Written by Michael Wu On January 21, 2011, the SEC released its study on the effectiveness of the standard of care required of broker-dealers and investment advisers that provide personalized investment advice regarding securities to retail customers (“Covered Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers”). The study also considered the existence of regulatory…
Investment Fund Law Blog
SEC Publishes Study on Enhancing Investment Adviser Examinations
Written by Michael Wu On January 19, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) released its study regarding the need for enhanced examination and enforcement resources for investment advisers. Specifically, the SEC examined the following areas: (i) the number and frequency of examinations of investment advisers by the SEC during…
Shanghai Renminbi (RMB) Fund Regulation Creates Opportunities For Non-Chinese Fund Managers
Posted by Michael Wu and Judy Deng On January 11, 2011, the Shanghai Municipal Government released its Implementation Measures on Trial Projects of Foreign-Invested Equity Investment Enterprises in Shanghai (the “Shanghai RMB Fund Regulation”), which will become effective on January 23, 2011. Prior to the release of this regulation, it…
Ponzi is Prologue – What the Dodd Frank Act Means for SEC Fraud Enforcement Actions
Editorial Comment by Jay Gould A recent action against a hedge fund manager by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) serves as interesting prologue to the state of enforcement against suspected securities frauds once the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) has been fully…
2011 Annual Compliance Review for Investment Advisers
By: Michael Wu As the new year is upon us, we wanted to take a moment to remind you of some of the annual compliance obligations that you may have as an investment adviser that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) or with a particular state…
FINRA Outside Business Activities Rule Now Effective
Written by Michael Wu On December 15, 2010, FINRA Rule 3270 became effective. FINRA Rule 3270 requires each registered representative of a broker-dealer to provide it with prior written notice of an outside business activity. FINRA Rule 3270, which replaced NASD Rule 3030 and NYSE Rule 346, specifically identifies the…
The SEC Extends the Compliance Dates for delivery of “Brochure Supplements”
Written by Michael Wu On July 28, 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted amendments to Part 2 of Form ADV, and related rules under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), to require registered investment advisers to provide clients with a “brochure” under Part…
The SEC and the CFTC Propose Joint Rules Defining Swap Participants
Written by Michael Wu On December 7, 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) proposed joint rules with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) to define the types of swap traders that would be subject to the new derivatives regulations under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer…
How does the AIFM Directive Impact Fund Raising in the EU by Non-EU Managers?
Written by Michael Wu The Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (the “Directive”) establishes a regulatory regime for all alternative fund managers, such as private equity and hedge fund managers, that are based in the European Union (the “EU”), manage funds based in the EU and market non-EU fund interests in…
SEC Proposes Rules Regarding the Oversight of Investment Advisers
Written by Michael Wu On Friday, November 19, 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued a Proposed Rule amending the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and a Proposed Rule implementing provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). The purpose…