Explore MVALAW.COM

Posts in .
DOJ CONTINUES EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE VOLUNTARY CORPORATE SELF-DISCLOSURE WITH NEW SAFE HARBOR POLICY

On October 4, 2023, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the next (but not final) chapter of the U.S. Department of Justice’s concerted attempt to promote voluntary corporate self-disclosure of misconduct with a new Mergers & Acquisitions Safe Harbor Policy.

Background

The DOJ in recent years has expressed a commitment to creating clear, predicable, and standardized policies that incentivize companies to voluntarily self-disclose misconduct to the government, which the Department describes as the “clearest path for a company to avoid a guilty plea or an ...

Takeaways from the 2023 South Asian Bar Associate Conference

From July 20-23, 2023, the South Asian Bar Association of North America hosted its annual conference, “The Next Revolution,” in Boston. SABA’s conference brought together 800 South Asian attorneys from all over the continent, including in-house counsel, government attorneys, and private practitioners.

Palvia was selected for the Class of 2023 of SABA’s Leadership Institute and met many members of the class at the conference, along with SLI graduates from prior years. Learn more about SABA here.


[Palvia is second from the left at the SABA Leadership Institute Reception]


The Federal Reserve, FDIC and OCC Issue Final Guidance on Risk Management in Third-Party Relationships

On June 6, 2023, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC, and collectively with the Board and the FDIC, the Agencies) issued their final version of the Interagency Guidance on Third-Party Relationships: Risk Management (the Final Guidance). The Final Guidance is intended to promulgate effective risk management practices by banking organizations with respect to all of their third-party relationships.  

The Final Guidance replaces each ...

Tanisha Palvia and Alli Davidson co-author article: SCOTUS clarifies intent requirement for False Claims Act cases

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Litigation Member Tanisha Palvia and Associate Alli Davidson discuss the Supreme Court decision on the intent standard for False Claims Act violations and explore its implications in their article titled, “SCOTUS clarifies intent requirement for False Claims Act cases” which was published by Westlaw and Reuters on July 6.

Related Materials

SCOTUS clarifies intent requirement for False Claims Act cases

New Legal Challenge Emerges to FDIC’s Supervisory Guidance on Re-presentment and Non-Sufficient Funds Fees

When following supervisory scrutiny of fees charged to bank customers, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) activities are often the focus. The Minnesota Bankers Association and Lake Central Bank of Minnesota, however, have recently filed a lawsuit against the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Martin Gruenberg (in his capacity as the FDIC’s Chairman) seeking, among other things, declaratory and injunctive relief from the FDIC’s application or enforcement of its recent supervisory guidance on non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees (the ...

Kyle Jacob and Jim McLoughlin co-author Westlaw article: Supreme Court dramatically expands scope of state court jurisdiction over businesses

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Employment & Labor Associate Kyle Jacob and Litigation Member Jim McLoughlin’s article titled, “Supreme Court dramatically expands scope of state court jurisdiction over businesses” was published by Westlaw on July 25.

The article

A new 5-4 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court holding registration to do business in a state is sufficient for personal jurisdiction even if the subject of the lawsuit has no connection to the state will have far reaching effects on the ability of consumers, employees, and others to sue businesses outside of their home ...

Tanisha Palvia and Jim McLoughlin’s article published by Bloomberg Law: The Fourth Circuit Has the Most Liberal Rule 33 Interpretation

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Litigation Members Tanisha Palvia and Jim McLoughlin’s article titled, “The Fourth Circuit Has the Most Liberal Rule 33 Interpretation” was published by Bloomberg Law on July 18. Tanisha and Jim McLoughlin analyze the Rule 33 standard, the path to the Supreme Court for this important circuit split, and its potential impact on criminal cases.

To read the full article, please click here.

On June 28, the CFBP released a set of FAQ’s on the CFPB’s recently finalized Small Business Lending Rule (“Section 1071”). There are twenty-one questions covering matters under “Institutional Coverage” and “Covered Credit Transactions and Small Businesses”. The FAQs are particularly helpful when considering short-term loans, affiliation considerations, and extensions of credit to individuals that may be in-scope for Section 1071.

Federal Financial Regulatory Agencies Propose Quality Control Standards for Use of Automated Valuation Models

On June 1, six Federal financial regulatory agencies[1] (Agencies) jointly issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the Proposed Rule) requiring the implementation of quality control standards for the use of automated valuation models (AVMs) to estimate the value of real estate. The standards would apply to AVMs used by mortgage originators and secondary market issuers in determining the collateral value of a mortgage secured by a consumer’s principal dwelling. The rulemaking was required by Section 1473(q) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act ...

