Last week the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged KBR, Inc., a Houston-based technology and engineering firm with violating whistleblower protection Rule 21F-17 enacted under the Dodd-Frank Act. According to the SEC, KBR used “improperly restrictive language in confidentiality agreements … Read More
Over the past few years, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has made it very clear that bringing enforcement actions for misconduct remains one of its top priorities. In 2014, the SEC reported having charged 80 people in cases involving … Read More
A few weeks ago, we wrote a blog highlighting the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s (“MSRB”) proposal for professional qualification standards for municipal advisors Well, the qualification standards are no longer a proposal. Today, the Securities & Exchange Commission (“SEC”) approved the … Read More
A Colorado-based pyramid and Ponzi scheme that boasts returns of 700 percent has been charged with fraud by the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Since April 2014, Kristin Johnson and Troy Barnes who operated under “The Achieve Community,” … Read More
Last month, Core Compliance & Legal Services, Inc. (“Core Compliance”) published its monthly Risk Management Update (“RMU”), written by Managing Director, Consultation Services, Tina Mitchell. Ms. Mitchell’s RMU, titled Valuation – What Investment Advisers Should Know, provides an overview of … Read More
This week the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE”) released its latest Risk Alert: Cybersecurity Examination Sweep Summary. A focused examination of over 100 registered broker-dealers and advisers was conducted to “better understand how broker-dealers and advisers address … Read More
Individuals who perform “municipal advisory activities, such as providing financial advice to state and local governments on municipal bond issuances” may soon be required to be licensed by passing a basic competency exam. During their recent quarterly board meeting, the … Read More
It’s no secret that 2014 was the “year of the hacker”. Huge companies like JP Morgan and Apple were the victims of cybersecurity breaches that affected thousands of consumers. In an effort to reduce these attacks, both the Securities … Read More
In the last Core Compliance blog post, we highlighted our 2015 Compliance Predictions, shortly before the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) released the National Examination Program’s priorities for 2015. The list, which is relatively short compared to previous years’, … Read More
Happy New Year! With 2014 behind us and 2015 charging full steam ahead, the Core Compliance team wants to share a few of our 2015 compliance predictions. Increase Use of Technology Based on 2014’s results, we believe the Securities and … Read More