On May 28, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced that San Jose-based block chain services firm BitClave PTE Ltd. (“BitClave”) agreed to settle charges related to an unregistered initial coin offering (“ICO”) of digital asset securities.
On May 12, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced that Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (“MSSB”) agreed to settle charges that it provided misleading information regarding transaction costs and services to retail clients in its wrap program for the period from 2012 to 2017.
On April 30, 2020, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) celebrated the fifth anniversary of its Senior Help Line (the “Help Line”). The Help Line is a critical tool in FINRA’s initiative to combat financial exploitation of seniors and other vulnerable populations.
On April 28, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced an award of $18 million dollars to a whistleblower for providing the SEC with crucial information that was used as part of an enforcement action against a firm found to be in violation of federal securities laws.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) recently announced settled charges against two advisers that self-reported conflicts of interest as a part of the Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative.
As firms work to prepare their updated disclosures and move toward compliance by June 30, 2020 with the new Regulation Best Interest (“Reg BI”), the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) made two important announcements. As a reminder, Reg BI establishes a new standard of conduct for broker-dealers and their associated persons when making a recommendation of any securities transaction or investment strategy involving securities (including account recommendations) to a retail customer.
Lone Star Value Management LLC (“Lone Star”) and its owner Jeffrey Eberwein settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) over charges that it executed 21 trades without disclosing they were principal trades.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has announced that it will provide conditional regulatory relief for companies affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently upgraded its Public Alert: Unregistered Soliciting Entities (PAUSE) website adding 25 soliciting entities and four false regulators and enhancing its accessibility for Main Street investors.
Dedicated to investor protection and still fully operational nationwide, the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections Examinations (“OCIE”) announced that examinations will continue via online and virtual correspondence, in their most recent updated announcement on March 23, 2020.