JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. is paying more than $135 million in total monetary relief to settle the SEC’s allegations that it improperly handled “pre-released” American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), an industry practice that the bank says it has stepped away from. The SEC’s actions against JPMorgan constitute the “eighth action against a bank or broker, and… Read More >>
SEC, CFTC Brace for Extended Government Shutdown
As the U.S. gets back to work after the holidays, SEC and CFTC officials are preparing for an ongoing and widening shutdown of the federal government that may affect the law enforcement and litigation efforts of the regulators. When the shutdown began on Dec. 22, initially nine federal departments and agencies were impacted by the… Read More >>
BNY Mellon Settles ‘Pre-Release ADRs’ Case for $54M
Custodian giant Bank of New York Mellon has agreed to pay more than $54 million to settle charges via the SEC that engaged in the “improper handling of ‘pre-released’ American Depositary Receipts (ADRs).” As the SEC notes, ADRs are “U.S. securities that represent foreign shares of a foreign company” that “require a corresponding number of… Read More >>
Three Brokers Pay $6M to Settle Blue Sheet Cases
Three broker-dealers will pay more than $6 million to settle charges that they provided SEC officials with incomplete and inaccurate “electronic blue sheet,” or EBS, data. Electronic blue sheets include the required securities trading information that the SEC uses to “carry out its enforcement and regulatory obligations, including the investigation of insider trading and other… Read More >>
SEC Charges Two ICO Issuers with Registration Violations
The SEC reports that charges have been settled against CarrierEQ Inc., the privately held, Boston-based startup that does business as Airfox, and Paragon Coin Inc., an online financial entity formed in mid-2017 and headed by a former Miss Iowa beauty queen. Paragon proposed to “add blockchain technology to the cannabis industry and work toward legalization… Read More >>
ITG Settles Dark Pool Case for $12 Million
Agency broker ITG Inc. and its subsidiary AlterNet Securities Inc. are paying $12 million to settle charges via the SEC that it misled dark pool subscribers. Earlier this year, officials at ITG, which also offers financial technology, acknowledged the case and settlement amount. ITG maintains that it has taken remedial action while neither admitting nor… Read More >>
Citi Settles ADR Charges with SEC
Citibank N.A. has agreed to pay $38.7 million to settle charges of improper handling of “pre-released” American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reports. ADRs are the U.S. securities that represent foreign shares of a foreign company, and they “require a corresponding number of foreign shares to be held in custody at… Read More >>
Key Swaps Rules Get SEC Spotlight
Amid the stampede to emerging and disruptive technologies, a few more Earthly matters must be resolved within the realm of securities operations. One of those matters is the final resolution of the SEC’s proposed rules and amendments that govern capital, margining, and segregation requirements for securities-based swaps. These guidelines are important to “security-based swap dealers… Read More >>
Credit Suisse Settles RES Charges with SEC & NYAG
The SEC reports that Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC will pay $10 million to settle charges, brought collaboratively by the SEC and the Office of the New York Attorney General (NYAG), alleging “material misrepresentations and omissions made in connection with its now-closed Retail Execution Services (RES) business’ handling of certain customer orders.” “Credit Suisse’s RES… Read More >>
Cowen Execution Services Settles Blue Sheet Data Case
New York-based Convergex Execution Solutions LLC, the broker-dealer now known as Cowen Execution Services LLC, will pay $2.75 million to settle charges that it failed to provide the SEC with “true and complete” securities trading information in its electronic blue sheet, or EBS, data-file submissions. Convergex admitted to the findings in a recent SEC order… Read More >>
