabi officials from 2009 to 2014 in order to secure ongoing business for the multinational investment bank. After much negotiation, the firm has begun to resolve the… Read More >>
Private Equity Firm to Buy AxiomSL
AxiomSL to Expand Offerings via Takeover A cloud-based risk management and regulatory solutions vendor AxiomSL has agreed to be taken over by Thoma Bravo, a private equity firm specializing in the software and technology-enabled services sectors, so that it can grow its customer base and expand its offerings. AxiomSL serves banks, investment management firms, broker-dealers,… Read More >>
Spoofing Cases Yield a Record Fine & Convictions
False trade orders that spur sharp market price reactions before they disappear — otherwise known as “spoof orders” — have the full attention of authorities as evidenced by a recent record fine against JPMorgan, and the conviction of two former traders at Deutsche Bank. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has agreed to pay nearly one billion… Read More >>
Kroll Settles CMBS, CLO Ratings Case for $2M
The Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) has settled with the SEC over allegations that the ratings company had problems with the internal controls governing the rating of commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), and of collateralized loan obligation combination notes (CLO Combo Notes). KBRA has agreed to pay more than $2 million to settle the charges. “KBRA… Read More >>
Credit Suisse Securities Settles Another Blue-Sheets Case
Are blue sheets difficult to file correctly? The question arises because Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC has been fined $600,000 for “failure to submit to the [Securities and Exchange] Commission true and complete data in response to Commission staff electronic blue sheets (‘EBS’) requests, resulting in the reporting of EBS that was incomplete or deficient.”… Read More >>
Start-Up MEMX Launches Live Equities Trading
Members Exchange Trades in Seven Symbols A securities exchange start-up, the Members Exchange (MEMX) launched live trading via the U.S. equity market on Sept. 21, the first phase of MEMX’s rollout schedule. “A quick update on our first day of trading,” wrote Jonathan Kellner, CEO of MEMX, in a blog posting. “We executed our first… Read More >>
Interactive Brokers Settles SARs & AML Cases for $38M
Interactive Brokers (IB) will be writing several checks and money orders as it pays $38 million in penalties to three industry regulators for alleged failures in filing Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs), and anti-money laundering (AML) controls — a clear sign that authorities are cracking down on the obligation to monitor suspicious activity. The SEC is… Read More >>
