Regulatory reform

Apex Clearing, a subsidiary of Apex Fintech Solutions, stood accused of misleading investors into believing they would receive compensation for lending out their brokerage holdings.

Regulators can still conduct informal investigations but need higher-up permission to issue subpoenas for testimony or documents.

Hester Peirce and SEC Acting Chair Mark Uyeda say they want to group to devise a clear compliance framework for digital assets and end regulation by enforcement.

The avalanche of cases announced Friday included charges against a no-longer registered advisor and firm accused of misappropriating more than $20 million from clients.

Regulators have handed down more than $3 billion in penalties over employees' alleged failures to record business-related messages sent on services like WhatsApp.

Regulators accused the online brokerage of failing to accurately report trades, comply with short selling rules and maintain proper books and records, among other things.

The "model rule" for state regulators is meant to help clients distinguish between advisors who earn management fees and brokers who collect transaction-based commissions.

Industry watchdogs stayed busy trying to root out elder fraud and off-channel communications while plaintiffs lawyers' questioned firms' sweeps policies and regulators' basic authority.

The deadline is fast approaching for brokerages to register home offices for employees performing supervisory functions.

Critics of mandatory arbitration say it can go against investment advisors' fiduciary duty to always do what's best for clients.

Paul Atkins has a long history of criticizing industry watchdogs for what he considers regulatory overreach and is expected to take a light hand with the crypto industry.

Compliance experts think the costs of going along with a sweeping investigation are ignored by regulators touting the benefits of cooperation.

The SEC Chair oversaw a sweeping rulemaking agenda that drew resistance from many advisory and brokerage industry representatives.

Whoever is named SEC chair by the president-elect is likely to take a lighter hand on crypto, AI and "regulation by enforcement."

Big firms would be paying $415,000 a year more by 2029, while most brokers would see a far smaller hit.

A judge's opinion is likely to be cited in scores of arbitration cases in which ex-advisors say they are still owed money from big wealth management firms.

Industry lawyers predict the next head of the Securities and Exchange Commission will try to be more accomodating of the ever-changing digital assets industry.

The regulators' organization is also seeking to let state regulators enforce the same Reg BI conduct standard that federal watchdogs now apply to broker-dealers.

Among the proposals the Biden-appointee still has to shepherd across the finish line are rules for eliminating conflicts from AI recommendations and cybersecurity requirements for advisors and broker-dealers.

Merrill and a partner firm were accused of running a complicated yield enhancement strategy, or CYES plan, of the type that has long been in regulators' crosshairs.