Compliance

FINRA is pressing ahead with a controversial new rule that would require brokers to make disclosures about recruitment compensation they receive as an enticement to jump to a new firm.

Brokerages from Morgan Stanley to Bank of America Corp.’s Merrill Lynch poach salesmen from one another, offering bonuses based on how much revenue they produce. Now brokers receiving bonuses of at least $100,000 will be required to inform clients.

Bloomberg -- JPMorgan Chase & Co., seeking to end probes of a trading debacle that damaged its reputation for risk-management, agreed to pay about $920 million for failing to implement adequate controls and providing incomplete information to regulators and its board.

Exclusive: Widespread abuse of the term raises question of a disciplinary double-standard.

Seeking to end probes of a trading debacle that damaged its reputation for risk-management, JPMorgan agreed to pay about $920 million for failing to implement adequate controls and providing incomplete information to regulators and its board.

Bloomberg -- JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon told employees to prepare for more legal woes while the bank undertakes an “unprecedented effort” to comply with regulations.

Wall Street banks, facing a drop in third-quarter trading revenue, are counting on today’s Federal Reserve announcement to spark a surge in volume.

Malvern Bancorp is being challenged by a pair of dissidents in a development that highlights investors' growing frustration with the banking industry's inability to put capital to work.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon told employees to prepare for more legal woes while the bank undertakes an “unprecedented effort” to comply with regulations.

Exclusive: Confusion over compensation disclosure again cited; board insists process is 'consistent, fair, credible.'

(Bloomberg) -- Bank of America Corp.’s Merrill Lynch unit must face a lawsuit filed by two trusts that hold and administer mortgages on behalf of investors who own more than $1 billion worth of securities collateralized by the loans.

Oppenheimer Funds and Putnam Investments have won top honors in the 11th annual NOVA Awards for innovation in the investment management industry.

Anti-money laundering policies were identified by both FINRA and the SEC as a top priority for examinations of broker-dealers in 2013. In its exam guidance, FINRA noted "an increase in foreign currency conversion transactions." It also stressed that there are no exemptions from the AML requirement for member firms, even if the company holds no customer funds.

Bank of America Corp.’s Merrill Lynch unit must face a lawsuit filed by two trusts that hold and administer mortgages on behalf of investors who own more than $1 billion worth of securities collateralized by the loans.

Former CFP Board Chairman Alan Goldfarb was the first CFP holder ever to be publicly sanctioned for a compensation disclosure violation, the board has confirmed – despite its assertion that he was not treated differently than other CFP holders.

FINRA’s Board of Governors will finally consider its controversial plan to require transitioning advisors to disclose recruitment incentives.

(Bloomberg) – A Morgan Stanley employee identifying himself as a credit audit specialist sued the bank over claims he suffered retaliation after he discussed the growing number of high-risk loans in its portfolio.

Operating in an environment where we are all expected to do more with less, asset managers increasingly rely on service providers. By constantly reinvesting in their businesses and infrastructure, established providers can easily scale and position asset managers for the future.

A lawsuit brought by husband-and-wife planners in Florida against the CFP Board has brought the federal court system into the debate over “fee-only” labeling and consequences – a topic that the industry has been struggling to define.

For almost nine years, the firm has been lending to companies with ratings in the B to BB+ range, below the investment-grade threshold, the employee claims.