News & Events –

The SEC is seeking comment on a newly issued proposal to amend two rules on investment adviser advertising and solicitor compensation.

FINRA issued its annual Report on Examination Findings and Observations on October 16, 2019. Like last year’s Report, the 2019 version highlights selected firm compliance violations and provides “observations” on how firms can improve their programs and address “perceived weaknesses that elevate risk.” Bates Research takes a closer look at FINRA's 2019 priorities and additional compliance concerns raised in the Report.

On September 26, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced a bill to strengthen the authority of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to fight money laundering. Called the ILLICIT CASH Act, the legislation would establish federal reporting requirements for beneficial ownership information. A similar bill, sponsored by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, titled the Corporate Transparency Act, passed a vote in the House of Representatives this week. The House also passed its version of the SAFE Banking Act to remove legal uncertainty for regulated banks and credit unions that provide banking services to cannabis businesses. These bills have the potential to significantly impact AML/BSA compliance programs. In this article, Bates Research takes a closer look at their potential impact.

On October 11, 2019, the heads of FinCEN, the SEC and CFTC issued a joint statement to remind financial institutions of their Bank Secrecy Act obligations for transactions involving “digital assets.”

To support your Reg BI implementation efforts, Bates Compliance is rolling our Reg BI Countdown with action items to keep your compliance team on track as the June 30, 2020 implementation deadline approaches.

In two speeches delivered in September 2019, leaders of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) laid out their thinking behind the agency’s current regulatory approach to combatting money laundering and terrorist financing. FinCEN Deputy Director Jamal El-Hindi focused on the future of the BSA and emphasized compliance for NBFIs, while FinCEN Director Kenneth Blanco described the use of financial data to fight money laundering and the abuse of personally identifiable information by bad actors. In this article, Bates Research takes a closer look at FinCEN’s message.

The SEC Enforcement Division is continuing to concentrate on firms that did not self-report by the deadline of the SEC’s Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative, and is now focusing on revenue-sharing payments and other forms of representative compensation or cost offsets. Bates takes a look at recent SEC actions and settlements with comments and recommendations by Securities Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement Managing Director Alex Russell.

Bates Managing Director and Expert Consultant Hank Sanchez will be speaking at the SIFMA C&L New York Regional Seminar October 22nd and at the 2019 NSCP National Conference October 23rd.

Bates Compliance Managing Director Robert Lavigne is quoted in a new article from Investment News.

In its 2019 annual enforcement report, the North American Securities Administrators Association ("NASAA") highlighted statistics from its 2018 state enforcement activities. The data show that the state securities regulators secured more than $1 billion in restitution and fines as well as significant criminal penalties. The report also notes that state regulators nearly doubled enforcement actions against investment adviser firms. Here, Bates Research takes a closer look.

Bates is proud to introduce our newest experts and consultants: Donna Bartlett, Frank Giorgio, Richard Rogoff and William Webb.

The SEC Office of Compliance, Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) issued a Risk Alert to remind investment advisers of their compliance obligations for principal trading and agency cross transactions involving clients. Specifically, OCIE alerted investment advisers of their responsibility to comply with disclosure and consent requirements under the Investment Advisers Act and that, except for specific circumstances related to cross trades, the rules require compliance on a “transaction-by-transaction basis – blanket disclosure and consent are not permitted.”

In a new Regulatory Notice, FINRA is asking its members a series of questions about the utility of rules and processes to curb financial exploitation of senior investors. According to FINRA, the rules under review provide a way for member firms to deal with situations where there is “a reasonable basis to believe that financial exploitation has occurred, is occurring, has been attempted or will be attempted.”

Bates Research closely follows regulatory and enforcement developments on senior financial fraud. In this article, we recap those rules and consider the questions posed by FINRA in its latest Notice.

The SEC’s adoption of the Regulation Best Interest (“Reg BI”) package in June was a defining moment in the long-running debate over the standard of care for broker-dealers and investment advisers. It triggered compliance schedules and required registered broker-dealers and advisory firms to develop internal policies and procedures in order to satisfy the new standards. The passage of Reg BI, however, did not quell the ongoing controversies over the appropriateness and adequacy of standards and investor protections. This week, Reg BI suffered another state challenge, this time in the form of a lawsuit filed against the SEC by seven State Attorneys General. Bates Research takes a closer look.

Bates is proud to share the publication of “With Regulation BI, Are FINRA Rules 2010 and 2111 Dead?” by Managing Director and Expert Consultant Hank Sanchez, Esq. Look for Hank at the 2019 NSCP National Conference, October 21-23 at the Hilton Baltimore. 

Bates Group welcomes Dennis Greenberg as the new Managing Director of Business Development for Bates AML and Financial Crimes.