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Reg BI says brokers should act in the best interest of their retail customers, but are they? Sarah Hutchins and Corri Hopkins of Parker Poe dig into the details of the SEC’s first Reg BI enforcement action and consumer claims to reveal where advisers are still being tripped up. Broker-dealers face increasing risks tied to...

CCI columnist Mary Shirley shares some of the lessons she learned during this year’s national compliance conference in Washington, D.C. About 500 risk, ethics and compliance professionals gathered May 15-17 in Washington, D.C. for the annual Compliance Week National Conference, always a fertile source of ideas for compliance practitioners and programs.  In particular, three things...

Prateek Swaika and Sagar Gupta of Boies Schiller Flexner discuss the regulatory framework of UK’s anti-money laundering regime and explore key legal developments. In response to the Russian military action in Ukraine, the UK government has continued to impose stringent sanctions and strengthened its anti-money laundering regulations aimed at targeting Russian financial and trade sectors,...

The threat of cyber crime is nothing new for the average business. But new tools like AI mean fraudsters have access to even more sophisticated tools, enabling them to hyper-focus their attempts on high-value targets, including top executives and C-suite members. Aileen Allkins of elev8 Digital Skilling shares tips for making sure staff at all...

Financial institutions have enjoyed a fairly easygoing regulatory environment in recent years. Combined with strong economic performance, that’s meant a certain amount of coasting when it comes to enhancing their compliance management systems. But the time for relaxation is over, and as Capco’s Pamela Buckley explains, institutions need to take a hard look at all...

A hybrid communication environment has become the norm for most companies, from the use of messaging apps to communication systems. And while companies (and regulators) are cracking down on inappropriate use of these tools, as Theta Lake’s Stacey English explores, finding the information they need remains a challenge for many companies. Regardless of whether employees...

The vast majority of Americans get their drinking water from public water systems, which are increasingly vulnerable to cyber attack thanks to reliance on automated, connected systems. ESG columnist John Peiserich explores a new EPA mandate designed to ensure these systems are secure. About nine in 10 people in the U.S. get their drinking water...

Despite widespread efforts to ban problematic communication apps like WhatsApp and WeChat, only 3% of compliance leaders strongly believe those bans are effective, according to new research from compliance software provider Global Relay. Global Relay’s small survey of 39 global compliance officers, mostly in the financial services industry, found that while 59% had banned WhatsApp...

ESG-driven initiatives in the corporate sector continue to expand. In response, controversial policy proposals are gaining traction in statehouses around the country, along with the newly formed Anti-ESG Alliance, a collection of 19 states pledged to protect their constituents from what the group calls a radical movement. And yet, for several states in the alliance,...

As a keystone provides integrity to an arch structure, culture infuses the shared values and attitudes that frame how an organization thinks and behaves. Culture gives each organization its particular character. Good or bad, culture is almost always at the root of all reputational and financial performance outcomes, as it is a potent source of...

A newly issued SEC Division of Examinations risk alert indicates that newly registered advisers may be failing to uphold several of their legally mandated requirements. Nutter’s Mark Tarallo digs into the agency’s alert — and what advisers need to know. For the past several years, the SEC’s Division of Examinations has prioritized examining newly registered...

Ringing the opening bell on the Nasdaq or NYSE floor represents the culmination of a long and potentially risky IPO process. Securities lawyer Megan Penick of Michelman & Robinson offers an insider’s view of what it takes to get there. For public securities lawyers like me, nothing is quite as satisfying as celebrating a company’s...

In the three years since California implemented its landmark data privacy act (CCPA), more than 20 other states have considered or passed similar rules. 2023 will mark a major shift in the U.S. data privacy landscape, as all four states with new data privacy rules since California will start enforcing their laws this year —...

About six months from the splashy launch of Open AI’s ChatGPT and despite continued global regulatory concerns about AI’s proliferation, new research indicates that corporations are using the technology across their operations and are likely to keep expanding deployment of AI. A Forbes Advisor survey found that customer service is the most popular current usage...

By 2030, electric vehicles are expected to account for about 40% of all car sales in the U.S. While that’s good news for sustainability efforts, this transition will tax critical infrastructure, including increasing the risk of cyber attacks on EV charging stations. IPKeys Cyber & Power Partners CEO Robert Nawy talks about what needs to...

