All articles by Aaron Nicodemus – Page 35
-
Article
CHS avoids fine in SEC accounting fraud case
Minnesota-based agricultural cooperative CHS settled charges levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission that the company violated federal securities laws when it filed materially false financial statements with the agency over five years.
-
ArticleWells Fargo ordered to pay ex-manager $22M in SOX whistleblower case
Wells Fargo must pay more than $22 million to a former senior banking executive who alleged to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration they were retaliated against for blowing the whistle on financial misconduct.
-
ArticleKPMG South Africa, two partners fined $275K for using unregistered firm
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board fined KPMG South Africa and two of its partners a total of $275,000 for supervisory failures and violation of accounting rules related to the use of an unregistered accounting firm.
-
ArticleFTC sues Kochava for collecting, selling mobile phone user data
Data broker Kochava has been sued by the Federal Trade Commission for selling geolocation data on hundreds of millions of mobile phone customers that could unveil sensitive personal information without their knowledge or consent.
-
ArticleSEC reverses Clayton-era whistleblower rule changes
The Securities and Exchange Commission amended its rules to provide further incentives to whistleblowers, particularly in cases involving large payouts or multiple federal agencies.
-
ArticleLawsuit: HSBC Bank exec alleges discrimination, unauthorized WhatsApp use
Monique Thacker, a current HSBC Bank USA executive, claimed in a federal lawsuit she was discriminated and retaliated against for raising regulatory violations involving unauthorized communications by bank employees that were downplayed or ignored by management.
-
ArticleEssilor agrees to $22M settlement over kickback charges
Essilor, a manufacturer and distributor of optical lenses and equipment, will pay $22 million to settle allegations it paid kickbacks to spur sales in violation of the False Claims Act.
-
ArticleTwitter whistleblower says poor cybersecurity invites breaches, manipulation
Peiter Zatko, a former cybersecurity executive at Twitter, has blown the whistle on his observations of systemic data security lapses at the company, undercounting of fake accounts, and how the social media platform could be manipulated by foreign intelligence services.
-
ArticleCalif. health system, healthcare providers to pay $70.7M over false claims
Gold Coast Health Plan and three California county healthcare service providers will pay a total of $70.7 million to settle allegations they violated the False Claims Act regarding California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal.
-
ArticleCitigroup broker-dealer fined $15M for inadequate U.K. trade monitoring
Citigroup Global Markets was fined £12.6 million (U.S. $14.9 million) by the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority for failing to implement an adequate trade surveillance program required by British law.
-
ArticleJohn Hancock to repay $23.8M over N.Y. insurance law violations
John Hancock Life & Health Insurance Company will return a total of $23.8 million to customers and the state of New York and pay a $2.5 million fine for violations of the state’s law regarding the handling of long-term care insurance policies.
-
ArticleEagleBank fined $23M over improper lending, disclosure practices
EagleBank agreed to pay nearly $23 million in penalties for improperly loaning approximately $90 million to family trusts controlled by its former CEO over three years, then misleading investors about the loans.
-
ArticleCybersecurity, beneficial ownership lessons found in SEC fraud case
Charges levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding an international scheme in which hackers accessed online brokerage accounts to manipulate stock prices impart cybersecurity and beneficial ownership lessons for compliance professionals.
-
ArticleGoogle fined $42M for misleading Australian customers on data collection
Google was ordered to pay 60 million Australian dollars (U.S. $42 million) to resolve charges levied by Australia’s competition regulator it misled its Australian customers about how to opt out from the collection of their personal location data.
-
ArticleFTC seeks to expand authority on data breaches, commercial surveillance
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking comment on potential rules that would penalize companies that suffer data breaches due to lax cybersecurity protocols and punish firms that engage in abusive commercial surveillance practices.
-
ArticleSEC, CFTC propose large hedge funds provide more financial disclosure
The SEC and CFTC proposed expanding Form PF disclosure requirements for large hedge funds to include more information on their investment strategies, investment exposure, open positions, and borrowing arrangements with counterparties, among other areas.
-
ArticleDOJ-informed compliance guidance helps Home Depot prep for potential scrutiny
How can a company prove its compliance bona fides to a regulator, should one ever come knocking on its door? The Home Depot has prepared for such a scenario with detailed guidance pegged to the DOJ’s “Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs.”
-
Article
Benefytt to refund $100M to customers who paid for sham health plans
The Federal Trade Commission ordered Florida-based Benefytt Technologies to refund $100 million to consumers who received sham healthcare insurance plans bundled with services they did not order.
-
ArticleSenators demand answers from U.S. Bank on fake accounts scandal
Democratic senators are calling on U.S. Bank to answer questions before a Senate committee regarding an alleged fake accounts scandal the bank recently paid $37.5 million to settle.
-
ArticleMorgan Stanley reaches $200M agreement over unauthorized electronic messages
Morgan Stanley has reached agreements in principle totaling $200 million with the SEC and CFTC to settle charges its employees used messaging platforms not approved by the financial services company.


