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DHS designates three Chinese companies for Uyghur forced labor
The Department of Homeland Security designated three companies to a growing list accused by the Biden administration of forced labor practices in the Xinjiang region of China.
Cybersecurity firm Intrusion to settle SEC fraud claims
Texas-based cybersecurity company Intrusion was charged with fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding alleged materially false and misleading statements made by its former chief executive.
Ex-Marcum partner suspended by SEC over Ault Alliance work
A former engagement quality review partner at Marcum agreed to pay a $30,000 penalty and be suspended as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission addressing alleged violations of audit standards in his work at diversified holding company Ault Alliance.
Deloitte Colombia fined $900K by PCAOB for quality control violations
A Colombian affiliate of Big Four audit firm Deloitte agreed to pay $900,000 as part of a settlement with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board addressing alleged quality control lapses that occurred during the 2016 audit of a bank.
FinCEN proposes beneficial ownership reporting extension for 2024 companies
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network announced a notice of proposed rulemaking to extend the deadline for companies created or registered in 2024 to file their initial beneficial ownership information reports.
Bruderman Asset Management dinged $250K by SEC over disclosure lapses
The Securities and Exchange Commission ordered New York-based investment adviser Bruderman Asset Management and its principal to pay a total of $250,000 over their alleged failure to disclose misuse of profits raised from clients.
Citigroup unit to pay $8.3M in FINRA partial tender offer case
A broker-dealer affiliate of Citi agreed to pay nearly $8.3 million as part of a settlement with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority addressing allegations the firm overtendered shares in partial tender offers and received millions in ill-gotten gains.
SEC orders AssetMark to pay $18M in conflicts of interest case
Investment adviser AssetMark agreed to pay more than $18 million to settle allegations by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding undisclosed conflicts of interest involving its affiliate’s cash sweep program and its revenue-sharing arrangements with third parties.
Hyzon Motors fined $25M by SEC for alleged fraud
Hyzon Motors, a global supplier of hydrogen fuel cell-powered heavy vehicles, was assessed a $25 million penalty by the Securities and Exchange Commission in agreeing to settle charges it and its former executives misled investors regarding the sales of its vehicles.
BDO fined $2M by PCAOB for estimate evaluation lapses
BDO was assessed a $2 million penalty as part of a settlement with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board addressing alleged failures in the firm’s audit work at defunct healthcare services provider AAC Holdings.
Lawsuit: Ex-Payqwick CCO fired, retaliated against for raising alarm
The ex-chief compliance officer at Payqwick, a California-based money transmitter that serviced the cannabis industry, is suing her former employer alleging wrongful termination and whistleblower retaliation over lax disclosures related to an acquisition.
JPMorgan to pay $75M in latest Epstein-related settlement
JPMorgan Chase agreed to pay $75 million as part of a settlement with the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands regarding the bank’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Assessing the value of COSO sustainability reporting guidance
Companies that haven’t yet set up verifiable reporting in their sustainability programs have a ready reference available in the framework put out by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, experts discussed at CW’s virtual ESG Summit.
Carl M. Hennig dinged by SEC over Reg BI lapses
Wisconsin-based broker-dealer Carl M. Hennig agreed to pay a $50,000 fine to settle allegations by the Securities and Exchange Commission it failed to comply with Regulation Best Interest.
GTT Communications spared fine in SEC disclosure failure case
GTT Communications, a provider of telecommunications and internet services, avoided a civil penalty in reaching a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission addressing alleged disclosure failures over more than a two-year period.
SEC obtains judgment against J.H. Darbie in SARs reporting case
New York-based brokerage firm J.H. Darbie & Co. consented to pay a $125,000 penalty to resolve charges levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission that the firm failed to report suspicious activity regarding penny stock transactions.
Deutsche Bank unit fined $25M in ESG, AML settlements
DWS Investment Management Americas agreed to pay $25 million in penalties across separate settlements with the Securities and Exchange Commission addressing alleged misstatements in environmental, social, and governance investments and anti-money laundering violations.
Startup or established: Common denominators of corporate ESG strategy
A pair of experts from vastly different companies swapped notes on how to scaffold and structure an environmental, social, and governance program at CW’s virtual ESG Summit.
American Infrastructure Funds to pay $1.6M over fiduciary duty breaches
California-based investment adviser American Infrastructure Funds agreed to pay more than $1.6 million to settle charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding multiple breaches of its fiduciary duty to clients.
3M to pay $9.6M over Iran sanctions lapses
The Office of Foreign Assets Control ordered multinational conglomerate 3M to pay more than $9.6 million over apparent Iran sanctions violations by its subsidiary and a U.S. employee of a separate subsidiary.
Citadel Securities fined $7M for mismarked short, long sales
Miami-based broker-dealer Citadel Securities was fined $7 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission addressing mismarked short and long sales caused by a coding error in the firm’s automated trading system.
Goldman Sachs fined $6M by SEC over admitted data inaccuracies
Goldman Sachs & Co. was assessed a $6 million penalty by the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of a settlement in which the financial institution admitted it submitted incomplete and inaccurate securities trading information affecting at least 163 million transactions.
Emigrant Bank to pay $32K in Iran sanctions case
New York-based Emigrant Bank agreed to pay nearly $32,000 as part of a settlement with the Office of Foreign Assets Control addressing apparent sanctions violations regarding an account it maintained for a pair of Iranian residents.
Experts: How ESG materiality assessments impact compliance
Transparency in environmental, social, and governance reporting has become an important goal, with materiality assessments impacting compliance outcomes, experts said during CW’s virtual ESG Summit.
DOJ official: Compliance must have ‘prominent seat’ at M&A decision table
The Department of Justice is gearing up to provide more guidance on voluntary self-disclosures in the mergers and acquisitions space and the role compliance should play.