Recent CFPB Releases Continue Focus on Bank Fees and Identify CFPB Concerns with Use of AI in Customer Service

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued releases in May and June that reflected their continued focus on consumer protection issues associated with both bank fees and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by financial institutions. On May 10, 2023, the CFPB issued Circular 2023-02 (the Circular) advising that a financial institution’s unilateral reopening of a deposit account to process a debit or deposit received after account closure can constitute an unfair act or practice under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA). On June 6, 2023, the CFPB ...

John Fagg and Jim McLoughlin commentary featured in Lawdragon: White Collar Enforcement Under the Biden Administration

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Members John Fagg and Jim McLoughlin, both Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators and Chambers-ranked practitioners, recently provided commentary to Lawdragon regarding the White Collar Enforcement Under the Biden Administration. They provided their take on the Administration’s enforcement efforts so far, and what might be coming down the pipeline as the Biden Administration follows through on campaign promises to pursue more white collar criminal cases. Federal prosecutors have been pursuing COVID-related frauds, giving ...

LEGAL ALERT  Re: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Small Business Lending Data Collection under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act

Executive Summary

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”) has published a final rule implementing the requirements of Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act (the “Final Rule”), which mandated data collection on certain credit applications to facilitate enforcement of fair lending laws and the identification of business and community development needs and opportunities for women-owned, minority-owned, and Small Businesses. Section 1071 directed the CFPB to implement rules necessary to carry out, enforce, and compile these data collection ...

Federal Reserve Board Issues Denial to Custodia Bank

The Federal Reserve Board (“FRB”) rarely issues denials for applicants to become members of the Federal Reserve System. Senator Elizabeth Warren has even criticized the FRB for their number of approvals – although in the context of bank mergers. Last Friday Custodia Bank (state chartered in Wyoming) received such a denial. Custodia Bank was formed to be “a compliant bridge between digital assets and the U.S. dollar payments system” and a digital asset custodian.

One of the difficulties digital asset companies, like Custodia Bank, have faced is being able to access the ...

States Look to Impose Financing Disclosure Requirements on Commercial Loans and the CFPB Considers Potential TILA Preemption Considerations

In December 2021, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (or the “CFPB”) issued a notice and request for comment (the “Notice”) on its intention to make a preemption determination regarding the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”) and the State of New York’s Commercial Financing Law, which imposes disclosure requirements on certain commercial lending transactions (the “New York CFL”). The preemption determination had been requested by the Small Business Finance Association (the “SBFA”), a non-profit advocacy organization for its members who provide ...

Banks – What Should You Know? Civil Liability for Failure to Detect Human Trafficking

In 2020, we wrote about the increased regulatory attention on financial institutions’ obligations to detect and respond to human trafficking. In 2021, we wrote about how anti-human trafficking programs fit squarely in banks’ risk management and ESG platforms. As 2022 comes to a close, we add to these alerts an area of emerging potential bank liability – civil actions alleging failure to detect and respond to human trafficking.  

A few weeks ago, two sex trafficking survivors filed lawsuits against two international financial institutions including claims under the ...

Most entities formed or registered to do business in the U.S. will, beginning January 1, 2024, be required to self-report beneficial ownership information to the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”). The new federal database, to be known as “BOSS” (Beneficial Ownership Secure System), is not yet online, but FinCEN on Friday, September 30 published the final regulations[1] implementing beneficial ownership information disclosure requirements pursuant to the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”)[2] passed by Congress in 2021 ...

On August 11, 2022, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued a circular (Circular 2022-04 or, the “Circular”) addressing whether insufficient data and information security practices can violate the prohibition against unfair acts or practices in the Consumer Financial Protection Act (“CFPA”). The CFPB concluded that inadequate security practices could give rise to a claim not only under federal data security laws like the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”), but also under the CFPA as well. The Circular discusses the elements of a claim under the CFPA and identifies a few specific practices that the CFPB identified as likely giving rise to a violation of the CFPA. The Circular, however, does not otherwise provide direction to the industry on expected information security practices.

FINRA’s Expansion of Safeguards to Prevent the Financial Exploitation of Specified Adults in Rule 2165

Published by Westlaw Today

FINRA has continued its efforts to expand protections for “specified adults” by amending its Rule 2165.[1] Prior to the amendments, FINRA Rule 2165 allowed FINRA member firms to place temporary holds on disbursements of funds and securities in situations involving the financial exploitation of those individuals. With the amendments (which went effective on March 17, 2022), FINRA has indicated that it has created the first uniform national standard for placing temporary holds on securities transactions in the accounts of these customers in ...

