In a recent survey of financial services professionals, many financial advisers said that they knowingly skirted their companies’ compliance regulations and are tired of complying with a regulatory framework that seems to be growing more complicated. 100 financial services professionals were surveyed by Shorewood, Minnesota-based consulting and training firm for…
U.S. Senator Charles Grassley has introduced legislation that would require most hedge fund advisers to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Called the Hedge Fund Registration Act, the bill closes a loophole created by the U.S. Court of Appeals (DC) when it struck down a 2004 SEC rule requiring…
David A. Stockman was chief architect of President Ronald Reagan’s economic plan (a plan dubbed “voodoo economics” by George H.W. Bush). Stockman then became a high-profile Wall Street money man, but was indicted Monday on charges of conspiracy, securities fraud and obstruction of justice. Stockman, 60, who faces the prospect…
Three former brokers of Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers face a second trial on charges they conspired to commit fraud by allowing day traders to eavesdrop on orders being discussed on investment firms’ internal “squawk boxes.” Four current and former executives at the day trading firm A. B. Watley…
The Securities and Exchange Commission for the first time proved a company used insurance to hide its losses. The agency accused an executive of cellphone distributor Brightpoint Inc. of overstating the company’s earnings through improper use of an insurance policy. A New York jury found the company’s director liable for…
A Securities and Exchange Commission action against Jamie Solow, a former stockbroker who is accused of allegedly taking part in a fraudulent trading scheme involving unsuitable and risky securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations, will not be dismissed, says the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. According to…
The SEC says it is requesting that the name of Pakistani banker Ajaz Rahim be added to the lawsuit charging the trading in of call options for TXU Corp that were based on insider information regarding an investment group’s leveraged buyout of the entity. The commission filed its third amended…
The New York Stock Exchange Regulation Inc. announced that RBC Dain Rauscher Inc. consented to be fined $90,000 for failures related to its anti-money laundering compliance program. According to an exchange press release, the Minneapolis-based firm failed to establish written procedures regarding filing of suspicious activity reports. Additionally, the exchange…
For decades investors have been told their accounts were protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) without being told what was covered by this insurance. Few realize this protection only provided that whatever securities and cash are in an account when a firm goes out of business would be…
The North American Securities Administrators Association released its “Top 10 Traps” likely to ensnare investors, a list that included real estate investment contracts, affinity fraud, foreign exchange trading, and Internet fraud. Other problematic areas, according to NASAA, include: “free lunch” investment seminars; oil and gas scams; prime bank schemes; private…