Social selling gives financial advisers an effective way to connect with potential clients and build a rapport with them as a way of generating new customers, but it also comes with compliance requirements that, if not managed properly, can become burdensome and potentially costly to a firm. SafeGuard Cyber’s Chris Lehman digs into the SEC’s...

It’s in the very title of the show, so it should come as no surprise that HBO’s hit series “Succession” is about, well, a succession. Like other pop-culture depictions of transfers of power, the show is imminently watchable, but does it stand up to real corporate scrutiny? To find out, CCI’s Jennifer L. Gaskin asked...

As early as this month, the Biden Administration is expected to release new guidance regarding compliance under the Title IX educational equality law. Jenelle Beavers of Alvarez & Marsal explores what covered institutions need to know to mitigate risk. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is the most important federal law dedicated to...

Today’s compliance teams are dealing with a difficult confluence of challenges. Budgets and resources are facing extra scrutiny at the exact time escalating regulatory expectations, volatile geopolitical conditions and macroeconomic instability are adding significant pressure to already resource-strained teams. LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ Tracy Manning explores the shifts that brought us to this point — and...

ESG creates better financial performance, mitigates legal and brand risk and increases trust. But making ESG gains is about more than improving business metrics. Joe Wilkins, a founding member of the Black Directors Health Equity Agenda, talks about how health equity lies at the center of it all. With corporate boards more attuned than ever...

The SEC is continuing its focus on cybersecurity regulations by announcing three new proposed rules and re-opening the comment period on an additional proposed rule from last year. Each of the proposed rules focuses on entities in the financial sector, including broker-dealers, investment advisers, investment companies and other entities regulated by the SEC. A trio...

It’s been the better part of two decades since a relatively common risk management mechanism — an interest rate swap — served as a scapegoat for a long, deep economic recession. Could our current financial crisis, which just this week saw First Republic Bank seized by federal regulators and subsequently taken over by JP Morgan,...

Regulations on consumer data privacy can get complex, but one thing should remain simple: Responsible data governance means simply doing the right thing. Or at least that’s what Osano’s Arlo Gilbert believes. Data does a lot for brands. They can use it to personalize customer experiences and refine marketing initiatives, but for many companies, the...

Despite its passage nearly four years ago, the EU’s whistleblower directive has yet to be adopted by many European Union member nations. Despite this, many organizations — and their compliance teams — have worked to revise their whistleblower policies or implement fresh ones in accordance with the EU’s guidance. Visslan CEO Daniel Vaknine provides a...

The asset management industry isn’t exactly known for diversity in its ownership ranks, and neither are the outsourced service providers firms often engage. Katie Twomey of Illumen Capital argues for diversity across the board, even in organizations without traditional supply chains. Diverse-owned firms represent just 1.4% of the $82 trillion in assets under management within...

Some observers expect tensions between China and Taiwan to result in war by 2025 — or sooner. As we learned with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ripple effects of hostilities usually don’t remain geographically limited. Mike Martinich-Sauter of Husch Blackwell has advice for U.S. firms to prepare their compliance teams for a conflict that...

Changes to digital spaces in recent years have led to a sharp rise in IT risk for many organizations. With cloud adoption, digital processes, remote work and third-party relationships growing dramatically, new, complex and expanded threat landscapes now exist — and bad actors are eager to exploit them. And not all organizations are adequately prepared...

You’ve got the CEO’s buy-in that your ethics and compliance program is a central part of the company’s culture. That’s great news, but are you using their presence in the right way? Living Your Best Compliance Life columnist Mary Shirley offers her spin on well-worn training activities. For some time now, my team and I...

Since it went into effect nearly a year ago, the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act illustrates how the “E” and “S” in ESG have a tendency to overlap. ESG columnist John Peiserich shares his take on this intersection and why it means compliance teams may need to create new math. Sustainability and ESG sometimes...

(Sponsored) To address regulatory and consumer demand for removal of so-called “forever chemicals,” companies will need to address parts obsolescence. As Assent’s Cally Edgren explains, this is easier said than done, but make no mistake: Avoiding supply chain disruption means acting early. In December 2022, 3M, one of the world’s largest manufacturers, announced it would...