Credit Suisse money laundering verdict start of new era of Swiss enforcement?
Credit Suisse became the first major Swiss bank to be prosecuted for money laundering in the country after the Federal Criminal Court of Switzerland found the bank guilty of washing money connected to a Bulgarian drug smuggling syndicate.
FINRA fines Barclays $2.8M over supervision, disclosure lapses
Barclays Capital agreed to pay $2.8 million as part of a settlement with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority for “failure to comply with customer confirmation and related supervision rules” that led to disclosure lapses.
UBS to pay $25M over ‘inadequate’ training, oversight in SEC fraud case
UBS Financial Services agreed to pay approximately $25 million to settle fraud charges brought by the SEC that cited “inadequate” training and supervisory oversight of the firm’s financial advisers regarding a complex options trading strategy.
e-Book: Avoiding pitfalls of working in high-risk regions
The issues of working in high-risk regions have always been there, but recent dynamic events and circumstances have added unique challenges.
Historic EY fine latest by-product of KPMG cheating scandal
It is impossible to ignore the SEC’s $100 million fine against EY for employee exam cheating is double the amount the regulator penalized KPMG for its separate cheating scandal. Especially since the latter resolution appears to have served as a starting point for the SEC’s ruling on the former.
EY fined record $100M for employee cheating scandal
Ernst & Young will pay $100 million after admitting to SEC charges addressing systematic cheating among its accounting professionals on CPA license exams over four years. The fine is the largest the agency has ever imposed against an audit firm.
NYDFS penalizes Carnival $5M for cybersecurity failures
The New York State Department of Financial Services announced a $5 million penalty against Carnival Corp. for “significant” cybersecurity failures, including not implementing basic protocols to prevent four separate data breaches from 2019-21.
CCO skepticism toward DOJ compliance certifications justified
Chief compliance officer concerns regarding the Department of Justice’s new certification policy have not been alleviated by the agency’s inconsistent communication regarding the requirement.
Carnival reaches $1.25M settlement over 2019 data breach
Carnival Cruise Line reached a $1.25 million settlement with 46 attorneys general stemming from its 2019 data breach that involved the personal information of 180,000 Carnival employees and customers nationwide.
GDPR blame game: Who’s at fault for spotty enforcement record?
Regulators and privacy experts speaking at the European Data Protection Supervisor’s conference homed in on the flaws of the General Data Protection Regulation and what improvements need to be made to ensure more consistent enforcement of the law.
FCA fines Ghana International Bank $7.1M for AML failings
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority fined Ghana International Bank £5.8 million (U.S. $7.1 million) for deficiencies in its anti-money laundering controls over its correspondent banking activities.
FCA fines JLT Specialty $9.7M for financial crime control lapses
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority fined a unit of insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group 7.9 million pounds (U.S. $9.7 million) for failing to control financial crime within its South and Central American subsidiaries.
Brinks fined $400K over restrictive whistleblower language in contracts
The Brink’s Company, a provider of security-related services, has agreed to pay $400,000 and add wording in U.S. confidentiality agreements to comply with an SEC rule regarding corporate whistleblowers.
Former Rite Aid compliance exec fined $305K over insider trading case
A former Rite Aid compliance executive agreed to pay a civil penalty of $305,129 to resolve SEC insider trading charges regarding sale of company stock.
Law Commission proposals put heat on U.K. execs
The United Kingdom might make it easier for executives and senior managers to be held directly accountable for corporate crimes under reform proposals put forward by the body that reviews U.K. law.
DAG Monaco: Sanctions should be ‘at the forefront’ of compliance approach
Businesses with a multinational footprint or international suppliers should be prioritizing abiding by U.S. sanctions in their compliance efforts, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said at an industry event.
Compliance deficiencies faulted in Western International Securities Reg BI case
Western International Securities and five of its brokers have been charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with violating Regulation Best Interest when they sold high-risk debt securities to investors who weren’t aware of the risks.
Weiss Asset Management lauded for cooperation in $6.9M settlement
Weiss Asset Management reached a $6.9 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission after it self-reported alleged short selling violations.
Google fine in Spain prompts revisit of GDPR effect on tech
Google’s latest fine for violations of the General Data Protection Regulation reignites the discussion around why Big Tech firms have not been more frequently penalized under the EU’s stringent privacy law.
SEC to Schwab: Return $187M for robo-adviser misstatements
Three Charles Schwab subsidiaries have agreed to pay $187 million to settle SEC charges the units were allocating investors’ cash holdings in a way that was less profitable under most market conditions and misled investors about the strategies involved.
SEC charges investment adviser, CCO with selling fraudulent securities
A.G. Morgan Financial Advisors, its owner, and its former chief compliance officer were charged by the SEC with securities laws violations for unlawfully offering and selling more than $500,000 worth of unregistered, fraudulent securities.
SEC probing Ericsson over Iraq corruption scandal
The Securities and Exchange Commission opened an investigation into Ericsson following the Swedish telecommunications company’s acknowledgement of evidence of “corruption-related misconduct” that occurred in its Iraq operations.
CohnReznick fined $1.9M for audit failures at Sequential Brands, Longfin
Audit firm CohnReznick agreed to pay $1.9 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for improper conduct at two of its clients the SEC previously charged with filing fraudulent financial statements.
Morningstar to pay $1.15M in SEC internal control failure case
Morningstar Credit Ratings agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1.15 million to resolve charges of disclosure violations and internal control failures levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission last year.
DOJ recruits Hewlett Packard Enterprise CECO to lead Fraud Section
The Justice Department’s Criminal Division added another chief compliance officer to its ranks with the appointment of Glenn Leon to serve as chief of the Fraud Section.
