Industry News

SEC Enforcement Actions Against Corporate Officers – Targeting or Responsible Monitoring?

July 31, 2015 | Shay Virtue

In SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White’s opening statement to about 1,000 broker-dealer compliance officials at the Annual Broker-Dealer Compliance Outreach Program, she was clearly dismissing a growing sense that compliance professionals are being singled out by the SEC enforcement program, “To be clear, it is not our intention to use our enforcement program to target compliance professionals” she said, adding “We have tremendous respect for the work that you do. You have a tough job in a complex industry where the stakes are extremely high.” White also drew on the close similarities between the SEC and compliance officials, “Like you, much of our work at the Commission centers on protecting investors. We want to support you in your efforts and work together as a team.”

White’s statement came shortly after a public difference of opinion between commissioners Daniel Gallagher and Luis Aguilar. Gallagher, who issued dissents in the SEC’s cases against BlackRock Advisors in April and SFX Financial Advisory Investment Management in June, argued that the SEC rules governing compliance officials issued in 2003 are vague and leave too much uncertainty “as to the distinction between the role of CCOs and management in carrying out the compliance function.” In addition to the ambiguity in the rules, the only rule interpretations which have been provided by the SEC have come in the form of enforcement actions which Gallagher wrote “are undoubtedly sending a troubling message that CCOs should not take ownership of their firm’s compliance policies and procedures, lest they be held accountable for conduct that is the responsibility of the adviser itself.” Gallagher suggested that the SEC consider either amending the rules or providing commission-level guidance which would help clarify what is expected of compliance officers in their roles.
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FINRA Amendments to Relax Filing Rules Governing Retail Communications

July 24, 2015 | Shay Virtue

FINRA has recently released Regulatory Notice 15-16 which contains proposed amendments to the rules currently governing public communications they will make reporting by FINRA member firms regarding public communications less onerous due to more lenient filing requirements. If the proposed amendments are adopted, the rules proposed to be amended are FINRA Rules 2210, 2214 and 2213.

FINRA Rule 2210 relates to communications of a firm with the public. Under the current regime new firms are required, at least 10 days prior to making any retail communications, to file such communications with FINRA for the first year of the firm’s membership. Under the proposed amendment, new firms would only be required to file their websites and any material changes thereto within 10 days of first use of the website for the first year of the firm’s membership. This proposed change was prompted by FINRA’s recognition that the primary form of retail communications is now done through the firm’s websites and that the 10-day waiting period served no significant investor protection function.
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Investment Adviser and Principals Sanctioned for Compliance Failures

July 9, 2015 | Shay Virtue

In a matter underscoring how important it is for investment advisers to dedicate sufficient resources and attention to their compliance program, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has sanctioned a firm for multiple compliance failures. On June 23, 2015 the SEC instituted cease-and-desist proceedings against Pekin Singer Strauss, a registered investment advisor firm boasting approximately $1.07 billion in AUM which primarily serves high-net-worth clients.

Among the violations cited, the order states that Pekin Singer failed to conduct timely annual compliance program reviews in 2009 and 2010 and failed to implement and enforce provisions of its policies and procedures and code of ethics during this same period. The firm has been ordered to pay a civil money penalty in the amount of $150,000.
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SEC Issues Guidance Update on Cybersecurity

May 29, 2015 | Steve Parker

Last month, the SEC division of Investment Management released Investment Management Guidance in which it discusses a number of measures that investment advisers may wish to consider when addressing cybersecurity risks. This guidance is just the last in a long list of guidance and alerts issued by the SEC and other regulators as to the need for financial firms to improve their policies and procedures dealing with cybersecurity threats.

Among the recommendations made in the current IM are that firms:

• Conduct a periodic assessment of the nature, sensitivity and location of information, what types of cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities exist, what security controls and processes are currently in place, the impact that would occur in the event of compromise of information, and the effectiveness of the current structure confirms current structure for managing cyber security risks

Questions Surround Impact Of Labor Department Fiducuary Rule for Financial Advisers

May 22, 2015 | Steve Parker

In the wake of the re-proposal by the U.S. Department of Labor of its so-called “Fiduciary Rule,” there are a number of questions regarding how the rule if adopted, will impact those providing financial advice to employee benefit plans and other retirement plans including IRAs and ERISA plans in general. The most obvious impact of the rule would be to bring those not currently fiduciaries, including registered representatives of securities broker-dealers and the broker-dealer firms themselves, into the realm of fiduciary advice providers. The higher standard of care that would apply necessarily implies a need for more thorough disclosures of potential conflicts of interest, including incentivized compensation such as commissions, 12b-1 fees and the like.
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LPL Financial Ordered by FINRA to Pay $11.7 Million

