WisdomTree pays $4M SEC fine for including fossil fuel, tobacco securities in ESG funds
Fund management company WisdomTree will pay $4 million to settle allegations by the Securities and Exchange Commission that it improperly invested in fossil fuel and tobacco companies in environmental, social and governance (ESG) funds despite promising to avoid them.
Vietnamese business pays $860k for violating U.S. sanctions on North Korea
A Vietnamese alcohol company has agreed to pay $860,000 to settle allegations by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) that its business with North Korea involved U.S. financial institutions.
Raytheon parent RTX settles false claims, defective pricing, Qatar FCPA violations for $950M
The other shoe finally dropped for Raytheon and parent company RTX, as two U.S. regulators announced nearly $1 bilion in penalties to settle defective pricing in defense contracts, false claims related to inflated prices on government contracts, and bribes paid to government officials in Qatar that violated the FCPA.
Pace of innovation will make EU AI Act hard to enforce, experts say
Concerns about how robustly European member states may enforce the EU AI Act, which took effect on Aug. 1, are divided between if regulators will take a “light touch” approach or a sledgehammer for noncompliance. One thing’s for sure, the pace of AI innovation will make enforcement very difficult.
Government contractor fined $307K after third-party hack compromised personal data
It was a double whammy of cybersecurity no-nos for a federal contractor hit with a data breach: The personal data of Medicare beneficiaries contained in unencrypted screenshots were allegedly compromised when their third-party vendor’s server was hacked.
FCA fines TSB $14.2M for poor treatment of financially strapped retail customers
TSB Bank has been fined 10.9 million pounds (U.S. $14.2 million) for treating retail customers poorly while they were in arrears on mortgages, credit cards, loans, and overdraft accounts, the Financial Conduct Authority said.
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.
Teva Pharma to pay $450M to settle kickback, price-fixing allegations
Generic drug giant Teva Pharmaceuticals has agreed to pay $450 million to settle two cases brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ), including one alleging that co-pays it made on behalf of Medicare patients constituted illegal kickbacks, and a second action for alleged generic drug price fixing.
Dec 5 | Navigating Contact Compliance in 2025: An Overview of Upcoming Legislation and How to Prepare
As we approach 2025, the regulatory landscape for the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and Do Not Call (DNC) regulations is becoming increasingly complex. Not only are there federal laws to take into consideration, but many states also have distinct requirements that differ from federal standards.
SEC penalizes Rimar CEO, holding company board member $524K total for ‘AI washing’
The Securities and Exchange Commission ordered the owner of Rimar Capital and a board member of its holding company to pay nearly $524,000 in penalties for defrauding investors with false and misleading statements about its use of artificial intelligence.
TD Bank fined nearly $3.1B by U.S. regulators for AML compliance failures
TD Bank will pay nearly $3.1 billion in penalties to four U.S. regulators to settle charges that it “chose profits over compliance” when it allowed three money laundering networks to filter more than $670 million in dirty money through the company.
EV maker Fisker under investigation by SEC amid bankruptcy, ICFR weaknesses
Electric vehicle maker Fisker is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission over potential violations of federal securities laws related to the preservation of records and documents involving its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.
DOJ steps up enforcement approach against AI-powered cybercrime
The Criminal Division of the Department of Justice plans to heighten its focus on cybercrime, according to division head Nicole Argentieri.
SEC enforcement head Grewal to step down
Gurbir Grewal, director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement, will step down from his post Oct. 11. Grewal, who had served as the division’s director since 2021, will be replaced by Sanjay Wadhwa, currently the division’s deputy director, the SEC said.
T-Mobile reaches $31.5M settlement with FCC over multiple data breaches
T-Mobile, which experienced three huge data breaches in the past three years, agreed to pay $31.5 million in penalties and remediation for failing to protect millions of its customers’ personal information as part of a settlement with the Federal Communications Commission.