Risks Associated with Cryptocurrency Activities Continue to be Top-of-Mind for Federal Banking Regulators

For those tracking developments impacting the crypto-asset space, the summer has been far from slow and leisurely. Multiple industry alerts flow daily with news of new legislative proposals, enforcement actions, and other events or issues impacting the industry. The news is inevitably accompanied by calls for greater legal certainty regarding crypto-asset characterization and clarity around the regulatory framework governing the industry. While news flows quickly, the pace of substantive developments, however, has been frustratingly slow for many. Unmoved by demands for ...

Beyond “Security or Commodity”: Different Types of Digital Assets

In a prior post, we discussed the recent proposed rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) regarding certain non-public information reported to the SEC and the CFTC in the Form PF. Most of the rule is discussing information and requirements that are not related to or focused on digital assets. However, in one part, there is a proposal to request information from private funds about their “digital assets”.

The definition from the SEC and CFTC for “digital assets” is broad and all encompassing. As a ...

SEC and CFTC Agree on a Single Definition of “Digital Asset” – More is Needed

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) (collectively, the “Agencies”) jointly proposed a rule (the “Proposed Rule”) that would impact existing confidential reporting obligations of private equity funds and other collective investment vehicles not registered as an “investment company” (referred to as, “Private Funds”). The rule proposes changes to the Form PF, a non-public report for certain SEC-registered investment advisers to Private Funds, which get submitted to the SEC (and CFTC ...

Coinbase: Regulation by Enforcement? CFTC & Market Implications

A Bloomberg article last week suggests potentially more bad news is on the way for Coinbase Global Inc. (“Coinbase”). Coinbase is reportedly facing an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) into whether it let customers trade digital assets that the SEC believes should have been registered as securities. Rumors of investigations by the SEC do not necessarily suggest problems for the company at the center of those rumors, but the timing of a recent SEC complaint (SEC v. Wahi) may explain why this report had such a negative effect on Coinbase’s ...

NYDFS Releases Stablecoin Guidance for NYDFS-regulated Institutions

On June 8, 2022, the New York State Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) released industry guidance applicable to U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins issued by NYDFS-regulated entities (the “Guidance”). The Guidance focuses on NYDFS requirements relating to the redeemability of these stablecoins, the asset reserves that back them (the “Reserves”), and auditor examination and attestations regarding management’s assertions concerning the sufficiency of the Reserves.  

By way of background, a stablecoin is a type of digital asset that is intended to ...

Late last month the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged JP Morgan, UBS and Trade Station with violations of Regulation S-ID based on a range of  inadequacies in their identity theft red flag policies and procedures. https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-131 The violations at issue might seem less than critical, such as not updating policies, merely copying over examples of red flags from Reg S-ID’s Appendix A, not incorporating specific policies into the red flag program, covering all accounts instead of conducting specific account assessments, and not providing sufficient detail in board reports. Although the SEC did not note any failure by these broker-dealers and investment advisors to actually detect and respond to identity theft red flags, the resulting orders and fines (up to $1.2 million), underline the SEC’s seriousness about protecting investors from cybercrime by requiring broker dealers and investment advisors to up their game and focus on the details.

Forgery and Falsification in the Digital World - FINRA Issues Reminder on Supervisory Obligations

In response to ever increasing reports of forgery and falsification of records in the digital signature space, FINRA issued Regulatory Notice 22-18. This Notice reminds FINRA members of relevant regulatory obligations, while also addressing misuse scenarios and identification methods, in order to help members mitigate risk in this area.

In the Notice, FINRA highlights that forgery occurs when an individual “signs or affixes, or causes to be signed or affixed,” the name of another person to a document without that person’s prior permission. FINRA further stated that ...

Riding the Regulatory Enforcement Train: FINRA Issues Reminder on Supervisory Liability for Chief Compliance Officers

On March 17, 2022, FINRA issued Regulatory Notice 22-10 (“Notice”), which reminds FINRA member firms and their associated persons of the scope of supervisory liability for Chief Compliance Officers (“CCO”). The Notice discusses this liability in the context of FINRA Rule 3110, which among other things, requires FINRA member firms to establish and maintain a system (including written procedures) to supervise the activities of each associated person in a manner that is reasonably designed to achieve compliance with applicable securities laws, regulations, and FINRA ...

