SEC fines Morgan Stanley $15M to settle allegations of theft of client funds
A lack of supervision and internal controls at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney allowed four of its investment advisers to steal millions from customers before the behavior was detected, the SEC said in charging the firm.
CPE Webcast: Fostering a learning culture to drive innovation
Discover the vital role company culture plays in not only embracing new technologies and processes but also driving continuous improvement through a commitment to learning and a growth mindset.
FCA fines Macquarie Bank $16M for control failures that allowed fake trades
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority fined the London branch of Australian-based Macquarie Bank Limited more than 13 million pounds (U.S. $16.3 million) for “serious control failures” that allowed a trader to conceal hundreds of fictitious trades over a 20-month period.
CPE Webcast: Compliance considerations for archive selection
The archive a firm selects can make or break their compliance strategy yet selecting an archive that meets your firm’s needs can be daunting. It is nearly impossible to identify the differences between vendors at first glance.
Meta discloses potential CFPB lawsuit following probe into advertising, disclosure practices
Meta disclosed in a public filing that an investigation by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau related to financial product advertising on platforms Instagram and WhatsApp may lead to a lawsuit.
Speakers at Compliance Week AI & Compliance Summit talk future rules around technology
While companies are exploring and building artificial intelligence technology, lawmakers and regulators are trying to identify what ground rules they need to set. These guardrails are what companies and governments alike believe are essential parts of ensuring safe and responsible use of the technology.
Treasury set to block investment flow on American AI, semiconductor tech to China
The U.S. Treasury Department has issued a final rule–and created a new division to oversee it–that will attempt to limit outbound investments to China related to sensitive technologies with military applications.
Poor internal controls led to FCPA violations in Moog’s $1.7M settlement with SEC
A company culture geared to “win business at any cost” encouraged employees of New York-based aerospace manufacturer Moog to pay bribes in India to win contracts, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged.
Webcast: Compliance Training 2.0: The power of legal-HR collaboration
This webinar explores the critical importance of cross-functional collaboration in developing and implementing effective compliance training programs within organizations.
CPE Webcast: IT controls: Navigating the path to a secure digital future
A comprehensive IT controls program is crucial to safeguard your organization’s assets, ensure data integrity, and maintain regulatory compliance.
How lax compliance led three defense companies to give military secrets to U.S. adversaries
There are dozens of ways foreign countries can get their hands on U.S. military secrets, including cyberhacking, espionage, theft, and more. But one increasingly concerning way has been through unintentional disclosures by trusted defense contractors, including Boeing, 3D Systems Corp., and RTX Corp., parent company of Raytheon.
Circor avoids fine after self-reporting accounting control violations to SEC
Massachusetts-based technology company Circor International settled charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding deficient internal accounting controls without paying a fine.
BCG avoids criminal prosecution for FCPA violations related to bribes in Angola
The Department of Justice declined to prosecute Boston Consulting Group for allegedly bribing Angolan officials in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, citing the firm’s prompt self-disclosure and timely remediation.
SEC fines Sound Point Capital $1.8M over policy failures
Investment adviser Sound Point Capital Management will pay a $1.8 million fine to the Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to have written compliance procedures on handling material nonpublic information.
TD Bank discloses liabilities over AML probes in U.S. balloon to $2.6B
TD Bank has set aside $2.6 billion to settle allegations made by U.S. regulators that deficiencies in its anti-money laundering program allowed fentanyl traffickers to launder money on its platform.
Ideanomics, execs to pay $5M over allegedly misleading auditor
Ideanomics, two former execs, and its current chief executive agreed to pay about $5 million and hire an independent compliance professional to settle allegations made by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that the company misled the public about its performance.
LexisNexis survey: Compliance costs soared for U.K. banks in 2023
Nearly all but a tiny minority of financial institutions saw their costs of financial crime compliance rise in 2023, a survey by LexisNexis and Oxford Economics found.
Wells Fargo discloses AML, sanctions programs under investigation
Wells Fargo disclosed in a public filing its anti-money laundering and sanctions programs are under investigation, adding to the already long list of compliance issues plaguing the bank.
FCA fines Coinbase subsidiary $4.5M over providing service to high-risk customers
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority issued a fine of $4.5 million (3.5 million pounds) against a U.K.-based subsidiary of crypto platform Coinbase for providing services to high-risk customers in violation of FCA rules.
Green Dot fined $44M by Fed over compliance deficiencies, deceptive practices
The Federal Reserve Board of Governors fined financial technology and bank holding company Green Dot $44 million for numerous unfair and deceptive practices and a deficient consumer compliance risk management program.
FTX reaches $4 billion settlement with CFTC in bankruptcy court lawsuit
FTX Trading and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have agreed on a $4 billion settlement in bankruptcy court to settle the CFTC’s lawsuit against the failed crypto trading platform.
FINRA fines UBS unit $850K for failing to properly monitor customer transactions
UBS Financial Services, a subsidiary of the Swiss banking giant UBS, has been fined $850,000 for failing to properly monitor transactions between its broker-dealers and third parties.
OCC, Fed fine Citi $136M for repeated risk management, data governance failures
Citigroup will pay $135.6 million in fines levied by two banking regulators for repeated failures to remediate deficiencies in risk management, data governance, and internal controls.
