Written by Cindy V. Schlaefer, Gabriella A. Lombardi and Laura C. Hurtado Rule 10b5-1 trading plans are in the limelight due to investigations initiated by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the SEC into possible abuses by corporate executives of such plans. Now, more than ever, companies and their boards of directors…
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SEC puts Hedge Fund Managers on Notice regarding Compensation Arrangements for Sales
In a speech before the American Bar Association’s Trading and Markets Subcommittee on April 5, 2013, David Blass, the Chief Counsel of the Division of Markets and Trading, put hedge fund managers and private equity fund managers on notice that they may be engaged in unregistered (and therefore, unlawful) broker…
Q&A – Guiding Governance: Clarifying the Practice of Family Enterprise Governance
Contributed by: The Family Office Association The Family Office Association is pleased to contribute its latest Q&A “white paper” regarding family enterprise governance to the Investment Funds Law Blog. The Q&A has contributions from James Grubman, Ph.D. and Dennis Jaffe, Ph.D., two of the world’s leaders on the topic of…
SEC Hammers Private Equity Fund Manager
Last month, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), published its examination priorities for 2013. As we suggested in our Blog posting at that time, the SEC is fixated on examining and bringing enforcement against its newest class of investment adviser – managers of private equity funds. Fast forward four…
SEC Issues Additional Guidance Regarding the Custody Rule After Finding Wide Spread and Varied Non-Compliance By Investment Advisers
Last week the SEC issued a Risk Alert and an Investor Bulletin on the Custody Rule after its National Examination Program (“NEP”) observed significant deficiencies in recent examinations involving custody and safety of client assets by registered investment advisers. The stated purpose of the Risk Alert was to assist advisers…
Supreme Court Finds No Fraud Exception to Five-Year Statute of Limitations for Government Lawsuits Seeking Civil Penalties
Written by Bruce A. Ericson The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Gabelli v. Securities Exchange Commission (Feb. 27, 2013) rejects an attempt by the Securities and Exchange Commission to extend a statute of limitations by invoking a “discovery rule.” The SEC had proposed that, in an action by the…
FINRA Issues Voluntary Interim Form for Crowdfunding Portals
Written by: Louis A. Bevilacqua On January 10, 2013 the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) issued a voluntary Interim Form for funding portals (the “Interim Form”). The Interim Form is designed for prospective crowdfunding portals under the Jumpstart our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”), which was enacted on April…
ANNUAL COMPLIANCE OBLIGATIONS–WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, February 6, 2013
As the new year is upon us, there are some important annual compliance obligations Investment Advisers either registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) or with a particular state (“Investment Adviser”) should be aware of. See upcoming deadlines below and in red throughout this document. The following is…
Final FATCA Regulations Amplify Broad Sweep of Legislation for Securities and Banking Industry
This article was published by Wolters Kluwer in its February 2013 Special Report. The Treasury and IRS have adopted final regulations implementing the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The regulations provide additional certainty for financial institutions and government counterparts by finalizing the step-by-step process for U.S. account identification,…
American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
By: Jennifer Jordan McCall, Ellen Harrison, Elizabeth Fry, Kim Schoknecht, Hiram Powers-Heaven On New Year’s Day 2013, to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff,” Congress passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (“2012 Act”). The 2012 Act raises taxes on some taxpayers while retaining most of the provisions enacted by…