SEC News

Net Worth Standard for Accredited Investors – Securities Act Release No. 9287

On December 21, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission, in Securities Act Release No. 9287, amended net worth standard in the definition of “accredited investor” excluding the value of a person’s home from net worth calculations in order to participate in unregistered securities offerings as required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act and Consumer …

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SEC’s Whistleblower Program is Officially Launched

On Friday, August 12, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s much discussed whistleblower program became effective with the launch of a new webpage for people to report a violation of the federal securities laws and apply for a financial award and the introduction of the new Office of the Whistleblower. To be considered for an award, the final rules …

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SEC, FINRA Warn Retail Investors About Investing In Structured Notes With Principal Protection

On June 2, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) have issued an investor alert called Structured Notes with Principal Protection: Note the Terms of Your Investment to educate investors about the risks of structured notes with principal protection, and to help them understand …

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Both FINRA and SEC Bring Actions Regarding Due Diligence on Unsuccessful Private Placements

On April 7, 2011, both FINRA and the SEC announced actions both broker-dealers and supervisory personnel in connection with sales of private placement offerings without adequate due diligence. The actions relate to private placement offerings of Medical Capital Holdings, Inc. (MedCap), Provident Royalties and DBSI – all entangled in various levels of litigation, SEC enforcement or arbitration. In summary, …

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SEC Proposes Rules on Disclosure of Incentive-Based Compensation Arrangements at Financial Institutions

On March 2, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed rules to require certain financial institutions, broker-dealers and investment advisers with $1 billion or more in assets, to disclose their incentive-based compensation practices and prohibit such institutions from having compensation arrangements that encourage inappropriate risks. Proposed Rules 1) Disclosures about Incentive-Based Compensation Arrangements Annual Filing with appropriate …

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SEC Institutes Social Media Sweep of Investment Advisers

As reported in Investment News on February 15, 2011, the SEC began a sweep of registered investment advisers and investment advisory firms to gather information about their use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs and others. The sweep also focuses on gathering more information about policies and procedures that govern the use of …

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