At the end of the sorry Wirecard saga, James Freis may be one of the very few former senior employees who can hold his head high, writes Martin Woods.
Financial Services
ACAMS survey: FinCEN Files leak a positive for financial industry?
Many compliance professionals in the financial industry believe last year’s leak of 2,100 suspicious activity reports from FinCEN had an overall positive impact on global efforts to fight financial crime, according to an ACAMS survey.
SEC requests independent monitor in GPB Capital case
The SEC has requested the appointment of an independent monitor to oversee GPB Capital Holdings amid allegations the asset management firm defrauded more than 17,000 retail investors in a “Ponzi-like” scheme.
FINRA report: Top risk areas for AML, cyber-security
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has published a new report designed to help inform member firms’ compliance programs by providing annual insights from its examinations and risk monitoring programs.
Yellen, regulators say market withstood pressure from GameStop surge
A key meeting of regulators has determined the recent spike caused by Reddit users for normally tame stocks like GameStop and AMC Entertainment has not had a significant impact on the market, which Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen termed “resilient.”
SEC: GPB Capital operated ‘Ponzi-like’ scheme, retaliated against whistleblower
GPB Capital Holdings allegedly defrauded more than 17,000 retail investors in a Ponzi-like scheme, then attempted to impede an employee from blowing the whistle on the illegal practices, according to the SEC.
Goldman Sachs 1MDB fallout a case study for bonus risks
As Goldman Sachs cuts the pay of its top executives in response to more than $5 billion in penalties incurred for the 1MDB scandal, Martin Woods once again ponders whether bonuses helped facilitate the improper conduct that took place.
FDIC fines Apple Bank $12.5M for AML compliance failures
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has fined Apple Bank for Savings $12.5 million for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act related to anti-money laundering controls.
Recently penalized USAA adds chief risk officer
USAA announced the appointment of Neeraj Singh as chief risk officer nearly four months after its federal savings bank was fined $85 million by the OCC for compliance risk management failures.
More Wirecard fallout: Top brass out at German finance regulator
Continuing fallout from the Wirecard scandal has led Germany’s finance minister to oust the top two officials at the country’s financial regulator, the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin).


