FCA exploring how Big Tech data can aid financial services
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority reemphasized its desire to work with Big Tech firms to examine how their data might be useful to the financial industry.
FCA publishes guidance on anti-greenwashing rule
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority issued new guidance on how to comply with its upcoming anti-greenwashing rule, which is set to take effect May 31.
BaFin fines Commerzbank $1.6M over supervision, AML lapses
Germany’s financial supervisory authority issued total fines of €1.45 million (U.S. $1.6 million) against Commerzbank AG to settle allegations of inadequate monitoring and anti-money laundering controls.
OCC cites three banks for risk management, BSA-related failures
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency cited three banks for unsafe and unsound business practices that mirror issues similar to what spurred last year’s banking crisis.
SEC risk alert warns investment advisers of marketing rule missteps
Examiners with the Securities and Exchange Commission found investment advisory firms have generally done well creating processes to comply with the agency’s amended marketing rule but some have fallen short in ensuring compliance.
CFPB rule streamlines nonbank supervision designation process
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continued its push to establish supervisory authority over more nonbank financial companies with the adoption of a procedural rule to streamline the process for such designations.
FinCEN warns of fake U.S. passport cards used to commit fraud
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is warning financial institutions of counterfeit U.S. passport cards used to commit fraud and identity theft.
FINRA orders Barclays unit to pay $700K over conflicts of interest
A Barclays unit agreed to pay $700,000 to settle allegations levied by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority that its research analysts violated conflict-of-interest rules and the firm failed to sufficiently supervise their trades.
U.S., U.K. ban new Russian metal imports
The U.S. Treasury Department, in coordination with the United Kingdom, is clamping down harder on Russia’s ability to wage war against Ukraine by banning the import of Russian-origin aluminum, copper, and nickel.
SEC fines five investment advisers in marketing rule sweep
Five registered investment advisers agreed to pay a total of $200,000 in penalties for allegedly violating the Securities and Exchange Commission’s amended marketing rule.
CFTC enforcement head talks steep path to self-reporting credit
Earning self-reporting credit from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is no simple task, Director of Enforcement Ian McGinley conceded.
Treasury proposal seeks to expand CFIUS enforcement authority
A proposal by the Treasury Department would allow the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to seek more information as part of its review activities and enable “substantially” larger penalties in instances of noncompliance with relevant regulations.
SEC official breaks down agency calculus for off-channel comms penalties
Sanjay Wadwha, deputy director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, discussed the agency’s rationale for issuing widely disparate penalties for off-channel communications recordkeeping violations, as well as violations of its amended marketing rule.
SEC concludes VW emissions case with $48.8M judgment
Volkswagen Group of America Finance was ordered to pay $48.75 million as part of a final judgment obtained by the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve historical violations related to the automaker’s emissions scandal.
Senvest latest rapped by SEC over off-channel comms
Registered investment adviser Senvest Management agreed to pay $6.5 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission addressing admitted off-channel communications violations and separate code of ethics failures.
CFTC lauds Australian swap dealer’s cooperation in $500K enforcement
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission ordered an Australian swap dealer to pay $500,000 over admitted supervision failures related to a deficient spoofing surveillance tool.
Treasury report identifies AI use ‘capability gap’ between large, small FIs
A Treasury Department report assessing the use of artificial intelligence tools by the financial sector identified a “growing capability gap” in in-house AI use between large and small financial institutions.
SEC to review registrants’ preparation for next-day trade settlements
The Securities and Exchange Commission wants broker-dealers and certain clearing agencies to know the expectations for the reduction of the settlement cycle for national and international trades from two business days after the trade date to one day.
U.K. sets recommendations to address misogyny in finance
Sexism, sexual assault, and bullying are rife at financial services organizations, according to a recent report by the U.K. Treasury Committee. “The government and financial regulators have important roles to play in driving change,” the committee said.
FINRA orders Stifel units to pay $2.3M for repeat compliance failures
Two subsidiaries of Stifel Financial Corp. agreed to pay a collective total of about $2.3 million over alleged violations of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority rules regarding nontraditional exchange-traded products.
OCC’s Hsu: ‘Sense of fairness’ key to bank compliance initiatives
Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu argued banks should adopt a “strong sense of fairness” to bolster the effectiveness of their compliance programs, particularly regarding lending decisions guided by AI and machine learning tools.
Advisor Resource Council to pay $300K over compliance lapses
Advisor Resource Council agreed to pay a $300,000 penalty to resolve charges levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission of compliance failures exacerbated by staffing woes.
FDIC proposes strengthening, modernizing bank merger reviews
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation proposed to strengthen its approach to evaluating bank mergers under the Bank Merger Act, particularly how it would address factors like competition, financial resources, the convenience and needs of communities, financial stability, and money laundering.
Chapter 4: Investigations into misconduct: What banks can do
Both JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank retained their respective Jeffrey Epstein relationships for too long. Yet, there is a case to be made for why exiting a high-risk relationship too soon can become an inverse form of recklessness.
Chapter 3: Egregious failures: Customer due diligence and transaction monitoring
Why did JPMorgan Chase retain Jeffrey Epstein for more than a dozen years? How did the relationship persist despite glaring red flags? The “why” is straightforward; the “how” is more complicated.
Deutsche Bank dinged $54K over IT incident reporting
Deutsche Bank was assessed a penalty of €50,000 (U.S. $54,000) by Germany’s financial supervisory authority for its alleged miscommunication of a 2023 information technology security incident.