May 15, 2015 | Steve Parker

Earlier this month, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) announced that it had fined LPL Financial (“LPL”) $10 million for lack of supervision in several areas of its operations, including sales of ETFs, variable annuities, REITs, and other complex products. In addition, FINRA found LPL failed to monitor trades and failed to report them to FINRA and failed to deliver more than $14 million in trade confirmations to customers. FINRA also ordered LPL to repay certain customers $1.7 million in restitution relating to the purchases of ETFs. Among FINRA’s findings were that the firm did not have a system that monitored how long customers were holding ETFs in their accounts, information that would be important in formulating advice as to whether the ETFs should have been purchased in the first place and how long the client should be recommended to hold the ETFs in their portfolios. Additionally, even though LPL had created policies limiting the concentration of ETFs in customer accounts, it failed to enforce the limits it had established and had not trained its registered representatives on the risks of those products.

With respect to variable annuities, FINRA found that in several instances, LPL had permitted said annuities to be sold without proper disclosure of surrender fees. Additionally, although LPL employed an automated surveillance system, that system failed to adequately review transactions commonly known as mutual fund “switches,” which involve a redemption of one mutual fund in order to purchase another.
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Delaware Adopts Private Fund Adviser Exemption

April 29, 2015 | Steve Parker

Delaware has adopted a rule exempting “private fund advisers” from the state’s unlawful conduct provision, including the provision requiring registration as an investment adviser. Under the new rule, a private fund adviser is exempt from Delaware Securities Act unlawful conduct provisions if: (1) neither the private fund adviser nor any advisory affiliates are subject to an event that would disqualify an issuer under federal Regulation D, Rule 506(d)(1); (2) the private fund adviser files with the Director through the IARD each report and amendment that an exempt reporting adviser is required to filed with the SEC under SEC Rule 204-4; and (3) the private fund adviser pays the investment adviser registration fee of $300.

A “private fund adviser” is defined as “an investment adviser who provides advice solely to one or more qualifying private funds, other than a private fund that qualifies for the section (3)(c)(1) investment company act exclusion.” A “qualifying private fund” is a private fund meeting the SEC rule 203(m)-1 “qualifying private fund” definition.
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SEC Vows To Be Aggressive in 2015

April 2, 2015 | Steve Parker

Last month at the Annual Conference of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Commission revealed its enforcement statistics for 2014, including a record number of enforcement actions (755) and monetary relief obtained ($4.1 Million). The Commission also announced its current initiatives including a continued emphasis in the use of data analytics in both regulation and enforcement investigations. Among the areas of emphasis highlighted at this year’s conference were insider trading, financial reporting and auditing cases, inadequate internal controls for public companies, enhanced scrutiny of auditors and other reporting gatekeepers, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement.

In addition, 30 trials were conducted in 2014 by the Commission, the most trials in over a decade. By contrast, the Commission tried only 6 cases in 2013. Two-thirds of the trials were in federal court, while one-third were before Administrative Law Judges.
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SEC Charges Three Investment Adviser Firms with Improper Registration in Wyoming

March 23, 2015 | Chadd Reynolds

On February 4, 2015, the SEC issued cease and desist orders against three investment advisers that fraudulently maintained registration with the SEC by listing Wyoming as their principal place of business on their Forms ADV. These three incidences highlight Wyoming’s unusual landscape for investment advisers.

In order to explain the uniqueness of these orders, some background on investment adviser regulation will be provided. Originally, investment advisers were prohibited from registering with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act if it managed under $25 million in assets or met a designated exemption. In July 2011, that threshold was increased to $100 million. If an investment adviser does not meet or exceed the $100 million threshold, it is still required to register with the states in which they maintain their principal place of business. Wyoming is unique in that it does not regulate investment advisers. Any investment adviser with its principal place of business in Wyoming must therefore, according to the amendments to Section 203A of the Investment Advisers Act, register with the SEC.
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NASAA Issues Fact & Fiction Advisory on Third-Party Custodians of Self-Directed IRAs

February 23, 2015 | Chadd Reynolds

In an effort to inform investors about common fraudulent activities involving individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”), the North American Securities Administrators Association (“NASAA”) has issued an Advisory on third-party custodians of self-directed IRAs and other qualified plans. The advisory was issued to describe the roles and responsibilities a third-party custodian of a self-directed IRA has and to hopefully dispel some of the common misconceptions investors have about third-party custodians. In particular, NASAA warns investors that IRA custodians’ duties are limited to report information to the IRS, and such custodians do not provide any assurance that the IRA owner’s investments are protected against loss.

When creating an IRA, an investor must find an IRS-approved custodian for the account. Custodians are typically banks or brokerage firms. Once the account is opened, investors can deposit funds into the account and invest in opportunities available through the custodian. With a self-directed IRA, the investor has full control over what the funds in the account are invested in, unlike mutual funds or other types of savings accounts.
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