For the first time since 2004, FINRA has proposed major amendments to its requirements that govern the terms of the underwriting arrangements for most public offerings of securities and mandate that such arrangements be...more
Regulators Demand Third-Party Risk Management -
While third-party risk management has been a required component of an effective enterprise risk management program for many years, the topic is receiving elevated attention...more
4/18/2017
/ Article III ,
Clean Shares ,
Elder Abuse ,
Exploitation ,
Fiduciary Exception ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
Insurance Industry ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Life Insurance ,
Mutual Funds ,
NAIC ,
Reinsurance ,
Sales Commissions ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Settlement Cycles ,
Spokeo v Robins ,
Standing ,
Third Party Funding ,
Third-Party Risk ,
Unfair Competition Law (UCL) ,
Variable Annuities ,
Vulnerable Victims
SEC staff in December issued a Guidance Update that provides significant flexibility regarding how mutual funds and variable annuities (VAs) reflect multiple charge structures in their SEC registration statements....more
Various NAIC groups have planted seeds for a number of regulatory initiatives that impact life insurers.
The Cybersecurity Task Force has been tilling the ground in preparation for a third draft of the NAIC Cybersecurity...more
On March 22, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) adopted a rule amendment that shortens the time by which most securities transactions effected by a broker-dealer are required to settle. Under the amendment,...more
- Should Your Company Purchase Bitcoin to Pay a Cyber Ransom?
- NAIC Draws Line in CFPB Sandbox
- NAIC’s Big Data Task Force Sets Charges for 2017
- Broker-Dealers Can Hold Customers’ Initial Checks...more
1/9/2017
/ Annuities ,
Big Data ,
Bitcoin ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cross-Selling ,
Cybersecurity ,
Digital Currency ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
FinTech ,
Insurance Industry ,
Life Insurance ,
NAIC ,
OCC ,
Prudential Insurance ,
Ransomware ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
STOLI ,
Trump Administration ,
Usury ,
Virtual Currency
A recent SEC no-action letter gives broker-dealers more time to perform suitability and other reviews when opening certain customer accounts.
The firms requesting the letter were affiliated with three different insurance...more
The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) has established a dedicated team charged specifically with inspecting FINRA and other FINRA-related work.
This follows through on the SEC’s...more
- AXA Prevails at First Post-Jones v. Harris Excessive Fee Trial
- Potential Secondary Effects of Regulatory Examinations: Evidentiary Issues and Preclusion in Parallel Litigation
- On The Horizon: Global...more
10/31/2016
/ Administrative Proceedings ,
Annuities ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
CFTC ,
Class Action ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
EU ,
European Economic Area (EEA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Markets ,
FSB ,
Gartenberg Factors ,
Healthcare ,
Industry Examinations ,
Insurance Industry ,
Investment Companies ,
Life Insurance ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Long-Term Care ,
Meals-Gifts-and Entertainment Rules ,
Mutual Funds ,
NAIC ,
NYDFS ,
Passporting ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retirement Plan ,
RICO ,
Risk Assessment ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Solvency II ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
Unicorns
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) staff has reportedly been asking mutual funds how they value their investments in “unicorns” – i.e., dynamic pre-IPO companies with market capitalization exceeding $1 billion, and...more
In July, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) announced an initiative to identify instances where registered investment advisers may be improperly influenced by...more
10/28/2016
/ 529 Plans ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Markets ,
Incentives ,
Investment Management ,
Mutual Funds ,
OCIE ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Share Classes
- Fed Takes First Steps Toward Setting Capital Requirements for Some Insurers
- New Wave of COI Rate Increase Lawsuits Hits the Industry
- STOLI Policies Cancelled, Insurers Retain Premium
-...more
8/29/2016
/ Administrative Proceedings ,
Capital Requirements ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Death Master Files ,
Domain Names ,
Electronic Data Transmissions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Florida ,
Insurance Industry ,
Life Insurance ,
Mutual Funds ,
NAIC ,
National Technical Information Service (NTIS) ,
Pensions ,
Popular ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Spokeo v Robins ,
STOLI ,
Unclaimed Property
Life Policy Summaries/Narratives -
An NAIC working group is considering how to revise provisions in its model regulations governing the content of the policy summary required in life insurance policy illustrations and...more
IN THE SPOTLIGHT -
- SEC Sanctions Unregistered EB-5 Investments Broker
SECURITIES -
- FINRA to Assess Member Firms’ Culture
- SEC Seeks Fund Responses to Distribution-In-Guise Guidance...more
7/26/2016
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Arbitration ,
Banking Sector ,
Class Action ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Data Breach ,
Debt Buyers ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EB-5 ,
Electronic Data Transmissions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Facebook ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
FFIEC ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Immigrant Investor Program ,
Individual Accountability ,
Inpatient Billing ,
Insurance Industry ,
Investment ,
Job Creation ,
Payday Loans ,
Pensions ,
Popular ,
Property Damage ,
Property Insurance ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Self-Reporting ,
Spokeo v Robins ,
Student Loans ,
Two-Midnight Rule ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers
Early this year, the SEC announced it had paid a whistleblower award of “more than $700,000” to a company “outsider” who “conducted a detailed analysis” that led to a successful enforcement action against the company....more
Speaking at the Brookings Institution this April, FINRA head Richard Ketchum emphasized the importance of a broker-dealer having a "culture" that favors the firm’s customers when their interests conflict with those of the...more
7/19/2016
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Corporate Culture ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Markets ,
Investment ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Securities
IN THE SPOTLIGHT -
The CFPB Takes First Enforcement Action Related to Data Security Practices.