StoneX admits disclosure, supervision lapses in $650K CFTC settlement
Chicago-based swap dealer StoneX Markets agreed to pay $650,000 as part of a settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission addressing admitted disclosure and supervision failures.
Bank privacy processes questioned after U.K. ‘debanking’ scandal
The furor over NatWest Group’s decision to monitor and close the account of right-wing Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage—and then disclose the details to a journalist—has raised questions regarding whether other banks employ the same means to get rid of undesirable customers.
Path to ESG assurance a crawl-walk-run exercise
It’s important companies exercise patience when determining when to begin an assurance engagement, experts explained during a session at CW’s virtual ESG Summit.
Scope 3 emissions best practices: Be transparent, thorough
There is much companies can do—and must do, given upcoming regulatory requirements—to rein in Scope 3 emissions, sustainability expert Susan McNichols discussed at CW’s virtual ESG Summit.
SEC adopts revised fund name requirements
The Securities and Exchange Commission adopted amendments to its rule covering fund names to ensure the regulation is appropriate to address new investment drivers, namely environmental, social, and governance matters.
CFPB warns lenders on use of AI in credit denial process
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warned lenders using artificial intelligence in credit denials that consumers must receive accurate and specific reasoning—and not checklists—for why a credit request was denied.
Survey: Tech gaps, third parties pose biggest ABAC threats
A recent survey conducted by Compliance Week and Morgan Lewis determined areas of insufficient resource support to combat bribery and corruption, along with trends in third-party due diligence.
SEC: Investment adviser to sanctioned Russian oligarch failed to register
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against New York-based Concord Management and its owner for operating as an unregistered investment adviser to a lone client: a sanctioned Russian oligarch.
Experts: SEC or not, Scope 3 GHG disclosure requirements coming
The actions of companies like Amazon and new legislation passed in California prove it’s no longer a question of if companies will be required to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions—it’s a question of when, experts told attendees at CW’s virtual ESG Summit.
PCAOB proposal increases stakes on auditor negligence
Rule amendments proposed by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board would enable the agency to penalize individual auditors more easily when their conduct is deemed to have contributed to violations by their firms.
CBRE unit fined $375K over violating whistleblower protections
Commercial real estate services and investment firm CBRE agreed to pay $375,000 to settle allegations by the Securities and Exchange Commission that its separation agreements violated whistleblower protections.
SEC fines registered rep for causing firm’s SARs filing lapses
A registered representative at an unnamed brokerage firm will pay $20,000 to settle charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission that he failed to notify the firm’s anti-money laundering department of apparent suspicious transactions.
FinCEN publishes beneficial ownership guidance for small businesses
Nearly three months from the effective date of its beneficial ownership reporting rule, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network released guidance for small businesses to determine whether they must comply and what information they might be required to provide.
Lyft fined $10M for not disclosing board member’s role in pre-IPO stock sale
Ridesharing company Lyft agreed to pay a $10 million penalty to settle allegations by the Securities and Exchange Commission it failed to disclose a pre-initial public offering stock deal that netted a member of its board millions of dollars.
Ex-Wells Fargo exec dodges prison for fake accounts role
Carrie Tolstedt, the former head of Wells Fargo’s community bank who pleaded guilty to obstructing justice regarding her role in the bank’s infamous fake accounts scandal, will not serve prison time.
Experts: Lawsuit against SEC’s private fund rules unlikely to cause delay
A lawsuit filed by industry groups alleging the Securities and Exchange Commission overstepped its authority when it passed new rules for private fund advisers is unlikely to stop their implementation, according to experts.
CPPA eyeing broad scope in early discussions around data risk assessments
Draft risk assessment regulations under the California Consumer Privacy Act are designed to prohibit businesses from handling consumer data if uncontrolled risks—to the security and privacy of the consumer, the public, or the business—outweigh the benefits.
TikTok fined $368M in children’s privacy GDPR ruling
The Irish Data Protection Commission announced a penalty of €345 million (U.S. $368 million) against popular social media company TikTok over alleged violations of the General Data Protection Regulation during a five-month period in 2020.
FinCEN fines P.R.-based Bancredito $15M in landmark AML action
Puerto Rico-based Bancrédito International Bank and Trust Corporation was assessed a $15 million penalty by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network for admitted violations of the Bank Secrecy Act regarding suspicious activity monitoring and anti-money laundering compliance.
Google to pay $93M in California location data settlement
Google agreed to pay $93 million as part of a settlement with the state of California regarding its location data privacy practices. The agreement is separate from a related $391.5 million settlement Google previously reached with a coalition of other states.
New OFAC sanctions expand clamps on Russia tech supply chain
The Office of Foreign Assets Control widened its area of focus to disrupt Russia’s technology supply chain with new sanctions announced against entities in Finland and Turkey.
Big Tech wants AI ‘referee,’ but lawmakers differ on approach to regs
Federal lawmakers shined a spotlight on artificial intelligence this week, raising the possibility that Congress will—eventually—legislate some controls on the burgeoning technology should middle ground be found.
Lessons learned from FCA case against CFP Management MLRO
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s decision notice against the money laundering reporting officer of CFP Management sends a strong message to the financial industry, particularly those who work in senior management functions or hold oversight responsibilities.
Dermatology manager to pay $8.9M in self-reported false claims case
Oliver Street Dermatology Management, doing business as U.S. Dermatology Partners, agreed to pay nearly $8.9 million to settle allegations by the Department of Justice regarding apparent violations of the False Claims Act.
SEC’s Gensler mum on timing of climate rule, says ‘important issues’ around Scope 3 requirements
Gary Gensler, despite being put on the spot by a member of Congress, declined to provide an update on when the Securities and Exchange Commission might approve its climate-related disclosure rule for public companies.
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