Crypto asset trading platform Bittrex Inc. and its co-founder and former CEO, William Shihara, have settled with the SEC and will pay $24 million in disgorgement, interest, and penalties over allegations that the platform was functioning as an unregistered national exchange, broker, and clearing agency although the defendants neither admit nor deny the SEC’s allegations…. Read More >>
Wedbush Pays $16M to Resolve Recordkeeping Problems
Accusations don’t equal proof of guilt. Lawyers for a certain much-indicted ex-president will tell you that. However, multiple accusations by credible accusers aren’t a particularly good look, whether for a politician or a registered futures commission merchant. Which brings us to Wedbush Securities. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) recently ordered Los Angeles-based Wedbush Securities… Read More >>
SEC Wants to Rein In Predictive Analytics
The SEC has approved a proposal that attempts to control firms’ usage of predictive data analytics and it has opened a new rift as key commissioners say the regulator is overreaching and preventing investors from benefitting from new technology all in the name of preventing firms from putting their interests first. The new rules under consideration, which… Read More >>
SEC to Broker-Dealers: Tighten Up AML Controls
Do the SEC and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) need to tighten up anti-money-laundering (AML) and countering-the-financing-of-terrorism (CFT) requirements? You don’t need to know the lyrics to “Tighten Up,” by Houston’s Archie Bell & the Drells, to puzzle out the answer. It does. The SEC’s Division of Examinations (a.k.a. EXAMS) oversees broker-dealers and… Read More >>
SEC Revamps Rules for Money Market Fund Liquidity
The SEC is changing key rules governing how money market funds are handled during times of market stress and is imposing increases in minimum liquidity requirements to “provide a more substantial buffer” amid rapid redemptions, according to the regulator. However, as the 3-2 vote of the commissioners reflects there is controversy over these amendments of… Read More >>
Merrill Lynch Pays $12M to Resolve SAR Charges
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. and its parent company BAC North America Holding Co. (BACNAH) have settled with the SEC and FINRA over charges that the broker-dealer failed to file approximately 1,500 Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) from 2009 to late 2019, resulting in penalties and fines totaling $12 million. The SAR shortcomings came… Read More >>
Marcum Settles Alleged SPAC Audit Failures for $13M
If you’re a firm that specializes in auditing other firms, shouldn’t your first duty be to ensure that your audits are accurate? Or should your first duty be to ensure your own growth? The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has the obvious answer. The SEC has charged Marcum LLP, the audit firm in question,… Read More >>
Confluence Technologies Unveils TSR Tool & Other News
New Tool Helps Firms Meet SEC Rule Confluence Technologies has unveiled “Confluence Unity Rex,” which it says is a tool that will help firms comply with the SEC’s Tailored Shareholder Reports (TSR) rule. The solution provider says that Confluence Unity Rex “mines and pinpoints discrepancies in language and numeric information between financial reports,” and that… Read More >>
PIMCO Settles Disclosure & Procedure Case for $9M
Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (PIMCO) has agreed to a $9 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over two enforcement actions concerning alleged disclosure violations and policies and procedures woes directly related to two funds that the bond giant oversees. “In the first action, the SEC found that, from September 2014 to… Read More >>
Should Congress Fire Gary Gensler?
To say the least, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as led by the controversial Gary Gensler has been busy since the start of the Biden administration. Some people in the securities industry applaud Chair Gensler’s accelerated initiatives while others are up in arms. In particular, Gensler has raised the stakes recently with his dramatic… Read More >>
