All Regulatory Enforcement articles – Page 157
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Blog
R.T. Jones Pays SEC $75K for Failing to Adopt Cyber-Security Policies
Investment advisory firm R.T. Jones last week reached a $75,000 settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to adopt written policies and procedures reasonably designed to protect customer records and information in violation of the "Safeguards Rule." Such failures ultimately resulted in a cyber-attack that compromised the personally ...
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Blog
Game Over: Supreme Court Denies Appeal in Newman Case
The U.S. Supreme Court has specifically included the landmark insider-trading case of U.S. v. Newman on a lengthy list of cases in which the Court denied certiorari (will not hear on appeal). The Court’s refusal to hear the case means that Newman will continue to pose a major, often insurmountable ...
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Blog
Final Trial Scorecard for FY 2015: SEC Goes Undefeated in 6 Trials
The SEC went undefeated in its six federal court trials in FY 2015, posting a record of 4-0-2. The SEC conducted far fewer trials than it did in FY 2014, but it was more successful. Check out the complete list of trials and the results in each case here.
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Blog
Hyperdynamics to Pay $75K to SEC in FCPA Case
Oil and gas company Hyperdynamics announced this week that it has reached a $75,000 settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve violations of the books and records and internal control provisions of the Securities Exchange Act. Hyperdynamics said it consented to the SEC order without admitting or denying ...
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Blog
How Do Small Groups Produce So Much 'Anti-Mary Jo White' Noise?
In the past, it took a lot of dissatisfied people to make a lot of noise. We continue to learn that in the social media era, a very small number of dissatisfied people with the right tools and tactics can generate just as much noise!
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Blog
The Curious Incident of the 'Life Coach' and the Press Release
The SEC loves to craft press release headlines that feature defendants' interesting or high-profile jobs, but it missed a golden opportunity to do just that in its announcement of an insider trading case last week.
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Blog
Third Parties Face Penalties Over ‘Deliberate Tax Evasion’ Scheme
An investigation into third parties by the Revenue Commissioners of Ireland revealed that some companies were deliberately dodging tax laws by submitting incomplete and doctored disclosures to avoid penalties. According to a report by the comptroller and auditor general, tighter regulations are necessary to help crack down on tax evasion ...
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Blog
Credit Suisse Securities to Pay $4.25M for ‘Blue Sheet’ Compliance Lapses
Credit Suisse Securities yesterday reached a $4.25 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for submitting deficient information to the agency over a two-year period about trades done by its customers, commonly referred to as “blue sheet data.” “We will continue to hold broker-dealers who fail to comply with ...
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Blog
Reminder: New FAR Thresholds for 2015
Reminder: revised acquisition-related dollar thresholds amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation for government contractors take effect Oct. 1. Government contractors should be aware of these adjustments since they affect a number of areas, including when contractors must report the executive compensation of their first-tier subcontracts, when they must report certified cost ...
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Blog
Two More Banks Reach Agreements Under Swiss Bank Program
The Department of Justice last week announced that two more banks—Migros Bank and Graubündner Kantonalbank—have reached resolutions under the Department’s Swiss Bank Program, which provides a means for Swiss banks to resolve potential criminal liabilities in the United States. Migros will pay a $15 million penalty, and Graubündner will pay ...
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Blog
SEC Trial Scorecard Update: Jury Finds for SEC in Insider Trading Case
With just five days remaining in FY 2015, the SEC notched another victory at trial yesterday when a federal jury in Illinois found two men liable for insider trading in the securities of three acquisition targets. The case represented the SEC's sixth trial verdict in federal court in FY 2015.
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Blog
Hudson City Bancorp to Pay $33M on Lending Practices
Hudson City Savings Bank today reached a $33 million settlement with the Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to resolve allegations that it engaged in discriminatory mortgage lending practices against predominantly African American and Hispanic neighborhoods. “This resolution represents the Justice Department’s largest residential mortgage 'redlining' settlement ...
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Blog
Former RidgeWorth Capital Management CCO Joins Deloitte
Deloitte & Touche has named Robert Zakem as a director in its regulatory and compliance practice for investment management firms. Most recently, he served as general counsel and chief compliance officer of RidgeWorth Capital Management. Details inside.
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Blog
Lessons From SEC’s First Cybersecurity Enforcement Action
This week, the SEC fined investment advisory firm R.T. Jones Capital Equities Management for failing to establish required cyber-security policies and procedures, which later led to a breach that compromised the personal data of roughly 100,000 customers. It is the first enforcement action the SEC has brought against a regulated ...
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Blog
Caldwell Clarifies Application of the Yates Memo
During remarks at a recent conference in New York, Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell offered some additional insight to companies on the Yates Memo regarding individual accountability for corporate wrongdoing. “We will make efforts to credit, not penalize, diligent investigations,” she said. More of her comments are inside.
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Blog
Financial Instruments Rule May Challenge Banks
Image: Danièle Nouy, supervisory chief of the European Central Bank, spoke recently about a new accounting standard for financial instruments that may prove challenging to the banking sector. “The completion of this accounting standard as one of the responses to the financial crisis will bring major changes and challenges to ...
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Blog
French Data Regulator Rejects Google’s ‘Right To Be Forgotten’ Appeal
Big news this week from France as the Commission Nationale de I’Informatique et des Libertes (CNIL) rejected Google’s appeal against the enforcement of “right to be forgotten.” If Google fails to comply with CNIL’s order, the company may be hit with sanctions, including a €300,000 fine, which could increase to ...
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Blog
Adventist Health to Pay $115 Million for False Claims Act Violations
Adventist Health System, a non-profit healthcare organization that operates hospitals and other health care facilities in 10 states, this week agreed to pay $115 million to the government to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by maintaining improper compensation arrangements with referring physicians and by miscoding claims. ...
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Article
Navigating Global Internal Investigations Under Main Justice’s New Policy
Image: The Justice Department’s new Yates Memo, demanding much more cooperation from companies to find individual wrongdoers, will pressure companies to pressure employees during internal investigations. In Europe and elsewhere, however, the law favors employees much more than in the United States, making global investigations a tall order. “Most developed ...
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Blog
Report Highlights Cybersecurity Risks to Accountants
A lot has been written here and elsewhere about the cybersecurity risks to law firms, but a recent report by ACCA USA highlights another, similarly situated profession that has not received as much attention: accountants.