Practice

Bankers may never be considered Boy Scouts on compensation, but in terms of the executive pay provisions in the financial reform bill, they certainly are prepared.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is making risk disclosures one of its highest priorities, with the goal of doing a better job of regulating derivates, hedge funds and credit rating agencies.

The financial services reform bill in Congress calls for 68 in-depth studies into financial services products and practices, including: performance data in mutual fund advertisements, short selling and stronger insurance regulation, which could impact annuities and other retirement income products.

Despite feeling the pain of the economic slowdown in 2008, Americans continued to give generously to charities, though few as generously as Warren Buffett who has promised to donate 99% of his riches.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has suspended a CPA who was the former senior treasury manager and assistant treasurer at Peregrine Systems, a California enterprise management software company that was charged in 2003 with massive financial fraud.

Passing regulatory reform legislation, a grueling effort that has taken more than a year of debate, is just a warm-up for an even tougher fight over the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Bank of America is still the top wealth manager, followed by UBS. Morgan Stanley moved up four slots after buying the Smith Barney business from Citi, followed by Wells Fargo, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan and Royal Bank of Canada, a new entry on the list.

Rich Linton was hired as head of business retirement solutions and Steve Ulian as head of institutional retirement and benefits solutions, the Charlotte, N.C., banking company said in an internal memo Thursday.

Canadian fund managers will now be limited in the range of services they can pay for with commissions from clients for brokering transactions, based on newly adopted legislation.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said on Wednesday that it will hold an open meeting on July 14 to consider whether to issue a concept release on proxy reform.