Effective Sept. 26, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved amendments to Nasdaq’s shareholder approval rule regarding issuances of 20% or more of an issuer’s outstanding common stock or voting power in a private offering. The amendments are intended to update Nasdaq’s shareholder approval rules from their 1990 adoption and enhance the ability for capital … Continue Reading
Last week, in Pictet Overseas, Inc. v. Helvetia Trust, the Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed a Florida district court’s order permanently enjoining two offshore trusts from pursuing a FINRA arbitration against a FINRA member and its associated person owners. In Pictet, two offshore trusts, Helvetia Trust and AAA Group International Trust, held custodial … Continue Reading
Rule 15c2-12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Rule 15c2-12) was adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1989 to establish standards for the procurement and dissemination of disclosure documents by underwriters as a means of enhancing the accuracy and timeliness of disclosure to municipal securities investors. Previous amendments to Rule 15c2-12 … Continue Reading
In a previous GT Alert, we summarized and analyzed the Supreme Court’s June 21, 2018, decision in Lucia v. Securities & Exchange Commission, 138 S. Ct. 2044 (2018). That GT Alert cited the SEC’s 30-day stay of “all administrative proceedings” “before an administrative law judge” and foretold continued uncertainty concerning the status of administrative law … Continue Reading
On Sept. 25, 2017, the Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement and the Institute for Corporate Governance and Finance at New York University School of Law hosted a policy speech by James McDonald, Director of the Division of Enforcement, United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Mr. McDonald presented the CFTC’s new self-reporting and cooperation … Continue Reading
On August 2, 2017, United States Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) jointly introduced Senate Bill 1717, entitled the “Corporate Transparency Act of 2017” (the “Act”). The Act was referred to the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. The Act would amend Title 31 of the United States Code, to … Continue Reading
Right after Christmas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit delivered a lump of coal to the Securities and Exchange Commission in Bandimere v. U.S. SEC,1 ruling that the SEC’s administrative law judges (ALJs) who preside over SEC enforcement actions hold their positions in violation of the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution. … Continue Reading
The Internal Revenue Service (the Service) issued guidance last month that will, practically speaking, make it slightly more difficult for entities to qualify as regulated investment companies (RICs) for federal income tax purposes. Under current law, an SEC registered investment company may qualify as a RIC only if, inter alia, (i) 90 percent of its … Continue Reading
May 6, 2016, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (FinCEN) finalized regulations that will require banks, securities broker dealers, mutual funds, futures commission merchants, and introducing brokers in commodities (collectively, Covered Institutions) to identify and perform due diligence on the ultimate beneficial owners and control persons of any legal … Continue Reading
Since the enactment of ERISA in 1974, there has been a dramatic shift in the retirement savings marketplace from employer-sponsored defined benefit plans to participant-directed 401(k) plans, coupled with the widespread growth of Individual Retirement Accounts and Annuities (IRAs). In fact, 401(k) plans did not exist at the time the Department of Labor (DOL) published … Continue Reading
On April 13, 2016, Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal (Third District) issued its en banc opinion in Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Indenture Trustee for American Home Mortgage Investment Trust 2006-2 v. Beauvais, __ So. 3d __, No. 3D14-575 (Fla. 3d DCA Apr. 13, 2016), holding that “dismissal of a foreclosure action accelerating … Continue Reading
Here are two things that every offshore fund manager should take away from any discussion of United States federal income tax: It is easy to be deemed engaged in a U.S. trade or business; and, It is bad to be deemed engaged in a U.S. trade or business. The Alert “Four Things That Offshore Funds … Continue Reading
The authors discuss current developments with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) including a report on consumers with limited credit histories and an upcoming teleconference presentation on compliance with the CFPB mortgage rules. Continue Reading.… Continue Reading
The authors discuss current developments with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) including a report of consumer complaints issued by the CFPB’s Office of Servicemember Affairs; an enforcement action against a bank for overdraft practices; an enforcement action against a title company and its mortgage loan officers; the Annual Fair Lending Report issued by CFPB’s … Continue Reading
On April 21, 2015, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (FinCEN), working in conjunction with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the South Florida Money Laundering Strike Force, released a rarely-issued Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) for certain areas of Miami-Dade County. The GTO requires certain … Continue Reading
The authors discuss current developments with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) including an enforcement action against a tax-refund anticipation loan company and its owners; guidance regarding housing counselor information; a final rule on the credit card agreement submission process; and an upcoming research conference. Continue Reading.… Continue Reading
In recent months, certain small banks have come under increased investigation by FinCEN, federal bank regulators, and in some instances the Department of Justice (DOJ) for alleged non-compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and alleged failure to implement effective anti-money laundering programs. It is important for small banks to keep this development in mind … Continue Reading
The authors discuss current developments with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) including an enforcement action against a collection agency and its service providers, an action against a mortgage lender for deceptive advertising, an update to the Supervision and Examination Manual, and meeting notices for the CFPB’s Community Bank Advisory Council and the CFPB’s Academic … Continue Reading
The authors discuss current developments with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) including the recently issued outline of a payday loan rule, a study on arbitration agreements, the publication of consumer narratives on its complaint database, and more. Continue Reading.… Continue Reading
After the Nevada Supreme Court issued a 5-2 decision in Sandpointe Apartments v. Eighth Judicial Dist. Ct., which found that 2011 amendments modifying Nevada’s anti-deficiency protections created limitations on the amount a note-purchaser could recover as part of a deficiency judgment, several constitutional issues remained undetermined regarding loans acquired from the FDIC-as-receiver for failed banks. … Continue Reading
The authors discuss current developments with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) including a consumer focus group study on credit reports, a proposed rule that would improve the consumer credit card agreement disclosure process, an upcoming field hearing on consumer arbitration agreements, and an upcoming Credit Union Advisory Council meeting. Continue Reading.… Continue Reading
The authors discuss current developments with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) including an issued report and consumer advisory on reverse mortgages, an enforcement action against a non-bank mortgage lender for alleged deceptive advertising practices and kickbacks, and separate enforcement actions and a civil suit against several mortgage lenders for misleading advertising practices. Continue Reading.… Continue Reading
The authors discuss current developments with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) including a proposed consent order with a credit card issuer, an enforcement action against a subprime credit card company, and an upcoming CFPB Consumer Advisory Board meeting. Continue Reading.… Continue Reading
In the wake of recent cybersecurity breaches, the SEC and FINRA simultaneously issued reports this week to the securities industry summarizing cybersecurity examination findings and to investors recommending certain precautions to safeguard online investment information. In its Risk Alert – Cybersecurity Examination Sweep Summary, the SEC describes the results from examinations of more than 100 … Continue Reading