Starling Bank fined $38.5M for repeatedly onboarding high-risk customers
The U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority fined Starling Bank, Britain’s first digital bank, nearly 29 million pounds (U.S. $38.5 million) for repeated failures related to onboarding high-risk customers.
TD Bank unit to pay $28M in penalties for failing to properly supervise rogue trader
Broker-dealer TD Securities failed to prevent a trader from placing and then withdrawing thousands of false trades over the course of a year in part because its compliance department failed to follow up on red flags generated by the illegal trades, three regulators said.
FINRA fines Merrill Lynch, BofA Securities $2.3M for reporting, registration failures
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority issued two separate fines against Merrill Lynch and BofA Securities totaling nearly $2.3 million for reporting violations and failing to timely file amendments on registration forms for their registered representatives.
Irish DPC fines Meta $102M over GDPR violation linked to improper storage of passwords
The Irish Data Protection Commission fined Meta Ireland 91 million euros (U.S. $102 million) for multiple violations of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation related to the inadvertent storage of user passwords without encryption.
Cassava Sciences settles with SEC for $40M over skewed Alzheimer’s drug data
A former Alzheimer’s researcher manipulated the results of a Cassava Sciences drug, with the pharmaceutical company and its former chief executive reaching a $40 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over allegedly misleading the public.
AI misuse could lead to sanctions from multiple regulators, experts warn
The proliferation of AI, as well as the promised business cases promoting its use, has led companies around the world to quickly invest in the technology. Executives hope these AI tools will improve efficiencies, reduce costs, and help them stay competitive. But it could lead to just the opposite.
FinCEN, OFAC sanction crypto platforms linked to Russia, cybercrime
U.S. and European law enforcement agencies have announced sanctions against two Russia-linked cryptocurrency platforms in their ongoing chase to snuff out Russian-linked financial platforms that assist cybercriminals.
Five firms fined by PCAOB for alleged communications, reporting failures
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board fined five consultancies, including Ernst & Young, as the agency continues its crackdown on firms violating audit committee communications rules and reporting requirements.
CPE Webcast: AI strategy and regulatory risk: A financial services perspective
In our coming webinar, experts will discuss the fundamental rethinking of how risk is understood and managed in the financial services industry and how firms can be proactive to stay ahead of these big technological changes.
AAR Corp. discloses former exec implicated in Nepal, South Africa FCPA violations
Aviation maintenance services provider AAR Corp. disclosed that several former employees may have bribed officials in Nepal and South Africa to win contracts, and chose to self-report violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to authorities in the U.S. and U.K.
Regs levy $120M in fines over off-channel comms with two firms avoiding penalties
Regulators continue to hammer firms with fines for violating rules regarding the use of unapproved communication methods by employees, issuing $120 million in fines this week. And for the first time, two firms were not fined because they self-reported their violations.
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.
SEC penalizes Macquarie Asset Management $80M for overvaluing assets, fraud
Historically, the SEC has fiercely protected the rights of retail investors, and is constantly churning out enforcement actions against investment advisers it alleges have defrauded and manipulated its customers. So, it was somewhat unusual the agency issued an enforcement action this week that involved protecting the rights of institutional investors.
‘Biblically responsible’ investment adviser ordered to pay $300K over misleading investors
A “biblically responsible” investment adviser agreed to pay $300,000 and hire an independent compliance consultant to settle charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it misled investors, along with other compliance failures.
Prager Metis agrees to pay $2M over failed audits, including FTX
Waves of fallout from the collapse of cryptocurrency trading platform FTX continue to ripple, as accounting firm Prager Metis has learned.
SEC charges Kubient 'gatekeepers' with failing to stop CEO's AI fraud
Gatekeepers including chief financial officers and the chair of the audit committee have a responsibility to shareholders to report fraud wherever they find it–especially when that fraud involves an artificial intelligence tool meant to combat fraud.
SEC nets $1.3M in off-channel comms sweep against municipal advisory firms
Fines for off-channel communications use by employees just keep on coming, with 12 municipal advisory firms fined a total of $1.3 million in the latest Securities and Exchange Commission sweep.