LIFE INSURANCE -
Class Certified in Unique Fixed Indexed Annuity Case.
Alleged Misrepresentations to DFS Warrant...more
5/6/2016
/ Auto Insurance ,
Automotive Loans ,
Bad Faith ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Security ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Derivatives ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
FCC ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Junk Bonds ,
Life Insurance ,
RESPA ,
Retirement Plan ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
SLUSA ,
Stark Law ,
TCPA ,
TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule (TRID) ,
Uninsured and Under-Insured Motorists ,
Waivers
The December failure and ongoing liquidation of the Third Avenue Focused Credit Fund (TAFCF) provides potential ammunition to significant financial services industry players who believe mutual funds and investment managers...more
Guidance Update No. 2016-01, published this month by the SEC’s Division of Investment Management, provides extensive guidance concerning the possibility that payments from mutual funds are being used to promote sales of the...more
IN THE SPOTLIGHT -
- California Passes Life and Annuity Electronic Transactions Law
LIFE INSURANCE -
- Under a Spotlight, "Shadow Insurance" Lawsuit Fails Scrutiny
- NAIC Evaluates Insurer’s Use of Variable...more
1/11/2016
/ 401k ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Big Data ,
Bitcoin ,
BSA/AML ,
E-Commerce ,
Medical Devices ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
STOLI ,
Takedown Notices ,
Variable Annuities
Annual reports that the SEC must submit to Congress provide insight into how the agency is exploiting the wealth of information that private fund advisers are required to file with it on Form PF. The SEC developed Form PF...more
In This Issue:
IN THE SPOTLIGHT -
- Your Data Breach Collided With My Personal Injury Coverage
LIFE INSURANCE -
- Phantom Injury Dooms “Shadow Insurance” Case
- Latest NAIC Cybersecurity News...more
10/8/2015
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
AIG ,
Auto Body Shop ,
Bailout ,
Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Big Data ,
Breach Notification Rule ,
Class Action ,
Compliance ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
CT Supreme Court ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Security ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Derivative Suit ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Disparate Impact ,
EB-5 ,
Fair Housing Act (FHA) ,
FFIEC ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Institutions ,
Foreclosure ,
Healthcare ,
Insurance Industry ,
King v Burwell ,
Life Insurance ,
Mortgage Servicers ,
Mutual Funds ,
NAIC ,
Online Advertisements ,
Ransomware ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Regulation A ,
RI Supreme Court ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Standing ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications ,
Treble Damages ,
Whistleblowers
The SEC recently published myriad questions about the listing, trading, and marketing (especially to retail investors) of "new, novel, or complex" exchange-traded products (ETPs). Such ETPs include exchange-traded funds...more
10/5/2015
/ Broker-Dealer ,
ETFs ,
Exchange-Traded Products ,
Financial Markets ,
Investment ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
Investors ,
No-Action Relief ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Trading Platforms
The Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) in June made an important recommendation concerning any risks that investment funds and advisors present to the global financial system....more
10/5/2015
/ Asset Management ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Markets ,
FSB ,
FSOC ,
Investment ,
Investment Funds ,
Investors ,
IOSCO ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Risk Assessment
In This Issue:
- IN THE SPOTLIGHT
• Risky Business: Common Cyber Security Risks, Expensive Consequences
- LIFE INSURANCE
• Ninth Circuit Finds Bonus Indexed Annuity Delivers Exactly...more
6/26/2015
/ Accounting Fraud ,
Annuities ,
Bad Faith ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Captive Insurance Company ,
Consumer Financial Contracts ,
Covered Business Method Patents ,
Cybersecurity ,
Debt Collection ,
Disability Benefits ,
Drones ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fair Lending ,
FCC ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Life Insurance ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Patents ,
RICO ,
SAR ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Telemedicine ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ,
Variable Annuities ,
Virtual Currency