The Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered RBC Capital Markets to pay “more than $800,000 to resolve charges that it engaged in unfair dealing in municipal bond offerings.” While RBC Capital Markets neither admits nor denies the SEC allegations, it has agreed to pay the financial penalty and be censured. In a related settlement, two… Read More >>
SEC Bars Two People from Whistleblower Program
I should not have been surprised to learn that the SEC can bar people from becoming whistleblowers. In an unusual press release, the regulator, which in these cases, cannot name names, has “barred two individuals from the SEC’s whistleblower award program, each of whom filed hundreds of frivolous award applications.” It appears that the regulator’s… Read More >>
DoJ Begins 7th Fund Distribution for Madoff Victims
A former pillar of Wall Street, once celebrated for his financial acumen, died in prison six months ago. Meanwhile, restitution to victims of his epic fraud continues on. Savvy FTF News readers will know that Bernard L. Madoff’s fall is a cautionary tale, still eminently relevant. In June 2009, the infamous Ponzi schemer, and the… Read More >>
SIFMA, ICI, DTCC Seek SEC’s Help with T+1
The major backers of the move to shorten the U.S. securities industry settlement cycle from T+2 to T+1 by 2023 are moving full speed ahead as they reach out via a letter to the SEC about potential regulatory changes. Officials from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), the Investment Company Institute (ICI), and… Read More >>
Lacewell Leaves Behind a Legacy of Activism
Linda A. Lacewell recently announced that she will be stepping down on August 24 from her position as superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS) after two-and-a-half years at the helm. Her departure coincides with the resignation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo who is leaving because of a scandal involving sexual harassment… Read More >>
FBI, SEC & FINRA Warn Against Imposter Brokers
None other than Larson E. Whipsnade himself declared, “You can’t cheat an honest man.” That was in the 1939 movie of the same name, and Whipsnade was played by W.C. Fields. So, it should come as no surprise that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Financial Interest… Read More >>
Gary Gensler’s SEC Takes Shape
As expected, SEC Chair Gary Gensler is taking the regulatory agency in a different direction than the most recent chairman Jay Clayton. Recent actions are pointing to a more activist environment and a new era of rulemaking. For starters, Gensler recently announced his policy team, which will be led by Heather Slavkin Corzo, policy director…. Read More >>
TIAA-CREF Subsidiary Hit With $97M Penalty
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York State Attorney General have a problem with how TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC did its business in the 2012 to 2018 period. The SEC and the NY AG allege that TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services (TC Services) failed to “adequately” disclose conflicts of interest and… Read More >>
CFTC Divisions Push SEFs to Dump LIBOR
CFTC Says Firms Need to Embrace SOFR Soon The CFTC wants participants in derivatives markets and the swap execution facilities (SEFs) to remember that they could face “financial, conduct, litigation, operational, and reputational risks” if they fail to adequately prepare for “a smooth and timely” London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (Libor) transition to the Secured Overnight… Read More >>
Broadridge Buys J&J Unit to Bolster RegTech Services
Broadridge Financial Solutions is bolstering its regulatory compliance services for broker-dealers via an acquisition of the cloud-based Execution Compliance and Surveillance Service (ECS) assets of Wall Street consultancy Jordan & Jordan (J&J), officials say. J&J officials describe their ECS offering as a managed service that includes “comprehensive reviews to assess compliance with various aspects of… Read More >>