DOJ orders Walgreens to pay $107M for fraudulent claims caused by Rx ‘software error’
Walgreens agreed to pay nearly $107 million to resolve allegations, first brought by two whisteblowers, that it improperly billed federal healthcare programs for prescriptions that were never picked up or delivered.
FINRA fines Wells Fargo unit $3M for repeatedly pushing ‘unsuitable’ investments
A Wells Fargo subsidiary will pay nearly $3 million to settle allegations that it failed to properly supervise an employee attempting to sell unsuitable investment products to retail investors–the fifth time it has been penalized for similar supervisory failings since 2020.
Chinese regulators impose six-month ban, $62M fine on PwC’s China unit
Chinese authorities banned PwC’s Chinese unit from performing audits in the country for six months, labeling the subsidiary’s flawed audit work as complicit in the failure of giant property developer Evergrande.
Budweiser Budvar registration failures show ESG impacts of U.K. noncompliance
Most businesses think more about their products than what they come wrapped in, but a recent U.K. penalty against Czech brewery Budweiser Budvar indicates packaging is an increasingly important element in sustainability regulations.
SEC charges three Medly execs with fraud for investment scheme
Former executives of Medly, an online pharmacy that is now shuttered, have been charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with defrauding investors.
Wells Fargo agrees with OCC to shore up BSA/AML, sanctions program deficiencies
The Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ordered Wells Fargo to make “comprehensive corrective actions” to its Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering and U.S. sanctions programs, along with receive permission from the OCC to offer new products and services or enter new geographic markets with “medium or high” ...
CFPB orders TD Bank to pay $28M for sending false info to credit agencies
TD Bank has been ordered to pay $27.7 million and implement compliance measures, for providing inaccurate, negative credit information to credit agencies about tens of thousands of its customers and taking too long to fix the errors, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said.
FINRA dings JPMorgan Securities $190K over registration, supervision failures
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority fined JPMorgan Securities $190,000 for unregistered investment banking activities and not having a supervisory system reasonably designed to achieve compliance with FINRA registration requirements.
John Deere to pay $10M to settle FCPA violations by subsidiary in Thailand
Illinois-based manufacturer John Deere will pay approximately $10 million in penalties and disgorgement to the Securities and Exchange Commission for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act with bribes paid by a Thai subsidiary.
SEC fines nine investment advisers combined $1.2M in ‘ongoing’ marketing rule sweep
Nine investment advisers will pay a total of $1.24 million to settle allegations that they violated the Securities and Exchange Commission’s marketing rule by disseminating advertisements with untrue or misleading information.
DOJ orders Wynn Las Vegas to forfeit $130M over BSA/AML violations
Wynn Las Vegas agreed to forfeit $130 million to settle a range of criminal allegations, including allegedly helping foreign customers hide money transfers and shielding patrons from Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering rules, the Department of Justice said.
SEC fines Esmark, CEO combined $600K over false offer to U.S. Steel Corp.
A privately held family company and its CEO, who announced a $10 billion bid to buy U.S. Steel without having the cash on hand, will pay $600,000 in penalties to the Securities and Exchange Commission for making materially false statements.
SEC penalizes seven firms $3M total for impeding whistleblower protections
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.
Clearview AI’s GDPR fines rise to $110M total after latest penalty by Dutch DPA
Clearview AI was fined 30.5 million euro (U.S. $33.8 million) by the Dutch Data Protection Authority and ordered to stop collecting images of Dutch citizens in the latest enforcement action against the U.S. company.
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.
SEC 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.
Six credit rating firms to pay $49M for off-channel comms violations
Six credit rating agencies will pay $49 million in fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission for allowing their employees to communicate on company business using nonapproved communication channels like Whats App and WeChat.
Raytheon parent to pay $200M in fines, remediation over export control violations
RTX Corp., the parent company of Raytheon, agreed to pay $200 million in fines and remediation to address hundreds of export control violations that led to the disclosure of sensitive military secrets.