SEC Fines Investment Adviser for Cybersecurity Failures

October 09, 2018

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recently fined an Iowa-based investment adviser $1 million for alleged cybersecurity failures that led to a data breach that compromised the personal information of its clients. According to the SEC, information from over 5,600 of the investment adviser’s clients was obtained by criminals impersonating independent advisers. The SEC claims that the intruders gained access through weaknesses within the firm’s cybersecurity procedures. Some of these weaknesses had been exposed during previous fraudulent activity. The investment adviser allegedly failed to update and fix those issues.

SEC Settles Charges of Undisclosed Conflict in Advisory Decision

September 06, 2018

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) recently announced that it has settled charges with an investment adviser firm. The SEC alleged that the investment adviser failed to disclose a conflict of interest. The settlement ended in payment of $8.9 million to the SEC by the investment adviser.

SEC Interpretation on the Standard of Conduct of Investment Advisers

August 15, 2018

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) released a package of new rule proposals in April of 2018. The SEC’s proposed rules and guidance can be found here.

SEC Fines Investment Adviser for Failing to Refund Unearned Fees When Client Terminates Advisory Services

July 26, 2018

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) recently settled with an investment adviser firm which allegedly had improperly refused to refund $131,000 in unearned advisory fees to 63 departing investment advisory clients. The SEC censured the investment adviser firm and imposed a $100,000 civil penalty on it. The SEC also imposed a $50,000 penalty on the investment adviser firm’s majority owner.

Is Your Investment Adviser Subject to Mandatory Reporting of Financial Exploitation of Senior Clients?

July 17, 2018

Recently, there has been a wave of legislation and regulatory action focused on senior investor protections. The U.S. Congress just passed the Senior Safe Act, a law which provides legal immunity to an investment adviser, if the investment adviser meets certain requirements, for the act of reporting suspected senior financial exploitation. Both the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and FINRA have had a senior investor exam initiative going on since 2014. In addition, almost every state has a law pertaining to senior exploitation.

Has Your Investment Adviser Updated its Compliance Manual and Training Since Passage of Senior Safe Act?

June 28, 2018

State and federal legislators have recognized that employees of investment adviser firms are likely to be one of the first people to see signs of financial exploitation in their senior and vulnerable clients. This has led to nearly every state passing legislation on this topic, and now the federal government has as well.

Private Fund Adviser Enforcement Action

June 26, 2018

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has charged 13 different registered investment adviser firms which advised private funds for failing to properly file reports with the SEC.

SEC Targets Investment Adviser for Misleading Clients

June 19, 2018

On June 4, 2018 the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) issued a press release announcing the imposition of an $8 million civil penalty against an investment adviser in New York for failing to disclose conflicts of interest to its clients. The SEC also announced the filing of a litigated action against two investment adviser representatives of the firm for misleading clients and concealing material conflicts of interest. The investment adviser neglected to disclose agreements with product and service providers that led to the investment adviser receiving undisclosed compensation. The Director of the SEC’s New York Regional Office said, “Investment advisers have an obligation to disclose direct and indirect financial incentives to clients.” Click here to read the SEC’s press release.

Investment Advisers Need to Train Supervised Persons and Update Compliance Manual Due to Recent Passage of Senior Safe Act

June 12, 2018

Over the past several years, there has been a significant amount of movement within the financial services industry to develop policies, rules, and regulations that help safe guard the senior investor community. In 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), in coordination with FINRA, released a report on a recent senior investor initiative they had conducted. The exams that comprised the report focused on issues of suitability of investments for seniors, disclosures, account documentation, diminished capacity, and senior financial exploitation. This initiative showed that the SEC was taking an interest in senior protections and that investment advisers must follow different policies and procedures when recommending securities to and working with senior clients.

Senior Safe Act Passed – Protecting Senior Investors

June 05, 2018

On May 24, 2018 Pres. Trump signed the Senior Safe Act. The Senior Safe Act encourages financial services firms such as investment adviser firms to train employees to spot elder abuse, while granting limited immunity to individuals at financial institutions who report such abuse to law enforcement or regulators in accordance with the Act. The banking reform package of which the Senior Safe Act is part, formally known as S. 2155 or the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, modifies provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act.