The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently jointly issued a Risk Alert and a Regulatory Notice on broker-dealer branch office inspections designed to help securities industry firms better supervise their branch offices, as well as to underscore the importance of that supervision. “An…
As we first reported on this blog site in September, the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) held a forum, through its Investment Adviser subcommittee, to discuss transition issues for Mid-Sized Advisers under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. As we approach the annual December moratorium on new registrations and…
The Securities and Exchange Commission Enforcement Division last week settled enforcement actions against three mid-sized registered investment advisors for failing to establish, maintain and follow written compliance procedures. Two of the firms had assets under management less than the new $100 million cutoff for federal registration, and the other firm’s…
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has implemented a new program — called the Aberrational Performance Inquiry (API) — that has resulted in enforcement proceedings against three hedge funds for overstating material aspects of their business. API looks to find statements made by funds relating to its investment strategy, performance…
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced earlier this month that it obtained an asset freeze against a Boston-area money manager and his investment advisory firm who allegedly mislead advisers in a quantitative hedge fund and diverted a portion of investor money into his personal bank account. In its allegations,…
On October 26, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced the adoption of Form PF, which stands for “Private Fund.” Required by the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the adoption of the form seeks to require reporting by larger hedge fund and venture capital private…
Congressman Spencer Bachus (R – Ala), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, recently published draft legislation and held hearings concerning whether a self-regulatory organization (SRO) should regulate registered investment advisers. In addition to assigning regulatory responsibilities for SEC-registered firms to an SRO, Bacchus’s bill would apparently do the same…
With the increase in authority granted by the Dodd-Frank Act to state regulators over registered investment advisers, there has been a noticeable uptick in the number and intensity of state examinations of IA firms. In a national survey coordinated by NASAA, and released this fall, 40 state RIA examiners were…
On October 13, 2011 the Georgia Secretary of State published proposed rules under the Georgia Uniform Securities Act of 2008 (“the 2008 Act”). Among the proposed rules are twenty (20) rules governing investment advisers and investment adviser representatives. Although many of the proposed rules are consistent with the applicable rules…
Two Parker MacIntyre attorneys — Bob Terry and Steve Parker — attended forums held this week by the Investment Adviser Section of the North American Securities Administrators Association, and by the NASAA members of the Joint NASAA/FINRA CRD/IARD Steering Committee, at the NASAA Annual Conference in Wichita, Kansas. The forums’…