Synchronoss to pay $12.5M over alleged accounting misconduct by former execs
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced software company Synchronoss Technologies agreed to a $12.5 million settlement for “long-running accounting improprieties” caused, in part, by alleged misconduct from senior executives.
PwC fined $6.2M over Galliford Try, Kier Group audit lapses
PwC will pay a total of nearly £5 million (U.S. $6.2 million) as part of a pair of enforcement actions announced by the U.K. Financial Reporting Council regarding deficiencies in the Big Four firm’s audits at construction companies Galliford Try and Kier Group.
Fiat Chrysler pleads guilty in $300M emissions fraud case
The U.S. arm of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud, and violating the Clean Air Act for “making false and misleading representations” regarding emissions control systems on more than 100,000 vehicles.
FinCEN launches rulemaking on no-action letter process
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network launched rulemaking for a no-action letter process, which the agency said might help spur innovation in financial services for anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism and compliance functions.
Indictment: Ex-CCO charged with wire fraud over misappropriated funds
Jennifer Campbell, a former chief compliance officer at an unnamed investment adviser in Buffalo, N.Y., faces criminal and civil charges for allegedly misappropriating approximately $500,000 in funds from client accounts.
Tenaris to pay $78M to settle FCPA charges over bribes in Brazil
Tenaris, a global manufacturer of steel pipe products, agreed to pay more than $78 million to the SEC to settle charges it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by paying more than $10 million in bribes to a Brazilian government official.
Deutsche Bank asset management head resigns amid greenwashing probe
Asoka Woehrmann, chief executive of DWS Group, has resigned amid an investigation by German officials into allegations of greenwashing within the asset management unit’s investment portfolio.
Law firm Dechert, SFO criticized in ENRC case ruling
A High Court judge found the U.K. Serious Fraud Office induced a lawyer from Dechert acting for Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. to provide it with privileged and unauthorized information.
Banco Popular to pay $255K for violating Venezuela sanctions
Banco Popular de Puerto Rico has agreed to pay more than $255,000 as part of a settlement with the Office of Foreign Assets Control to resolve its civil liability for 337 transactions processed in violation of U.S. sanctions.
Report: Westpac New Zealand progressing on risk culture improvements
An independent report ordered by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand into Westpac New Zealand has found the bank is “moving in the right direction” in addressing risk culture deficiencies.
Court rules Lafarge to face crimes against humanity charges
A French court ruled Lafarge should face charges of complicity in crimes against humanity after its subsidiary allegedly paid up to €13 million (U.S. $14 million) to armed groups—including the Islamic State—to keep its Syrian cement factory running between 2012-14.
Twitter agrees to $150M settlement with DOJ, FTC over data privacy lapses
Twitter agreed to a $150 million settlement with the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission for violating a 2011 administrative order by “misrepresenting” how it used nonpublic user information.
Compliance halts misconduct in SEC $5M RiverSource action
Minnesota-based broker-dealer RiverSource Distributors agreed to pay $5 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for improper switching of variable annuities carried out by certain of its employees.
GDPR enforcement roundup: Spain stays on Vodafone, record fine in Poland
Vodafone running up its fine total in Spain and a record-setting action against a marketing firm in Poland highlight a roundup of notable enforcements announced under the General Data Protection Regulation during the first five months of 2022.
Four years of GDPR: New tech testing data privacy law’s longevity?
It has been four years since the European Union’s flagship data privacy legislation came into force, but concerns are already being raised about whether the General Data Protection Regulation is being outpaced by technological developments and their use of data.
PCAOB bars former BF Borgers director over repeated audit failures
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board barred Bo-Shiang Lien, a former audit director and nonequity partner at BF Borgers, for at least two years for violations of PCAOB rules and standards as part of four audits across three public companies.
Glencore fined $1B, placed under 3-year monitorship for FCPA violations
Glencore International AG, one of the world’s largest commodity traders, will be placed under a three-year compliance monitorship and pay more than $1 billion to resolve multiple investigations into alleged bribes paid in several countries over more than a decade.
KPMG fined $4.3M for undocumented red flags in Rolls-Royce corruption case
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council announced a reduced penalty of approximately £3.4 million (U.S. $4.3 million) against KPMG for failures in its 2010 audit of car maker Rolls-Royce.
SEC names Best permanent exams division director
The Securities and Exchange Commission named Richard Best permanent director of the agency’s Division of Examinations, removing “acting” from the job title he has held since March.
Lessons learned from Olympus compliance monitorship
Christine Gordon, chief compliance officer at Olympus Corporation of the Americas, spoke about her company’s experience working with a DOJ-selected independent monitor at Compliance Week’s National Conference.
ICO fines Clearview AI $9.4M over alleged data privacy lapses
The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office fined Clearview AI more than £7.5 million (U.S. $9.4 million) for collecting people’s images from internet and social media sites without their knowledge or consent.
BNY Mellon fined $1.5M by SEC for misstatements on ESG mutual funds
BNY Mellon Investment Adviser has agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine to the Securities and Exchange Commission for making “misstatements and omissions” on environmental, social, and governance mutual funds it managed over three years.
Ten highlights from Compliance Week 2022
Editor In Chief Kyle Brasseur recaps the moments that stood out to him most from Compliance Week’s first in-person event since 2019.
Wells Fargo unit fined $7M for AML transaction monitoring failures
For the second time in five years, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo has been charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with failing to file suspicious activity reports in a timely manner due to deficiencies in the system it used to flag transactions.
Spanish DPA fines Google $10.6M for GDPR violations
Spain’s data protection authority has issued a record fine of €10 million (U.S. $10.6 million) against Google for two “serious infractions” of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation regarding its sharing information with U.S. legal database Lumen.