Law and regulation

On August 6, 2012, Chairman Mary Schapiro said she is asking SEC staff to propose a rule that will require exchanges and market centers to ensure the capacity and integrity of the systems they operate.

The investors who bailed out Knight Capital Group Inc. by purchasing $400 million in convertible securities are gaining control of the biggest trading partner for individuals in the world’s largest stock market.

On August 6, 2012, The Board of Trustees of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust has decided to liquidate and shutter nine exchange-traded funds due to the funds’ inability to attract sufficient investment assets.

On August 6, 2012, Since the Reserve Primary Fund broke the buck in September 2008, the nation's money market mutual funds have seen a long, steady erosion of their use by corporations and financial institutions.

On August 3, 2012, An arbitration panel has struck down an investor’s $1 million-plus claim against Morgan Keegan’s troubled bond funds, citing the standard industry warning “Past performance is not guarantee of future results.”

There's no question that breaking the buck value of a share, permanently, would upend if not destroy the foundation of the money market mutual fund industry.

David Wray, president of the Plan Sponsor Council of America, will retire from his post as president of the PSCA at the end of September.

Since the Reserve Primary Fund broke the buck in September 2008, the nation's money market mutual funds have seen a long, steady erosion of their use by corporations and financial institutions.

As legal eagles-including regulators, cops and attorneys-continue to swoop down for the kill in the wake of the LIBOR debacle, asset managers still struggle to gauge the scandal's impact on their investments.

An arbitration panel has struck down an investor's $1 million plus claim against Morgan Keegan's troubled bond funds, citing the standard industry warning "Past performance is not guarantee of future results."

On August 2, 2012, Russell Investments has added three subadvisors to its Strategic Bond Fund (RFCSX), which preivously employed four subadvisors.

Former brokers at Merrill Lynch, Citigroup and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. won a reversal of their convictions for tipping day traders to confidential data on their internal "squawk boxes," after an appeals court said prosecutors withheld critical evidence.

On August 2, 2012, Vanguard has severed sub-advisory ties with AllianceBernstein regarding the Vanguard Windsor Fund and Vanguard Global Equity Fund.

On August 1, 2012, Money-market fund companies have doubled lobbying efforts to convince regulators and lawmakers that they aren’t a threat to the financial system. The money may have been well-spent.

How brokerage firms can prepare for the implementation of FINRA's new requirements.

The process to implement Dodd-Frank has been a year of inactivity followed by a year of confusion, one critic says.

Financial Services Institute, the advocacy organization for independent financial services firms and independent financial advisors, has tacked on more than 2,500 advisor members with the addition of NEXT Financial Group, Transamerica Financial Advisors and The Strategic Financial Alliance as first-year members.

On July 31, 2012, John (Jack) Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, Inc., has a new gig.

FINRA reached its fifth anniversary Monday. The independent regulator of the brokerage industry said it has levied $254.1 million in fines, since July 30, 2007.

On July 30, 2012, The starter's pistol is about to be fired for the swaps industry.