Compliance

Touchstone Investments has hired BNY Mellon as its accounting and administration, transfer agency and blue sky service provider for four additional Touchstone funds.

Mutual fund executive John Mattera, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., pleaded guilty this week to three criminal counts, including conspiracy, securities fraud and wire fraud, in connection to an $11 million scam involving the sale of non-existent private shares in companies such as Facebook (FB) and Groupon (GRPN).

In sharply worded speech to the Exchequer Club last month, the outspoken regulator said some executives "fail to grasp" the public's mistrust in banks.

Exemptions and the chance to opt out have lawyers predicting the $40 million proposed deferred compensation plan settlement will not cease litigation against Merrill Lynch.

Our legal analyst explores commission sharing and FINRA disclosure rules.

A run-down of the stories in this issue, including how shifting demographics can open new markets; the special needs of gay and lesbian couples; a look at dividend stocks; and Merrill Lynch's deferred compensation settlement.

Goldman Sachs will pay $12 million to settle charges it made undisclosed contributions to a former Massachusetts state treasurer in violation of "pay-to-play" rules.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner asked the Financial Stability Oversight Council to take up structural reforms to the $2.6 trillion money market mutual fund industry, citing the Securities and Exchange Commission's failure to act.

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner put pressure on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to tighten oversight of the $2.6 trillion money- market fund industry, saying the funds may pose a risk to the stability of the financial system.

London-based ETFGI has added Feargal Dempsey as a partner and Legal Counsel.

A new arbitration decision holds a lesson for financial advisors: Be careful when you leap.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed civil and criminal charges against a Pennsylvania man accused of defrauding elderly investors by issuing phony account statements inflating the value of his clients' accounts, and then pilfering funds from another client in a repayment scheme.

The U.S. Department of Labor's new regulations on 401(k) fee disclosures will serve as a wake-up call to plan sponsors and participants alike, once they stop hitting the snooze alarm, that is.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has fined Merrill Lynch $500,000 for failing to file or promptly file certain required disclosures that the independent regulator argues resulted in hidden investment risks and possible harm to investors.

While legal experts still question the suit now taken up by Michigan, Oklahoma and South Carolina, their participation helps to build momentum in the legal fight over Dodd-Frank.

The U.S. Department of Labor's new regulations on 401(k) fee disclosures will serve as a wake-up call to plan sponsors and participants alike, once they stop hitting the snooze alarm, that is.

CEO John Stumpf offered candid views on monetary policy, the housing crisis, capital rules and even consumer protection during a panel discussion late Wednesday.

For those in the business of providing investment advice, the situation in the nation's capital is getting serious. With Washington gridlocked and steeped in uncertainty over a series of tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year, members of the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee met for a joint session to consider a critical and contentious facet of the tax code: capital gains.

Tim Pawlenty, the former Republican governor of Minnesota who criticized Wall Street while running for president last year, is joining the Financial Services Roundtable as president and chief executive officer.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has ordered five firms to pay $137,500 in fines for violations of trade reporting and other municipal securities rules.