FINRA fines M1 Finance $850K in first influencer promos case
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority fined Chicago-based financial technology company M1 Finance $850,000 as part of a settlement addressing alleged improper use of a social media influencer program.
Genesis penalized $21M by SEC for sale of unregistered securities
Crypto firm Genesis Global Capital agreed to pay a $21 million civil penalty to the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle charges that the Gemini Earn investment program was an unregistered security offering.
CFTC dings U.S. Bank, Oppenheimer over off-channel comms violations
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced settlements with U.S. Bank and Oppenheimer & Co. for admitted recordkeeping and supervision failures regarding employee use of off-channel communications for conducting business.
Chapter 2: KYC shortfalls: JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank’s onboarding of Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein’s designation as a high-risk client should have subjected him to enhanced due diligence that never appeared to occur, most notably at Deutsche Bank. Instead, Epstein was allowed to continue his misconduct despite numerous red flags.
Delphia, Global Predictions fined by SEC in ‘AI washing’ cases
Delphia USA and Global Predictions agreed to pay a total of $400,000 to settle charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission the firms each engaged in artificial intelligence misrepresentations that misled clients about how they were using the technology.
Chapter 1: Compliance v. complicity: The ‘underbelly’ of bank culture
Why were decisions made the way they were at the banks that serviced Jeffrey Epstein? Evidence points to a cultural tension: a tug-of-war between the allure of profit and the drag of compliance, with the former having all the pulling power.
Case study: ‘The Banks Behind the Epstein Enterprise’
This Compliance Week case study offers a deep dive into the anti-money laundering compliance failures—and alleged complicity—of JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank, the two banks that enabled the Jeffrey Epstein enterprise to flourish for decades.
Departing ABN AMRO risk chief says climate, cyber among priorities
Tanja Cuppen, chief risk officer of ABN AMRO, shared her view on the Dutch bank’s biggest risk focus areas and the accomplishments of her tenure a month ahead of her planned departure.
EFG International settles Cuba, blocked persons U.S. sanctions case
Swiss-based global private banking group EFG International agreed to pay more than $3.7 million as part of a settlement with the Office of Foreign Assets Control addressing apparent violations of U.S. sanctions against Cuba and two blocked individuals.
JPMorgan fined $348M by OCC, Fed over trade surveillance lapses
JPMorgan Chase will pay $348.2 million in fines to settle allegations laid by two federal banking regulators that it failed to adequately monitor trading and order activity.
U.S. banking regs mulling enhanced operational resiliency frameworks
Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu said federal banking agencies are considering enhancements to their operational resiliency requirements for member banks.
Argus to pay $37M in DOJ case over misused regulator data
Economic data and research firm Argus Information and Advisory Services agreed to pay $37 million to settle charges from the Department of Justice alleging misuse of data obtained through federal regulatory contracts.
FCA fines financial adviser $1.1M over British Steel advice, oversight lapses
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority fined Inspirational Financial Management nearly £900,000 (U.S. $1.1 million) regarding alleged failures in advice and oversight provided to customers who were primarily members of the British Steel Pension Scheme.
New Zealand banks to report material cyber incidents within 72 hours
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand added new reporting requirements for its member banks to follow if they suffer a material cyber incident and for all types of cyberattacks.
Italian DPA fines UniCredit $3M over data breach GDPR lapses
The Italian data protection authority announced a fine of €2.8 million (U.S. $3 million) against UniCredit for alleged violations of the General Data Protection Regulation regarding insufficient security measures the bank had in place during a cyberattack.
SEC expands scope of order execution disclosure rule
Lost in the shuffle of the approval of its controversial climate-related disclosure rule, the Securities and Exchange Commission also adopted amendments to its rule for order executions in national market system stocks.
Ameriprise expecting $50M SEC fine over off-channel comms
Ameriprise Financial disclosed it recorded a $50 million accrual related to the resolution of a Securities and Exchange Commission probe into use of off-channel communications by its employees for conducting business.
FCA warns CEOs over firm AML failings
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority warned the chief executive officers of approximately 1,000 financial institutions it supervises regarding common failures in anti-money laundering procedures it observed during recent assessments.
Metropolitan Commercial Bank adds risk chief, AML officer
Metropolitan Commercial Bank announced the appointments of a chief risk officer and Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering officer to bolster its reporting lines following a $30 million enforcement action from federal and state authorities last year.
Struggling NYCB refreshes risk, audit leadership
New York Community Bancorp, a mid-sized bank struggling with precarious commercial loans and troubles with its acquisition of the failed Signature Bank last year, named a new chief risk officer and chief audit executive.
HG Vora fined $950K for beneficial ownership disclosure failures
New York-based investment adviser HG Vora Capital Management agreed to pay $950,000 to settle charges levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission alleging failure to report beneficial ownership regarding its stake at trucking transport company Ryder System.
Swedbank says Estonia money laundering probe closed
The Estonian branch of Swedbank is no longer under investigation regarding suspected money laundering and other criminal activities.
Green Dot estimates up to $50M in liabilities over proposed Fed order
Financial technology firm Green Dot Corp. estimated a pending consent order with the Federal Reserve Board will require a payment of between $20 million to $50 million.
NYDFS fines Gemini $37M over compliance failures
The New York State Department of Financial Services fined cryptocurrency exchange Gemini Trust Company $37 million over alleged compliance failures related to lapses in safety and soundness.