Banks Slapped with Hefty Fines for Utilizing Messaging Platforms to Evade Regulators
U.S. regulators have unleashed a barrage of penalties, amassing a total of $549 million against Wells Fargo and a cohort of smaller or non-U.S. firms for their failure to uphold electronic records of employee communications. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) spearheaded this crackdown, unveiling charges and levying $289 million in fines against 11 companies over "widespread and longstanding failures" in record-keeping. In tandem, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced fines totaling $260 million against four banks for their noncompliance in maintaining records stipulated by the agency.