FTC shuts down student loan firms over deceptive debt relief practices
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action against a pair of student loan debt relief companies for allegedly deceiving borrowers. The move came despite the Trump administration’s broader efforts to roll back enforcement actions against businesses since taking office.
Coinbase faces a leftover SEC probe as crypto enforcement loses steam
After dismissing its lawsuit against the crypto exchange Coinbase in March, a second investigation into the exchange by the Securities and Exchange Commission has surfaced, according to a report from the New York Times. This comes as a bit of a surprise after the Trump administration has been scaling down ...
States like New York, Pennsylvania stepping up to fill regulatory void left by federal agencies
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau steps back from its core mission of protecting American consumers, states like New York and Pennsylvania are stepping up to fill the regulatory void.
SEC Chair Atkins advances Trump’s pro-crypto efforts, promising first market rules
The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission promised new sets of rules around cryptocurrency assets, saying his team intends to lay out regulatory frameworks around custody and “qualified custodians,” as well as guidelines around issuing and trading. The expected move marks the latest step in the U.S. government’s embrace ...
FTC pushes back timeline for ‘Click to Cancel’ Rule, raising compliance questions
The Federal Trade Commission was set to begin enforcement of the “click to cancel” rule on May 14, but a new announcement from the agency pushed that date to July 14. As is the case with many of the regulatory decisions by the Trump administration, it’s unclear whether the agency ...
SEC drops Morgan Stanley cash sweep case: Sign of the times?
A decision by the Securities and Exchange Commission to close an investigation into the cash sweep program at Morgan Stanley may affect decision-making at other financial institutions under similar scrutiny.
Buy now, pay later firms catch a break as CFPB backs off enforcement
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) signaled a softer regulatory approach last month, easing its investigation of financial firms following the U.S. government’s broader efforts under President Donald Trump to scale back regulatory enforcement on businesses. The agency reaffirmed this pivot as it will ease scrutiny of “Buy Now, ...
FinCEN proposes bar on Cambodian company due to alleged money laundering
A Cambodian financial company, the Huione Group, has laundered billions of dollars for international criminals and those linked to North Korea, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The agency proposes that the company should be severed from having access to the U.S. financial ...
UBS to pay $511 million fine over Credit Suisse tax case, exposing compliance gaps
A significant settlement in a U.S. tax fraud case against Credit Suisse contains numerous compliance lessons related to beneficial ownership and due diligence in mergers and acquisitions.
In continuing re-evaluation of FCPA cases, DOJ ends Albemarle FCPA reporting
The Department of Justice has ended another FCPA-related compliance action more than a year early. This scaling back of regulatory enforcement by the federal government has been a growing trend since the start of the Trump administration.
Delayed UK antitrust case underscores compliance, reputational risks
Antitrust infringement cases in the United Kingdom can run on for years, but there’s a question whether issuing fines that are dwarfed by the revenues of those organisations involved is a worthy deterrent—particularly if they are imposed over a decade after the misconduct ended. It’s also debatable whether the first ...
Despite uncertainty, whistleblowers still have incentives to report misconduct
Whistleblowing in the United States is being buffered by uncertainty from regulators who are backing off policing corruption and consumer protections. Regulators like the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are being thrown into disarray by layoffs and restructuring. Still, whistleblowers will likely continue coming forward.
How to convince companies about compliance during deregulation
At some point, many compliance professionals say they’ve met an executive who approached their role dismissively. “I don’t want to talk about anything that doesn’t bring money in the door,” one attendee remembers a senior executive saying to them.
FTC sues Uber over deceptive subscriptions, a rare move for consumers by Trump officials
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Uber, alleging the ride-hailing company signed customers up for its Uber One subscription without consent, then made it hard for them to cancel. The move marks the U.S. government’s latest broadside against big tech companies, and the first major action from ...
UK’s deregulation drive raises compliance risk, say top lawyers
The United Kingdom’s latest effort to encourage regulators to pare down rules to attract companies and investment as a way to stimulate the economy has received mixed reviews from lawyers.
CFPB pullback signals further shift toward industry-friendly regulation
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continues to unravel amid pressure from Trump administration officials to shutter the agency. Not only has the agency informed its employees that it will no longer be a watchdog for the financial services industry, it has also laid off employees despite court orders blocking ...
Ex-FBI informant says three things can save companies from themselves
Tom Hardin paid the price for crossing legal and ethical lines as a financial analyst accused of insider trading in one of the most notorious Wall Street scandals. Now he’s on a mission to save businesses from themselves. A keynote speaker at Compliance Week National, he built a second career ...
