The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) has filed two lawsuits in response to recent executive actions that it argues threaten both the continued operation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the privacy of its employees. The lawsuits, filed on February 10, 2025, highlight concerns over the impact of these measures on both the agency's mission and the personal security of its workforce.
In his testimony before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell faced a question that has been on the minds of many -What happens if the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a critical agency tasked with consumer protection, faces diminished funding or is otherwise hindered in its operations?
Brink’s Global Services USA, Inc. (BGS), a well-known name in currency transport, is paying the price for serious compliance failures. The company has agreed to millions in penalties following multiple violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), a key piece of U.S. anti-money laundering (AML) law. This settlement includes a $37 million civil penalty levied by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and a $50 million forfeiture linked to criminal charges for operating as an unlicensed money transmitter.
Lockheed Martin, the defense giant behind the F-35 fighter jet, has agreed to pay $29.74 million to settle allegations of inflating pricing on key contracts, marking another chapter in the ongoing scrutiny of government contracting. The payment comes on top of a prior reimbursement of $11.3 million to the Department of Defense (DOD) for similar violations involving undisclosed cost and pricing data.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced a major reorganization of its Division of Enforcement, with a renewed focus on fraud prevention and market integrity. Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham unveiled the restructuring on February 4, 2025, aiming to streamline operations and more effectively allocate the agency’s resources to combating fraud while reducing the practice of "regulation by enforcement."
2024 was a year of growing momentum for the French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL), as the watchdog took significant steps to ensure that businesses comply with data protection laws. With fines, compliance orders, and reprimands on the rise, the CNIL made it clear that GDPR violations would no longer go unchecked. The result? A year of record-breaking action in data privacy enforcement.
In a settlement with FINRA, Apex Clearing Corporation, a Dallas-based firm that provides clearing services for introducing broker-dealers, is paying a $3.2 million fine after being found in violation of securities lending regulations. While financial penalties are common in the industry, this case tells a much bigger story about trust, transparency, and accountability—issues that are increasingly at the heart of how financial services firms do business.