Dear Friends, On March 31, 2014, the SEC issued Guidance regarding Rule 206(4)-1(a)(1) of the Investment Advisers Act (“the testimonial rule”) and social media. The SEC generally prohibits client testimonials. However in its guidance, the SEC said client testimonials on independent social media sites are permissible, in certain circumstances, with the following important considerations: An investment adviser (“IA”) or investment […]
Dear Friends, On March 31, 2014, the SEC announced the following charges against two men that traded on confidential information from their wives: Tyrone Hawk overheard his wife’s work calls indicating that her company, Oracle Corp., was planning to acquire Acme Packet Inc. Hawk violated a duty of trust when he purchased Acme Packet shares prior to the acquisition and […]
Dear Friends, On March 10, 2014, FINRA filed a proposal with the SEC requiring brokers who receive more than $100,000 in incentive compensation to switch firms, to disclose to clients how much they are paid. Brokers would disclose a compensation range in $500,000 to $1,000,000 bands. The proposed rule was approved by FINRA in September 2013, in an effort to […]
Dear Friends, The SEC has released a No-Action letter providing guidance on individuals who qualify as “knowledgeable employees” under Rule 3c-5 of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Rule defines knowledgeable employee as any natural person who is an “executive officer, director, trustee, general partner, advisory board member, or person serving in a similar capacity” of a private […]
The Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (the “Directive”) will be implemented on July 22, 2013 and will impact the reporting requirements of alternative investment fund managers (“AIFMs”) covered by the Directive, including hedge funds based in the European Union as well as non-EU managers, including managers based in the United States. New York hedge fund law firm Sadis & Goldberg […]
FrontLine Compliance reports that the SEC and FINRA have both been active over the past few months issuing new final rules and interpretive guidance on recent rule changes. For example, the following recent regulatory announcements will affect your firm’s procedures SEC Rule 15b1-6 for Broker-Dealers FINRA Rule 5123 FINRA Guidance on Rule 2111 FINRA Rule 2210 All of the new […]
FinCEN in inviting the public to nominate financial institutions and trade groups for membership on the Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group (BSAAG). New members will be selected for 3-year membership terms. Nominations must be received by February 15, 2013. More information is available on FinCEN’s Web site at the following link: http://www.fincen.gov/statutes_regs/frn/pdf/Fed_Reg_Notice_re_BSAAG_Applications_S.pdf .
While 2012 may go down in the books as the year of Form PF, it does not mark the end of Form PF — in fact, it’s only the beginning. In the next phase of the rule, advisers that manage at least $150 million RAUM in private funds will need to file either 60 or 120 days after year-end, depending […]
Guest Post by: By Neil Behrmann Be very careful if you recently retired or came into money and you’re looking for a safe investment. You could be a very attractive target for a crook. Once your money is gone, it can be impossible to get it back. Mass Market Fraud Mass Market Fraud is a type of fraud which aims to […]
CFTC Guidance on CPO Delegation Process
Dear Friends, On May 12, 2014, the CFTC announced a streamlined approach for considering requests for no-action relief with respect to CPOs who delegate certain activities to a registered CPO (e.g. GPs of limited partnerships who delegate CPO authority to a registered investment manager). Each delegating CPO must submit a letter certifying it meets certain criteria outlined in the release. […]