The bulk of the Dodd-Frank Act was aimed at policing too-big-to-fail banks and lowering the risks that large financial institutions contribute to the financial system. But plenty of smaller companies and those far from the bustle of Wall Street are getting caught in its regulatory nets too. While new derivatives trading rules are aimed at […]
Joe Mont
Posted inFrom the Archive
SIFMA Pitches Blueprint for Volcker Rule Overhaul
The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association has responded to a call by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) for alternatives to the Volcker Rule, the long-delayed cornerstone of the Dodd-Frank Act that would ban proprietary trading by commercial banks and their affiliates and restrict their investments in hedge funds and private equity. […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
CFPB Releases New Exam Procedures for Credit Bureaus
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has made public the procedures it will use as it examines credit bureaus and other consumer reporting companies. They will serve as a field guide for CFPB examiners as they verify that consumer reporting companies are complying with their requirements under consumer protection laws. Examiners, for example, will assess whether […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Corporate Strategies for What IR Guidance to Issue Keep Evolving
In the world of investor relations, offered guidance can entail much more than just communicating earnings-per-share expectations. The “level of nuance in how each organization issues, or does not issue, guidance is considerable,” says a new study by the National Investor Relations Institute. The “Guidance Practices and Preferences 2012 Survey Report” released this week by […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
U.K. Regulator Targets Sales Incentives for Financial Products
The Financial Services Authority, the regulator of financial services in the U.K., kick-started an initiative to curb questionable sales incentives that hype niche financial products of dubious value to many consumers. A similar crackdown is already underway in the U.S. as well. In July, in the U.S., the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau leveled its first […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Consumer Groups Slam SEC Vote, Seek Form D Changes
When the Securities and Exchange Commission last week approved a proposed rule to eliminate the current prohibition against general solicitation and advertising for private securities offerings, the move was applauded by those in the financial community who saw the move as long overdue. The proposed exemptions, mandated by the JOBS Act, focus on amendments to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Reactions Mixed on SEC Proposal on Marketing of Private Placements
What would an advertising jingle for a securities offering sound like? We may soon find out. The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed changes to the securities rules last week that will eliminate the current prohibition against general solicitation and advertising for private securities offerings. While companies have generally supported the idea, some securities firms and […]
Posted inEthics & Culture
What the Sports World Can Teach About Compliance
Compliance officers love to clip stories from newspapers and send links to articles about compliance lapses at other companies to remind executives of the risks that lurk below the surface. There’s been no shortage of examples of compliance problems at companies large and small lately, but there’s another source of cases of compelling compliance failures that […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Registration Fee for Securities to Spike
The Securities and Exchange Commission has announced that the fees public companies and other issuers pay to register their securities will spike by more than 19 percent, up to $136.40 per million dollars, on Oct. 1. The current fee is $114.60 per million dollars. Securities laws require the Commission to make annual adjustments to its […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
CFTC’s Chilton Pushes New Protections for Futures Investors
While many in Washington were packing their bags for a long weekend, Commodity Futures Trading Commission Commissioner Bart Chilton took an opportunity to lay out his agenda. In a prepared statement issued on Friday afternoon, he suggested various action items he thinks the Commission should tackle in the months ahead. “Our staff has worked diligently […]
