Regulation

Neuberger Berman has placed Fayad Abbasi, an analyst at the center of a federal insider-trading probe, on paid leave. However, a Neuberger Berman spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that the company was unaware of Abbasi being named in the investigation

A Dallas district court upheld a $1.7 million FINRA arbitration panel’s penalty against Raymond James Financial Services over how a former independent contractor handled the finances of an elderly Texas man and the estate of his deceased wife.

The Dodd-Frank Act contains many examples of this desire to impose old standards on a new reality.

Our legal expert explains the ramifications of serving elderly clients.

FINRA and the SEC issued a joint risk alert and regulatory notice Wednesday, advising broker-dealers to make sure they’re mindful of what’s going on within their branch offices and even offering some tips to ensure they remain in compliance.

FINRA has sanctioned eight firms and 10 individuals for selling interests in private placement offerings “without having a reasonable basis for recommending the securities,” the regulatory agency said in a statement. The sanctions included ordering more than $3.2 million in total restitution.

The SEC has charged three investment advisors — OMNI Investment Advisors, Feltl & Company and Asset Advisors LLC — for failing to implement compliance procedures to prevent securities law violations. OMNI’s owner, Gary R. Beynon, was also charged.

An industry group has asked regulators to disclose the factors they will use to determine which muni broker-dealers pose more risks and should undergo compliance examinations more often under a new proposed exam program.

THE INABILITY TO INNOVATE AND THE DIRECT impact of that on their firm's profitability are fund executives' biggest regulatory concerns.This is one of the key findings from Money Management Executive's 2011 Regulatory Outlook Survey of 184 industry executives by Lodestar Research Corp.

Rep. Barney Frank, the influential Massachusetts Democrat who championed legislation that made such a dramatic impact on the financial planning industry, will not seek re-election next year, capping a 32-year career in Congress.