News & Events –

Bates is proud to announce the appointment of Benjamin R. Pappas as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Previously, Pappas was Bates Group’s President, where he was responsible for driving the firm’s overall growth strategy. Pappas succeeds former CEO Jennifer Stout, who will be taking up new roles as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors and Senior Executive Advisor to the firm.

Bates is a proud Diamond Sponsor of the FSDA Industry Outreach Program "2023: Unmasking Market Opportunities." April 21, 2023 at the Boca Raton Marriott at Boca Center. Register today to join Bates CEO Jennifer Stout , Chair of the program, at this re-scheduled program.

Join Bates Group Managing Consultant John Ashley along with experts from Alloy and Chainalysis on this new webinar as they discuss regulatory compliance and best practices impacting companies building crypto-enabled products. Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. ET

OFAC has recently made updates to its website designed to make it easier for users to find guidance on specific industries, use the reporting system, stay current on policy updates, and access OFAC's sanctions database quickly and efficiently.

Bates Compliance Managing Directors Kurt Wachholz and Hank Sanchez will be speaking on panels at the NSCP Interactive Compliance Lab - April 18, 2023 at Fordham School of Law in NYC.

Bates Group welcomes our newest consulting and testifying experts:

Nicholas Bowman, CFP®, CEP®, MSPFP

James A. Kamradt

Bridget McNamara-Fenesy, JD

David M. Minnick

Download this illustrative and detailed chartbook featuring U.S. economic and capital markets analysis for 2022. From Bates Group Director Greg Kyle and President Ben Pappas.

On March 27, 2023, the SEC Division of Examinations issued a Risk Alert focused on compliance deficiencies found in examinations of newly registered advisers. The Division said these advisers may face unique risks, particularly as to conflicts of interest, and cautioned them to review their policies and procedures, disclosures, and marketing practices. The Division also explained—perhaps as guidance for these new registrants—that their examinations were “an opportunity for early engagement between advisers and the staff.” Bates has a brief summary of this new Alert and what it could mean for your firm and clients.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) engages in rigorous examinations of financial institutions to ensure that they follow all applicable laws and regulations, have effective compliance management systems in place, and provide meaningful consumer protections. Bates Group offers independent consumer compliance reviews to help protect your business and customers.

In response to the threat from cyber actors “who use constantly evolving and sophisticated tactics, techniques, and procedures to cause harmful cybersecurity incidents,” the SEC proposed a new set of comprehensive rules intended to mitigate that risk. The proposal is consistent with the White House’s recent announcement of a new comprehensive National Cybersecurity Strategy and the annual FBI report on cybercrime trends based on 2022 data. Bates has the details.

Join Bates at the NMLS 2023 Annual Conference, April 3-6, 2023 in Phoenix. Hear Bates Director Matt Summers speak on the CSBS Money Transmitter model law. Registration now open.

Fast-moving events in the financial markets are underscoring the need for a workable digital asset legislative and regulatory framework. Ongoing volatility continues to reduce overall crypto market value, and federal and state regulators have ramped up their enforcement efforts. Such volatility is the backdrop to this latest roundup on crypto developments.

In the aftermath of the collapse of three banking firms, Silvergate, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank earlier in March, tensions in the banking sector continued over the past week with the shares of a number of regional banks including First Republic, PacWest Bancorp and Zions Bancorp under pressure. During the turmoil-filled week, several questions were raised about the strength of U.S. banks, whether regulators moved quickly enough, the role of VCs, and if the failures were foreseeable. Read the analysis from Bates Expert and Director Greg Kyle.

On Sunday, U.S. regulators seized Signature Bank, and on Friday, U.S. regulators seized the assets of Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”). The seizure of SVB led to one of the largest bank failures in U.S. history and the largest failure of a financial institution since the 2008 financial crisis. The failure of SVB comes on the heels of Silvergate Capital announcing on Wednesday that it would voluntarily wind down operations and liquidate its bank. With three bank collapses in one week, the markets, investors, and many of our clients are understandably on edge.

Consumer protection laws are designed to protect consumers, to keep sellers honest and to protect purchases of goods from fraudulent or deceptive marketing. Consumer protection laws are enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, and businesses that fail to maintain compliance with federal consumer protection laws could face severe consequences.

Bates is a proud returning sponsor of the SIFMA C&L 2023 Annual Seminar, March 12-15 at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. Visit Bates at booth #516.