Trump’s CFPB, dismissing Comerica case, continues to cut down Biden-era lawsuits
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dropped yet another consumer protection lawsuit against a bank or fintech provider since Donald Trump was sworn in as president in January. This time, it was with Comerica Bank.
Cash App parent to pay $40 million for alleged BSA/AML violations in New York
Block Inc., maker of the popular Cash App, has been hit with a $40 million fine by New York for its alleged failure to report suspicious activity. The move marks the latest in a string of recent state and federal enforcement actions against the company.
DOJ disbands crypto investigation unit, another sign of the Trump administration’s support of digital currency
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) disbanded its crypto investigation unit on Monday, marking another step from President Donald Trump to support the crypto industry and lighten the regulatory burden of potential crypto crime investigations that had started under the Biden administration.
EU looking to scale back GDPR in coming weeks
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation has been in effect since 2018, requiring companies to securely handle users’ personal data. The European Commission will reportedly review the regulations and claw back some of the rules, which could make doing business in Europe a little easier for these companies.
Companies unprepared for European Accessibility Act as June deadline looms
An accessible website should be a basic requirement for businesses, allowing the largest number of people to access a company’s content and services. With technology as an enabler, it also makes good business sense. After all, why would any organization want to hinder customer access? However, many websites are not ...
FTC case against insulin price gouging halted after commissioners fired by Trump
A Federal Trade Commission case against insulin price gouging has come to a screeching halt after two Democratic commissioners were fired by President Donald Trump.
Dismissed Democrats on Federal Trade Commission sue Trump administration
Two former Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission–Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter–filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and the remaining commissioners, claiming their recent termination was without cause and that the courts should rule their dismissals as “unlawful and ineffective.”
FRC fines PwC, auditor combined $4.1M over 2019 work of Wyelands Bank
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council issued penalties against PwC and a former auditor over deficiencies on work related to the 2019 financial statements of now shuttered Wyelands Bank.
DOJ fines MORSE Corp $4.6M for lax cyber controls amid crack down on federal contractors
Yet another government contractor has been slapped with a fine by the Department of Justice for applying lax cybersecurity defenses on sensitive government data.
EU regulator questions 'culture of compliance' with Digital Markets Act at Apple, Google
The European Commission released its preliminary findings last week regarding Apple and Google not complying with the Digital Markets Act. It issued orders to both companies regarding their business practice and plans to release all of its findings next week.
Treasury reversal of OFAC sanctions against Tornado Cash signals eroding AML scrutiny
The U.S. Treasury Department lifted its sanctions against cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash on Friday after a federal appeals court ruled in November the penalty levied by the agency’s Office of Foreign Assets Control was an overreach.
RTX and Raytheon: A case study in juggling four compliance monitors
In October 2024, aerospace and defense company Raytheon and parent company RTX reached a $950 million settlement with U.S. government agencies to resolve multiple federal law violations. More significant than the criminal penalties were the four compliance monitorships that came with the agreements.
Democratic FTC commissioners blast Trump's 'illegal' firings
President Donald Trump fired two Democratic commissioners serving on the Federal Trade Commission, the regulatory agency overseeing antitrust and consumer protection laws and which has been traditionally independent and staffed by members of both political parties.
CCO who was ‘sole person controlling’ investment firm charged with recidivist concentration violations
An investment company and its founder, president, and chief compliance officer flagrantly kept violating mutual fund rules for multiple years after settling with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the SEC said in a complaint against the company.
Expert: Treasury’s move to ‘narrow’ BOI requirements would gut AML law
The U.S. Treasury’s effort to dramatically narrow the focus of the Corporate Transparency Act through “emergency” rulemaking would gut the law’s anti-money laundering efforts, a transparency expert said.
FRC launches probe into MacIntyre Hudson’s 2022 audit of collapsed LSG
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council has launched an investigation into MacIntyre Hudson’s audit of collapsed construction company ISG Limited, which abruptly entered administration in September, laying off 2,200 workers.
Experts: Companies ‘underestimate risk’ as first provisions of EU AI Act come into force
A European Union-wide ban on AI systems with “unacceptable” risk came into force on Feb. 2 as the first provisions of the EU’s AI Act took effect. Problems persist, however, over what the legislation requires and what corporate practices or uses of data may risk flouting the rules.
