Financial regulations

Long-awaited advertising regulations allow for online testimonials but also increased risk of audits, observers and commissioners say.

Attorneys, compliance experts and marketers weigh in on the regulator’s first update to advertising compliance in decades.

Existing regulations that protect investors and deliver clarity to the industry must be preserved by the incoming administration, writes Financial Services Institute CEO Dale Brown.

The former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York was also once a top aide to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

OCIE's recent exam initiative uncovers widespread supervision shortfalls in large, geographically dispersed firms.

With a new administration, the regulator has an opportunity to renew its focus on a key pillar of its mission.

But the regulator also ordered record payouts in 2020, including restitution through a self-reporting program that drew industry ire.

The rule has faced a host of criticism from investors, environmentalists, asset managers and others.

Unclear — or no — disclosures were among a number of concerns regulatory officials expressed about initial examinations.

Although in-person hearings aren’t banned outright, none have taken place since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Managed Funds Association urged the agency to do more analysis before moving forward.

Based on the “forced experiment” of its remote periodic examinations of broker-dealers, the onsite portion “may not be necessary,” Robert Cook said.

Investor advocates, religious groups and proponents of ESG investing argue the changes are a gift to business lobbyists that will muzzle corporate critics.

The broker hasn't been registered in over a decade, and was using clients’ usernames and passwords to make trades in their self-directed brokerage accounts, according to the regulator.

One problem is the proposal is focusing on the minor advantage of tax-deferred retirement plans, says Bloomberg columnist Aaron Brown.

The department’s new proposal would restrict when fiduciaries can vote in retirement plans.

Previously, criteria focused on an investor’s wealth. Now, a broader group has access to investments that include private company offerings and certain private equity funds.

More than 95% of comment letters submitted were opposed to the Labor Department’s proposed rule, according to a new analysis.

It’s the latest dramatic twist in the story of USO, which was at the center of the storm as crude prices plunged earlier this year.

Industry groups warn of creeping fiduciary obligations, while consumer advocates see it as a setback for investor protections