This week, in a 3-2 vote, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or the “Commission”) approved significant changes to the rules governing its whistleblower program. The program, established by the Dodd-Frank Act in 2011, incentivizes those with information about possible securities law violations to report to the SEC. If the tipster provides “high-quality original … Continue Reading
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) quietly released updated guidance on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) before the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Entitled A Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Second Edition[1] (“Guide”), the Guide is the first update to the original document published … Continue Reading
While the world and markets are reeling, dealing with and adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Securities & Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Division of Enforcement wants companies and individuals to know that it’s business as usual at the SEC. This week, Stephanie Avakian and Steven Peikin, Co-Directors of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, issued a statement regarding … Continue Reading
Last week, the United States Supreme Court settled a circuit split regarding the constitutionality of the appointment of Administrative Law Judges (“ALJs”) by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or the “Commission”). In Lucia v. SEC, the Court held that the Commission’s five ALJs are “officers” subject to the Constitution’s Appointments Clause, which requires officers … Continue Reading
In late April, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) hit Yahoo with a $35 million dollar fine for failing to properly assess and disclose a 2014 data breach that affected more than 500 million user accounts. The case marks the first time the SEC has charged a public company with cybersecurity-related disclosure violations and … Continue Reading
In a unanimous decision authored by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the United States Supreme Court ruled on February 21, 2018 that the anti-retaliation provisions of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank” or the “Act”) only cover whistleblowers who report potential violations of the securities laws to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC” … Continue Reading
Annually, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE”) publishes its examination priorities for the new year. Recently, OCIE announced five priorities that will inform its examinations moving in to 2018. OCIE is committed to “promoting compliance, preventing fraud, identifying and monitoring risk, and informing policy.” In support of these “pillars,” … Continue Reading
2018 arrived in the wake of big changes at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“the SEC”). Jay Clayton was sworn in as Chairman of the Commission in May, naming Steve Peikin and Stephanie Avakian as Co-Directors of the Enforcement Division (the “Division”) in June. As many do for the start of a new year, … Continue Reading
The SEC often encourages self-reporting, cooperation, and remediation in speeches and policy statements. In a settled enforcement action announced today, the Commission made clear just how valuable those efforts can be, allowing a company to settle accounting controls and disclosure violations with no financial penalty whatsoever. According to the SEC’s announcement, from 2012 to early … Continue Reading
For the past few years, the SEC has been battling challenges to the constitutionality of its administrative proceedings. Today, in a drastic shift in position, the SEC issued an order ratifying its prior appointment of its five sitting Administrative Law Judges (“ALJs”) to remedy what the SEC now seemingly concedes was an unconstitutional hiring process. … Continue Reading
This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Digital Realty Trust v. Sommers, a case that will decide whether employees who report suspected securities law violations internally can bring anti-retaliation claims against their employers under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, even if they never report their concerns to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Dodd-Frank … Continue Reading
In remarks at NYU’s Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement, Steven Peikin, the new Co-Director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, voiced a question that has been on the minds of many anticorruption practitioners and compliance professionals: Will the SEC continue to be committed to robust FCPA enforcement?” “My answer to that question is simple,” Peikin … Continue Reading
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week announced a payout of more than $1 million to a whistleblower who provided information that resulted in a successful SEC enforcement action against a “registered entity” (e.g., a broker-dealer) that “impacted retail customers.” The SEC announced the award, while keeping the details of the enforcement action, the … Continue Reading
In a dense, nearly 60-page decision issued on September 27, 2017, SEC Administrative Law Judge Carol Foelak rejected all claims asserted by the SEC Enforcement Division (the “Division”) in In the Matter of Lynn Tilton, et al. The case involved a series of distressed debt funds that issued notes to institutional investors, using investor proceeds … Continue Reading
On February 21, 2012 The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) sent a letter to the DOJ requesting guidance on “several issues and questions of significant concern to businesses seeking in good faith to comply with the FCPA.” The ILR raised the following issues: “Instrumentalities”: The ILR sought clarification on what types of … Continue Reading
Europe’s largest insurance company, Germany-based Allianz SE, apparently is about to limit damages sustained by United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigations. The insurer had been under US investigation for its possible involvement in two major bribe cases. The first case began after allegations gave rise to suspicion that Allianz employees were involved in … Continue Reading
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has issued an administrative cease and desist order as to Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (“Watts”), a water valve designer and retailer, and Leesen Chang (“Chang”), former general manager of Watts Valve Changsha Co., a wholly-owned Chinese subsidiary of Watts. Conduct Between 2006 and 2009, Chang, on behalf of Watts’s … Continue Reading
On May 25, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted final rules implementing the controversial “whistleblower” provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, which provide for the payment of monetary awards to individuals who report possible violations of the federal securities laws to the SEC. Under Section 922 of the Dodd-Frank Act, if a whistleblower provides … Continue Reading
