Law and regulation

The Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday unanimously voted to ban ‘naked access’ to stock markets by unregistered entities.

Spencer Bachus, who just months ago was seen as unlikely to assume the top spot on the House Financial Services Committee now that Republicans have won control of the House, is now the odds-on favorite.

The joint committee is conducting a review of the market events of May 6, 2010 and making recommendations related to market structure issues that may have contributed to the volatility, as well as disparate trading conventions and rules across various markets.

The Department of Labor’s new requirements for plan administrators goes far beyond disclosing mutual fund expense ratios to disclosing fees paid to all service providers.

Republicans have grand ambitions for what they plan to accomplish if they, as expected, win control of the House in Tuesday's election, but their victory is more likely to lead to ...

The looming battle over Congress is bringing investors’ macro-economic concerns to a head.

Build America Bond issuers could potentially go years without subsidy payments under the examination process the Internal Revenue Service is currently considering for them, bond attorneys meeting here warned last week.

Issuers that want to avoid disclosure mishaps — and possible federal enforcement action — should develop and closely follow policies as well as procedures that lay out who must review and sign off on their disclosure documents, Securities and Exchange Commission officials are stressing.

President Obama reiterated his proposals for cuts in business and individual taxes and called on Republicans and Democrats to work together after the elections.

While reforming the government-sponsored enterprises was always going to be a hard battle for the Obama administration, its job will be even tougher if the Republicans, as expected, win control of the House this week.

Congress's offer to share some recovered assets with whistleblowers is leading to a flood of informants.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has postponed the municipal securities field hearing it planned to hold in Chicago on Nov. 16.

The Securities and Exchange Commission crossed a new threshold this week by securing financial penalties against individual city officials in a municipal bond fraud case.

The Massachusetts Democrat continues to hold a sizable lead in polls, but his opponent, Republican Sean Bielat, argues that public anger over the economy, anti-incumbent fervor and Sen. Scott Brown's surprise victory this year prove he has a shot at beating Frank.

In an anecdote studded Q&A Wednesday morning at the Schwab IMPACT 2010 Conference in Boston, Henry Paulson (left) discussed how he rescued the financial system and saved the country from economic ruin.

Four former San Diego officials have agreed to pay civil penalties totaling $80,000 to settle charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission that they were negligent in misleading investors about the city’s pension and retiree health care liabilities.

Chief compliance officers face increasing responsibilities and feel that they are struggling to keep up with the pressure of regulatory changes, an SEI poll conducted at its CCO Forum finds.

Capitol Hill’s efforts to fix the financial system will merely burden already cash-strapped banks, their officers complain.

The new European Union hedge fund passport rule the European Parliament is soon to vote on, will permit all hedge funds, including those in the U.S., to operate throughout all of Europe’s 27 nations—but it would also subject them to the strict compensation rules.

Citigroup Inc. Chief Executive Vikram Pandit offered up a scathing review Monday of Basel III, saying the new rules do nothing to reduce pro-cyclicality or to level the playing field among different countries and differently regulated financial institutions.