‘Abject failure’: U.K. lawmakers sound off on FCA’s failed 'naming and shaming' enforcement
U.K. lawmakers slammed the country’s chief financial regulator’s hopes of “naming and shaming” firms as part of its efforts to beef up enforcement, denting its credibility in the process and questioning the leadership of its chief executive.
PCAOB fines KPMG units $3.4M, PwC Singapore $1.5M for audit, independence violations
Nine affiliates of KPMG agreed to pay a total of nearly $3.4 million for alleged violations of audit and quality control standards, while PwC Singapore will pay $1.5 million to settle separate allegation that the firm manipulated independence compliance reporting.
Robinhood pays $30M in fines, restitution for faulty AML program, customer disclosures
Robinhood will pay nearly $30 million in penalties for violating Financial Industry Regulatory Authority rules with shortcomings in its anti-money launderingprogram, as well as supervisory and disclosure violations.
Firm, two execs fined, including ex-CCO, for misappropriating $220K, SEC alleges
Two executives at New York-based Momentum Advisors, including the firm’s chief compliance officer, allegedly misappropriated more than $220,000, the Securities and Exchange Commission said.
Dismissal of CFPB’s Zelle case marks shift to ‘collective effort’ in consumer protection
The Trump administration isn’t slowing down its efforts to defang the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, with lawsuits dropped against a handful of big banks and financial services firms, most notably a case previously accusing payments app Zelle of failing to secure its network.
Judge to hear arguments for and against CFPB cuts before agency potentially ‘choked out of existence’
The future of the CFPB–and the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle it–hang in the balance as a federal judge pushed consideration of a request by a federal employees’ union to preserve the agency.
'Measured approach' or light-handed GPDR? Noyb reports only 1.3 percent of EU cases result in fine
When Europe’s strict set of data protection rules came into force nearly seven years ago, privacy campaigners, industry experts, and lawyers all warned that noncompliance could result in eye-watering fines and other costly sanctions, especially for repeated breaches. However, the reality appears to be very different.
As DOJ pivots away from white-collar enforcement, is FCPA still relevant?
While executives and boards will never conclude that bribery is a legitimate way of doing business, understandably many have questions about how to direct their FCPA compliance program efforts and resources, write Iris Bennett and Claire Rajan, partners at law firm Steptoe.
New era dawns on crypto industry with SEC dismissal of Coinbase case
The Securities and Exchange Commission dismissed its lead case against the cryptocurrency industry, a lawsuit against crypto exchange Coinbase, signaling an about-face in the agency’s enforcement approach toward digital assets under President Donald Trump.
Treasury announces plan to narrow CTA's scope; FinCEN says no fines, penalties for failure to report BOI
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network notified businesses that fail to report or update their beneficial ownership information before the agency’s March 21 deadline will not face fines or penalties. The agency further said it would not enforce the Corporate Transparency Act against U.S. citizens and domestic businesses.
PCAOB fines PwC Israel $2.75M amid ongoing sweep for internal training exam cheating
The Israeli affiliate of Big Four audit firm PwC agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle allegations it failed to prevent widespread cheating on training examinations despite internal warnings to staff about an ongoing crackdown.
CFTC first agency to describe self-reporting credit under Trump
The CFTC issued new guidance for firms seeking to self-report misconduct, accompanied by a “mitigation credit index” that details how “exemplary” cooperation and remediation can knock up to 55 percent off the final penalty. The agency is the first enforcement agency to issue self-reporting guidance under President Donald Trump.
Crypto exchange OKX latest target of DOJ, hit with $505M penalty over AML, KYC failures
One of world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges agreed to pay more than $500 million in penalties and plead guilty to AML and KYC violations, along with failing to register as a money transmitting business with the U.S. Treasury Department, the DOJ said.
FCA fine against Infinox Capital may signal widening risk for smaller financial services firms
The decision by the U.K.’s financial regulator to fine a small trading platform around ten percent of its annual profits under previously unenforced rules has wider ramifications for the sector.
U.K. competition and markets regulator wields new power to combat fake online reviews
Fake reviews of products and services are a global phenomenon, but regulators in the U.K. are beginning to use newly expanded powers to protect buyers and honest competitors following a recent crackdown by U.S. authorities.
Interim DOJ Civil Division head nominated to take on full role
President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Brett Shumate, the current acting head of the Civil Division at the Department of Justice, to assistant attorney general of the division. Shumate’s nomination to the arm of the DOJ that primarily handles civil cases comes at a time when Trump’s administration ...