The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) approved updates to its whistleblower rules designed to encourage participation by making it easier for more whistleblowers to receive 30 percent awards.
SEC
New audit quality control standard amended to reduce compliance burden
Important revisions to the new audit quality control QC 1000 standard have been announced by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. The intention is to increase flexibility for audit firms and reduce compliance costs.
Financial institutions’ BSA filings linked to $17.5B in possible health fraud, FinCEN finds
Financial institutionsโ reports to the U.S. Treasury Departmentโs Financial Crimes Enforcement Network revealed about $17.5 billion in suspicious financial activity related to health care, according to a FinCEN analysis.
AI startup and former CEO settle with SEC over alleged material misrepresentations
An AI startup company and its former chief executive officer have settled charges that they misrepresented projected revenue, according to the SEC.
SEC accuses former Wall St. bankers, including BOA employee, of insider trading scheme
The SEC has charged two former Wall Street investment bankers with insider trading tied to the 2022 acquisition of energy company South Jersey Industries.
SEC charges former execs of auto subprime lender giant Tricolor with fraud, falsifying loan documents
Two former executives and a former manager at subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings falsified documents in pursuit of a $1.9 billion fraud against investors and banks including JPMorgan Chase, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Tricolor, which formed in 2007 and had dealerships in California, Illinois and Texas, provided subprime car loans to […]
UBS hit with record $125M civil penalty for ‘willful’ BSA violations
UBS Financial Services was slapped with a record $125 million joint civil penalty by four regulatory agencies for willful violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, including a failure to implement and maintain an anti-money laundering compliance program and failure to file suspicious activity reports.
In enforcement action against broker-dealer, SEC deems monthly compliance check with net capital rule not good enough
Texas broker-dealer Hext Capital Partners and its owner and chief executive officer, Gregory Hext, have agreed to pay $60,000 to settle allegations that the firm violated the net capital requirements of the Securities Exchange Act.
By creating a new AI and exams position, SEC may be ramping up Marketing Rule enforcement
The SEC has created a new position on AI and examinations for broker-dealers and investment advisers. The move should signal to regulated entities that the SEC may begin applying more sophisticated AI tools to scour advertisements made by firms for false or misleading claims
Merrill Lynch to pay $7.5M for failure to file Suspicious Activity Reports
Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch brokerage unit has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle SEC charges that it failed to file numerous Suspicious Activity Reports between April 2020 and September 2024 due to gaps in its transaction monitoring threshold.


