Law and regulation

Before the Department of Labor rewrites its proposal to redefine fiduciary responsibility — a new proposal is expected in the first half of 2012 — there are three changes SIFMA would like to see in the rulemaking process.

FINRA also orders the firm to make restitution for not providing breakpoints on unit investment trust sales and for unsuitable sales of reverse convertibles to older customers.

Joe Russo has been elected chair of the Financial Services Institute’s 2012 Board. Russo, founder of Advantage Financial Group, is the first financial advisor to chair the board.

The FBI said it had 2,500 active corporate and securities fraud investigations under way at the end of its 2011 fiscal year.

In nearly 90% of high-net-worth households, women are either the sole decision maker or equal partners in decisions on charitable giving, according to a Bank of America Merrill Lynch survey in conjunction with The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

The SEC's market structure crimes unit is hiring a group of non-lawyer trading specialists to aid in its investigations.

Lobbying over the contentious issue of regulatory oversight of investment advisors will likely continue deep into the next session of Congress, with some advocacy groups working to scuttle the measure altogether in an election-shortened legislative calendar.

New cost basis reporting rules are particularly challenging. Here's how to turn them into an opportunity for your practice.

Financial advisors looking to save costs, improve productivity and meet compliance standards recognize the importance of an effective document management application that goes above beyond Adobe Acrobat – but thus far the options remain fairly limited.

Walmart, the world’s largest private employer, and Merrill Lynch, without admitting to wrongdoing, have agreed to pay $13.5 million in a class-action lawsuit accusing them of breaching their fiduciary duty to 2 million past and present Walmart workers. The suit was settled in Kansas City federal court.

SIFMA spent $3.96 million on lobbying during the first three quarters of 2011, slightly outpacing its efforts for the same periods in 2008 and 2009, according to reports filed with the clerk of the U.S. House that contain information for both houses of Congress.

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation says it has enhanced its cost basis reporting service to help mutual fund managers and other financial intermediaries transfer cost basis information on investors’ accounts from one firm to another.

If it looks too good to be true, it is. That appears to be the stance that will be taken by the SEC when it comes to investigating the fraudulent activities of hedge fund advisors as evidenced by its recent enforcement action against three separate firms and six individuals.

Financial Planning columnist Bob Veres says advisors need to understand what could happen if FINRA becomes their regulator.

Ahead of the Department of Labor’s anticipated proposal to redefine fiduciary responsibility, expected sometime in 2012, 55 House Republicans sent a letter asking for more careful consideration of the effects on consumer choice before any new rule is proposed.

Neuberger Berman has placed Fayad Abbasi, an analyst at the center of a federal insider-trading probe, on paid leave.

From Dodd-Frank to new taxes on professional services, lawmakers are increasingly making and suggesting changes that could dramatically impact planners and their clients. The planning community hasn't sat idle amid all this rule-making. In fact, the Financial Planning Association and its regional chapters have gotten more politically active than they've been in the past.

Fidelity Charitable on Thursday rolled out GivingCentral, an online adviser platform, and a dedicated adviser service team.

The Expect Miracles Foundation – Financial Services Against Cancer Thursday announced its 2012 Expect Miracles Awards, sponsored by American Century Investments. This will be the program’s third year. Entries are being accepted through March 5.

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.