Compliance & Ethics

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. (FINRA) has imposed a $3 million fine on LPL Financial for significant compliance failures, resulting in two financial advisors misappropriating $2.4 million from 13 clients, primarily senior citizens. The advisors, whose names were not disclosed in the settlement, engaged in deceptive practices from May 2018 to August 2020, wherein they siphoned clients' funds by directing them to write checks or make wire transfers to entities they controlled. The two advisors acted independently of each other, according to FINRA.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced the appointment of Natasha Vij Greiner and Keith E. Cassidy as interim Acting Co-Directors of the Division of Examinations. The appointments are effective immediately, as Division Director Richard Best is on extended medical leave from the agency.

Brazil's antitrust watchdog, CADE, has received a recommendation from its technical staff to block the sale of DPA Brasil by Nestle and Fonterra to Lactalis. The potential transaction is set to undergo further review by CADE's court, which will vote on its approval. The regulator's technical team highlighted concerns about horizontal competition issues in the Brazilian dairy products market, particularly in the fermented milk, petit-suisse, and dairy dessert segments.

Adobe's ambitious $20 billion bid to acquire cloud-based designer platform Figma is set to undergo a full-scale antitrust investigation by the European Union (EU), according to sources familiar with the matter. The decision follows EU regulators' preliminary review, expressing concerns about potential anti-competitive consequences of the deal.

Swiss bank UBS has been ordered to pay $388 million in fines to British and U.S. regulators as part of a settlement relating to Credit Suisse's dealings with private investment firm Archegos Capital Management. The settlement comes after UBS finalized its takeover of Credit Suisse last month, a deal that had been marked by a series of legal battles.

The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has called on certain banks to rectify inaccuracies in their financial statements, which reportedly led to the underreporting of uninsured deposits. The FDIC's action comes in the wake of the recent banking crisis, prompting regulators to draft new rules aimed at bolstering the industry's resilience.

StarCompliance, a leading global software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of employee compliance technology solutions, has announced its acquisition of ETHIX360, a US-based provider of integrated risk and compliance management solutions. The acquisition expands StarCompliance's product suite, offering comprehensive compliance solutions for employee conflicts of interest and conduct.