All articles by Jaclyn Jaeger – Page 104
-
Blog
SciClone Could Pay SEC $12.8 Million in FCPA Case
SciClone Pharmaceuticals has disclosed in a quarterly report that it’s discussing a tentative $12.8 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve an investigation of potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act with respect to its China operations. Details inside.
-
Blog
FTC Issues First-Ever Guidance on Unfair Competition
After more than 100 years, it has finally happend: the Federal Trade Commission has published guidance on what it considers “unfair” competition. The pronouncement is a welcome development for companies, as they now have at least some idea as to what activity could potentially result in a FTC investigation. More ...
-
Blog
Edward Jones to Pay $20M for Overcharging Customers in Municipal Bond Sales
The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged brokerage firm Edward Jones and the former head of its municipal underwriting desk have agreed to settle charges that they overcharged customers in new municipal bonds sales. It’s the SEC’s first case against an underwriter for pricing-related fraud in the primary market for ...
-
Blog
Benchmark Report Shows Latest Trends in Training Programs
A new report conducted by NAVEX Global offers fresh benchmarking data for ethics and compliance officers looking to see how their training program, objectives, and challenges compare to their peers. Among the findings: employee cynicism and fear of retaliation for speaking up about misconduct are the top two challenges to ...
-
Blog
New U.K. Crime Unit to Investigate Corruption Affecting Developing Countries
Image: The U.K.’s Department for International Development is stepping up its efforts to investigate cases of international corruption affecting developing countries through a new specialist unit launched by International Development Secretary Justine Greening. “Through the international corruption unit, the best of British law enforcement will step up our aid work ...
-
Blog
Former Wells Fargo Compliance Officer Wins SEC Case
A former compliance officer of Wells Fargo Advisors who faced an enforcement action by the Securities and Exchange Commission last year for allegedly altering a document before it was provided to the SEC during an investigation has won dismissal of her case. “Wells Fargo clearly had much deeper and more ...
-
Blog
NCR Dodges FCPA Enforcement Action by SEC
NCR, an automated-teller machine company, recently announced that the Securities and Exchange Commission has decided not to recommend an enforcement action against it in connection with a previously disclosed investigation into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The allegations related to the company’s compliance with the FCPA and ...
-
Blog
Vantage Drilling Company Self-Reports FCPA Probe
Offshore drilling contractor, Vantage Drilling Company, announced this month in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it has launched an internal investigation into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Vantage said it is investigating allegations in connection with an agent's "role in obtaining bribes on ...
-
Blog
Standard Chartered Beefs Up Efforts to Combat Financial Crime
London-based Standard Chartered today announced a trio of appointments as the banking giant continues to beef up its efforts to combat financial crime following multiple enforcement actions by U.S. enforcement authorities in 2012. One of those appointments includes a new head of sanctions compliance. Details inside.
-
Article
University Compliance Programs Taking Shape
Image: Big compliance changes are afoot in higher education, as more universities hire their first enterprise-wide compliance officer—a trend that took flight in 2013 and keeps on going. “[A]cademic medical centers aside, a central compliance function is a newer concept than in the corporate world,” says Robert Roach, CCO of ...
-
Article
Q&A: How PetroTiger Avoided FCPA Prosecution
Image: As part of our occasional series of conversations with voices in the compliance world, we caught up with Timothy Treanor, a partner with law firm Sidley Austin who represented oil and gas company PetroTiger. In June, PetroTiger became just the second company in recent history of the Foreign Corrupt ...
-
Blog
World Bank Procurement Framework Approved
The World Bank’s board of directors has approved a new policy governing the procurement of projects financed by the Bank. According to the World Bank, this “once-in-a-generation systematic reform and culture change” will allow it “to better respond to the needs of client countries, while preserving robust procurement standards throughout ...
-
Blog
Fed to China Construction Bank: Fix AML Controls
The U.S. Federal Reserve and the New York Department of Financial Services in an enforcement action this week ordered China Construction Bank and its New York branch to significantly improve its compliance operations. The bank and the branch have 60 days to jointly submit a written enhanced compliance program in ...
-
Blog
Banamex USA Fined $140M for AML Violations
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation today imposed a civil penalty of $140 million against Banamex USA for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering laws and regulations. The FDIC imposed the penalty on the same day that Citigroup, which purchased Mexico-based Banamex in 2001, said it would be ...
-
Article
Distilling Lessons From Recent Sanctions Cases
The Justice Department clearly is prosecuting more companies for sanctions or export control violations: 15 enforcement actions since 2010, compared to only three in the prior three years. Inside, we’ve sifted out themes arising from those settlements to understand more about what factors regulators weigh when resolving charges and how ...
-
Article
Taming Vendor Risks Continues to Flummox Compliance Programs
Image: Vendor risks driving you crazy? Well, you are not alone. In a recent survey compliance and audit professionals gave their vendor risk management programs an overall score of only 2.8 on a 1 to 5 scale. Thankfully, corporate boardrooms are paying more attention now. “It’s risen to a level ...
-
Blog
Louis Berger International to Pay $17.5 Million for FCPA Violations
U.S.-based construction management company Louis Berger International has reached a $17.1 million settlement with the Department of Justice to resolve charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act when it bribed foreign officials in Asia to secure government construction management contracts. Two of the company’s former executives also ...
-
Blog
FCPA Actions Down, Declinations Up
The Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission resolved eight Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement actions so far in 2015—the lowest mid-year total in a decade, according to recent analysis from law firm Miller & Chevalier. “This slow-down seems to be attributable, in part, to a greater emphasis on declinations ...
-
Blog
SEC Issues Another Big Whistleblower Award
The SEC has awarded more than $3 million to a company insider whose information helped the SEC crack a complex fraud case—the third-highest award to date under the SEC’s whistleblower program. Since its inception in 2011, the program has paid more than $50 million to 18 whistleblowers, including a more ...
-
Blog
Employee or Independent Contractor? Labor Department Weighs In
Image: The Labor Department issued new guidance on how companies should distinguish between employees and independent contractors. “The main difference between the new interpretation and the Labor Department’s prior enforcement policy is a greater emphasis on the ‘economic dependence’ of the workers on the business that has engaged their services,” ...