SEC penalizes seven firms $3M total for impeding whistleblower protections
By 
Aaron Nicodemus2024-09-09T15:34:00
Seven public companies will pay a total of $3 million in fines for requiring employees to sign agreements containing provisions that impeded their ability to report misconduct to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The SEC announced the fines Monday, alleging that the firms used “employment, separation, and other agreements that violated rules prohibiting actions to impede whistleblowers from reporting potential misconduct to the SEC.”
The firms fined were Acadia Healthcare Company will pay nearly $1.4 million, a.k.a. Brands Holding Corp., a fashion retailer, will pay nearly $400,000, AppFolio will pay $692,250, IDEX Corp., a manufacturer, will pay $75,000, LSB Industries, a chemical manufacturer, will pay $156,000, Smart for Life, a wellness retailer, will pay $19,500 and TransUnion, a credit reporting company, will pay $312,000.
Related articles
-
News BriefSEC fines Nationwide Planning, affiliates combined $240K over impeding whistleblowers
Broker-dealer Nationwide Planning Associates and two affiliated investment advisers impeded potential whistleblowers from reporting misconduct to the Securities and Exchange Commission and have agreed to settle the charges for a combined $240,000.
-
News BriefJPMorgan to pay record $18M for violating SEC whistleblower rule
A subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase will pay an $18 million fine to the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly violating the agency’s whistleblower protection rule in hundreds of settlement agreements with clients and customers.
-
News BriefD. E. Shaw fined $10M for impeding potential whistleblowers
New York-based investment adviser D. E. Shaw & Co. will pay a $10 million penalty to settle charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission that the company raised impediments to whistleblowing by employees.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
ArticleFINRA fines First Trust $10M for allegedly giving too-generous gifts to brokers
First Trust Portfolios has been fined $10 million by FINRA for allegedly providing excessive meals, gifts, and other incentives to broker-dealers.
-
ArticleCompliance officers accused of helping criminals run $346 million international payment fraud network
Four U.S. citizens were arrested in California Wednesday in connection with a massive, $346 million international credit card fraud scheme based in Germany, in which compliance officers were allegedly complicit, according to the DOJ.
-
News BriefFinCEN flags $9 billion in Iranian shadow-banking activity, citing SARs filings from U.S. banks
Approximately $9 billion of potential shadow-banking flows tied to Iranian networks in 2024, according to a new analysis from FinCEN. The report highlights how illicit funds are making their way through financial institutions as they meet the requirements of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA).