(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.

Building a successful fund requires a distinguishable brand, an effective marketing strategy, and a commitment to distribution support.

The Department of Labor is pushing back its timeframe for releasing a highly anticipated proposal for expanding fiduciary responsibilities for advisors who work with retirement plans.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch will pay $2.8 million to settle claims that it took too long to compensate departing brokers.

Bloomberg -- Morgan Stanley Chief Executive Officer James Gorman said there’s almost no chance of another financial crisis like the one that endangered his firm five years ago.

FINRA is scaling back on "supersized" fines.

Bloomberg -- A year ago, when opposition from the asset-management industry killed her plan to make money-market mutual funds safer, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro looked to Timothy Geithner, then the Treasury Secretary, to tackle “one of the pieces of unfinished business from the financial crisis.”

The regulator levied fewer big-ticket fines in the first half of 2013, according to a report from Sutherland Asbill & Brennan.

Amid growing industry debate over compensation disclosure, the FPA has changed the compensation disclosure options on its website.

A year ago, when opposition from the asset-management industry killed her plan to make money-market mutual funds safer, sec Chairman Mary Schapiro looked to Timothy Geithner, then the Treasury Secretary, to tackle “one of the pieces of unfinished business from the financial crisis.” It remains unfinished.

Building a successful fund requires a distinguishable brand, an effective marketing strategy, and a commitment to distribution support.

Morningstar today published its inaugural issue of Financial Services Observer, a research report examining the competitive shifts in the U.S. wealth management industry, companies responses to industry changes following the financial crisis, and which companies Morningstar equity analysts think are poised to be a boon for shareholders.

Rex Staples, the director of investigations for the beleaguered CFP Board of Standards, is stepping down.

Bloomberg -- Bank of America Corp. is seeking approval of a $160 million settlement from a judge who thrice rejected requests by black financial advisers at its Merrill Lynch unit to sue as a group over alleged racial discrimination.

Bank of America is seeking approval of a $160 million settlement from a judge who thrice rejected requests by black financial advisers at its Merrill Lynch unit to sue as a group over alleged racial discrimination.

Regulatory reform is likely to continue on its current path if Janet Yellen, the Federal Reserve Board's vice chairman, is tapped to lead the central bank. The future is decidedly murkier if Larry Summers wins the post.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's surprise criticism of President Obama's plan to unwind Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has upset the conventional wisdom surrounding housing finance reform.