Two recent civil penalty actions by OFAC supply guidance for how entities should address sanctions violations after they are discovered. In the first case, Kollmorgen Corporation settled civil liability for violations of Iranian sanctions for a mere $13,381. For perspective, the maximum statutory civil monetary penalty available for the violations was $1,500,000. So why the … Continue Reading
With no immediate end in sight to the current federal shutdown, financial regulators are seeking to minimize the adverse impacts of the shutdown on individuals. In a January 11, 2019, press release, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and … Continue Reading
On December 22, 2018, the federal funding for certain agencies lapsed, and the United States government entered into a partial shutdown. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), including the United States Trustee Program (USTP), was one of the agencies that shut down. United States Trustees (“UST”) representing the USTP appear and litigate in a multitude … Continue Reading
The FDIC over the past few years has taken meaningful steps to facilitate and promote the formation of de novo banks. Late last week, the agency made several significant moves to bolster that effort. In separate actions, the FDIC: issued a request for information seeking comments on how to improve the deposit insurance application process; issued an update to … Continue Reading
From 2000 to 2007—the seven years leading up to the recent financial crisis—the FDIC received more than 1,600 applications for deposit insurance, an average of more than 200 per year. More than 1,000 new banks ultimately were formed over this same period. During and following the financial crisis, however, de novo bank formations became almost … Continue Reading
On September 21, 2018, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”)’s Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) completed a review of HUD’s partial claims program. In many ways, the title of the OIG audit report, “HUD Did Not Have Adequate Controls To Ensure That Partial Claim Notes for FHA Loans Were Properly Tracked for Future … Continue Reading
In another move reflecting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) shifting focus on student lending, the CFPB’s Student Loan Ombudsman announced his resignation on August 27, 2018. In his resignation letter, Seth Frotman, who served as the Student Loan Ombudsman for the past three years, criticized reforms implemented by the CFPB’s current leadership and charged the … Continue Reading
In a highly anticipated decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled the practice employed for years by the Securities and Exchange Commission of choosing administrative law judges to hear SEC enforcement actions, violates the Appointments Clause of the Constitution. The Supreme Court, in Lucia v. Securities and Exchange Commission, held that administrative law judges (ALJs) … Continue Reading
Since 1996, when California became the first state to legalize marijuana (at the time, for medicinal purposes only), 28 additional states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana to some extent. Public support for legalization continues to rise as more and more jurisdictions loosen their marijuana laws, with 64 percent of Americans in favor … Continue Reading
On May 8, 2018, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would no longer participate in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the international agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear activities and sanctions imposed on Iran that was entered into in July 2015. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control quickly issued a frequently … Continue Reading
The founder of Mozido, the fintech startup once claimed to be valued at $5.6 billion, has been named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The complaint names Michael Liberty (and others) individually and also names corporate entities related to Mozido as defendants. This action by the … Continue Reading
On Tuesday, February 27, 2018, the Federal Reserve proposed to modify its guidelines and processes that institutions may rely upon to appeal an adverse material supervisory determination. The proposal also seeks to modify the Federal Reserve’s policy for its Ombudsman. Comments regarding the proposals will be accepted through April 30, 2018. Appeals Process The Federal … Continue Reading
The SEC announced a self-reporting initiative for investment advisors who admit violations of the federal securities laws relating to certain mutual fund share class election issues while promptly returning money to harmed investors. The initiative is entitled the “Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative” and is focused on those advisors who have put clients into high-fee … Continue Reading
Yesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it is seeking “evidence to ensure the Bureau is fulfilling its proper and appropriate functions to best protect consumers.” The CFPB is expected to publish a series of Requests for Information (RFIs) in the Federal Register seeking public comments on the following areas of concern: enforcement, … Continue Reading
Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) introduced the Data Breach Prevention and Compensation Act on January 10, 2018 in an effort to increase accountability of large Credit Reporting Agencies (CRAs) for data breaches involving consumer data. The bill, drafted in response to the September 2017 Equifax data breach revelations, seeks to impose direct administrative … Continue Reading
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) makes it unlawful for certain classes of persons and entities to make payments to foreign government officials to assist in obtaining or retaining business. On November 29, 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced the addition of an FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy to the U.S. Attorneys’ Manual, … Continue Reading
In a decision previewed in an earlier post, the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Kokesh v. Securities and Exchange Commission that the five-year statute of limitations in 28 U.S.C. section 2462 applies to SEC enforcement actions seeking the remedy of disgorgement. Resolving a Circuit split, the Supreme Court ruled that disgorgement is a “penalty” … Continue Reading
A Wisconsin federal court recently held that forged USDA loan guarantees did not trigger coverage under a bankers blanket bond held by Wisconsin-based Citizens Bank, resulting in a $15 million loss to the bank. Atlantic Specialty Insurance Co. issued the bankers blanket bond to provide coverage for losses stemming from certified securities or corporate, partnership … Continue Reading
An integral component of the Dodd-Frank statutory framework was a mandatory, comprehensive evaluation by federal agencies of “any regulation issued by such agency that requires the use of an assessment of the credit-worthiness of a security or money market instrument.” This “credit-worthiness” mandate was codified as Section 939A of the Dodd-Frank Act. As part of … Continue Reading