CPE Webcast: Real-life reactions to current corporate reporting landscape
In this session we will discuss the current state of financial and nonfinancial reporting and recent survey findings from Workiva about how attitudes on integrated reporting are evolving.
SEC orders Meta Materials to pay $1M over market manipulation, fraud
A Nevada energy and manufacturing company headquartered in Nova Scotia agreed to pay $1 million to settle charges levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged market manipulation and fraud, while the agency further investigates its former chief executives.
CPE Webcast: Digital Operational Resilience Act: Key provisions and best practices
This presentation will provide an overview of the key provisions of DORA and their implications for Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) teams, list best practices for DORA preparation and review key considerations for teams looking to implement the DORA framework.
Broadway Financial discloses ICFR weaknesses due to training shortfalls
Los Angeles-based bank holding company Broadway Financial Corp. disclosed in a public filing weaknesses discovered in its internal control over financial reporting because of training shortfalls.
PCAOB dings MaloneBailey $400K over ‘pervasive’ quality control violations
Audit firm MaloneBailey agreed to pay a $400,000 fine to settle allegations levied by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board over “pervasive” quality control violations.
Citi unit fined $78.6M by U.K. regs for trading control failures
The Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority combined to fine a London-based Citigroup subsidiary approximately £61.7 million (U.S. $78.6 million) for control failures related to its trading system.
DOJ orders Evoqua to pay $8.5M over admitted securities fraud
Evoqua Water Technologies agreed to pay $8.5 million as part of a nonprosecution agreement with the Department of Justice to settle admitted criminal charges related to fraudulent revenue recognition.
Binance CEO got 4 months in prison. FTX’s got 25 years. Was compliance the difference?
Why the wild disparity in the sentences of Binance’s Changpeng Zhao and FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried? Aaron Nicodemus argues the performance of the compliance teams at the two cryptocurrency exchanges was as big a contrast as the penalties earned by their respective founders.
ADM CFO to depart amid accounting probes
Food processing company ADM announced Chief Financial Officer Vikram Luthar, who was placed on administrative leave in January amid a probe into the company’s accounting practices, will resign.
Ex-Albemarle CCO shares drivers behind data analytics success at CW2024
Former Albemarle CCO Andrew McBride explained at Compliance Week’s 2024 National Conference how he led the company’s compliance department to remediate the issues that led to apparent FCPA violations and how the team used data analytics to assess risks and implement compliance solutions.
PwC fined $2.75M by PCAOB for independence process breakdowns
Big Four audit firm PwC was assessed a $2.75 million penalty by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board for failures in its auditor independence processes related to a 2018 engagement.
Chemours: DOJ, SEC probing exec accounting misconduct
Chemours disclosed it received requests for information from the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission regarding findings from an internal review into alleged accounting misconduct by several of its top executives.
Experts: Legal noise around SEC climate disclosure rule no excuse for standing still
Legal experts are advising their public company clients to move forward with plans to comply with the SEC’s climate-related disclosure rule, despite lawsuits and other challenges being brought against the controversial policy in the aftermath of its approval.
DOJ joins SEC in probing ADM accounting practices
ADM disclosed the Department of Justice joined the Securities and Exchange Commission in probing the food processing company’s accounting practices.
Chemours says probe found accounting misconduct by execs
Chemours said an internal review into the actions of senior managers alleged to have engaged in accounting misconduct uncovered violations of the chemicals company’s code of ethics regarding the promotion of full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure.
Chemours places senior execs on leave over accounting review
Chemours announced it placed its chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and principal accounting officer on leave pending completion of an internal review into potential material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting.
ADM delays annual report filing amid ICFR assessment
ADM disclosed it will be late in filing its annual report for 2023 as it continues to investigate potential accounting improprieties regarding its nutrition reporting segment.
U.K. governance code revisions: Boards lead on culture, audit supports
Corporate culture, internal controls, and assurance moved up the boardroom agenda with the publication of the U.K.’s revised corporate governance code and its supporting guidance.
China-based Cloopen Group avoids fine in SEC accounting fraud case
China-based technology company Cloopen Group Holding won’t pay a fine in settling with the Securities and Exchange Commission over an alleged accounting fraud scheme perpetrated by two of its former senior managers.
City National Bank ordered to pay $65M over deficient risk, internal controls
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency levied a $65 million civil penalty against Los Angeles-based City National Bank over alleged risk management and internal control failures.
FCPA violations in China: Lessons learned from 2023 cases
Enforcement actions regarding alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act at 3M, Albemarle, Clear Channel Outdoor, and Royal Philips each had China touchpoints. Experts assess third-party risk management lessons learned from each case.
FRC ups board responsibilities in corporate governance code revisions
The Financial Reporting Council held back on the latest round of updates to the U.K.’s corporate governance code, as the country remains wary of pushing away businesses and investors.
U.K. push for more listings to lower bar on governance?
Moves by the U.K.’s financial regulatory body to encourage companies to list in London might fail to deliver or send mixed messages about the value placed on corporate governance, according to experts.
Lessons from Albemarle, ABB: How data-driven compliance can help your firm
Andrew McBride, chief risk officer of Albemarle Corp., and Tapan Debnath, head of integrity, regulatory affairs and data privacy at ABB, discussed how and why their respective organizations use data analytics to conduct business as part of a recent webcast.