Read our client alert here.
Read our client alert here.
The onset of fall signals a sad realization that summer has ended, but also the joy that “market structure” season has arrived for securities industry participants and policy wonks. Right on cue, in early October, SEC staff issued a report on equity and option market structure conditions related to the…
The SEC recently solicited public comment on digital engagement practices (DEPs) used by some broker-dealers and investment advisers, including predictive data analytics, differential marketing, and behavioral prompts (such as gamification). The public comment window closes October 1, 2021. Comments letters submitted already are available here—viewpoints run the gamut and are…
Word to the wise: when a regulator kindly reminds you on multiple occasions that you need to comply with its rules, you should probably heed those warnings. On July 26, 2021, the SEC announced settlements with 21 investment advisers and 6 broker-dealers that apparently did just the opposite. In particular,…
FINRA recently amended its rules in order to strengthen its tools to respond to brokers with a significant history of misconduct and the firms that employ them. Firms must comply with the changes by September 1, 2021. Our recent Client Alert covers this rule change in greater detail.
On April 16, 2021, the staff of the SEC Division of Trading and Markets reminded broker-dealers borrowing fully paid and excess margin securities from their customers (FPL programs) that they are obligated to comply with Exchange Act Rule 15c3-3 (Customer Protection Rule), and in particular, paragraph (b)(3). This reminder was…
On March 17, 2021, Acting CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam announced that the derivatives regulator had established a new interdivisional group called the Climate Risk Unit or the “CRU” to focus on the derivatives markets’ role in addressing climate-related risk and transitioning to a low-carbon/net-zero economy. The CRU (sounds like an…
On March 9, 2021, SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw indicated that the SEC should take a tougher stance regarding corporate wrongdoers. In a virtual conference before the Council of Institutional Investors, Crenshaw conveyed her view that the agency’s enforcement program has veered “off course” over the past 15 years and emphasized…
A flurry of recent climate-related announcements from the SEC forecasts an upcoming policy battle at the agency. Acting Chair Allison Herren Lee has signaled that “ESG” will clearly be in focus across the SEC’s various divisions, including Examinations, Corporation Finance, and Enforcement. Presumptive incoming SEC Chairman Gary Gensler also indicated…
The past few weeks have ushered in signs of what’s likely to come from the SEC’s Division of Enforcement under the Biden Administration, including a greater number of investigations and a tougher path to “bad boy” waivers for issuers. The SEC’s enforcement program plays a critical role in the agency’s…