Acting Comptroller Hsu Suggests a Potential Path Forward to Address Identified Gaps in the Regulatory Resolution Framework for Large Regional Banks

In the fourteen years since the 2008 financial crisis, significant actions have been taken by Federal banking agencies to make the largest financial institutions more resilient and less likely to fail and to require planning that would facilitate their orderly resolution, if necessary. These risk mitigation measures are tailored, however, with the most stringent requirements, and highest regulatory expectations, appropriately reserved for the eight U.S. banks designated as posing the greatest risk to financial stability (global systemically important banks, or GSIBs ...

SEC Announces Exam Priorities for 2022

On March 30, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) Division of Examinations released its exam priorities for fiscal year 2022 (the “2022 Priorities”). As in years past, these exam priorities naturally follow from SEC rulemakings, statements, risk alerts and other guidance issued in the past year, and reflect practices or topics that may pose higher risk for referral to the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.

The 2022 Priorities include broader thematic “Significant Focus Areas,” which may be applicable to both broker-dealers and registered ...

Federal Agencies Focused on Discriminatory Home Valuation Practices

Late last year, news services reported on the results of the efforts of a black couple living in Northern California to challenge what they believed was an initial, discriminatory low-ball appraisal of their home. To test their theory, the couple “whitewashed” their home by removing artwork and replacing family photos with those of a white neighbor, who acted as the homeowner during a second appraisal from another company. The couple filed a discrimination lawsuit against the initial appraiser after the second appraisal came in almost half a million dollars higher. Recent ...

SEC Announces Proposed Rule for Climate Risk and Greenhouse Gas Disclosures

On March 21, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced a proposed rule (the “Proposed Rule”) that will require registrants to make certain climate disclosures in their registration statements and periodic filings with the SEC. Chairman Gary Gensler stated that the goal of the Proposed Rule is to “provide investors with consistent, comparable, and decision-useful information for making their investment decisions, and it would provide consistent and clear reporting obligations for issuers.” The Proposed Rule would require three main ...

New Executive Order Signals Further Delay for the Regulation of Cryptocurrencies and Continuing Interest Around a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency

President Biden signed an executive order today setting forth an agenda across the U.S. government to address risks related to cryptocurrencies while encouraging continued innovation around digital assets and funds transfer and payment systems. The order represents an acknowledgement by the Biden administration of the prevalence of cryptocurrencies in the U.S. and global economies and their ability to facilitate access to financial services within traditionally underserved communities. The order conveys a need for the U.S. to keep up with these technological advances ...

United States Imposes Sanctions Related to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Background

In February 2014, the Revolution of Dignity or Maidan revolution in Ukraine resulted in the ousting of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. In the months that followed, Russia annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine and supported separatist movements in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. President Obama signed three Executive Orders in March 2014 imposing sanctions and prohibiting certain transactions because of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Multiple Executive Orders relating to Russia followed over a period of years.

On February 21, 2022, Russia ...

Breakage Costs & SOFR Loans: Breaking-up is Still Expensive

It may not be the next Taylor Swift song, but a prepayment changes the Lender-Borrower relationship. In a swap, we all know there are consequences. Rather than a “breakage cost”, the swap market just calls it an early termination payment. In loans, traditionally, there was less time/energy spent to negotiate the provisions requiring the borrower to indemnify a lender for breakage costs. Today, however, it is a hot topic. Specifically, in the context of SOFR-loan prepayments where the concept of “Breakage Costs” is a nebulous/unclear concept, leaving some market ...

CFPB Announces LIBOR Transition’s Final Rule, Amending Provisions of Regulation Z

On December 7, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) published its final rule (“Rule”) facilitating the transition away from LIBOR for open-end and closed-end consumer financial products. The Rule amends provisions of Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act to allow for the transition from U.S. dollar LIBOR to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) and other alternative reference rates. SOFR is deemed compliant as a replacement index whereas other alternative reference rates must pass the “comparability” or ...

Can New US Law Help Increase Financial Recovery and Reintegration of Survivors of Human Trafficking?

The following was co-authored by Moore & Van Allen Financial Regulatory Advice & Response Senior Counsel Sarah Byrne; Dr Leona Vaughn, Vulnerable Populations Lead for FAST at UN University Centre for Policy Research; and Professor Barry Koch, former Commissioner of the Liechtenstein Initiative and co-founder of the SII, and was published by the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research on January 27, 2022.

The damaging impact of the trafficking experience on survivors is multifold. The harm is physical, psychological, as well as financial, and long-term. The global ...

FINRA Closes Out 2021 with Further Guidance on Pandemic-Related Issues for Member Firms

After extensive retrospective review of FINRA Rule 4370, which covers member firm business continuity plan (“BCP”) requirements during times of business disruption (such as the COVID-19 Pandemic), FINRA issued its Retrospective Rule Review Report entitled “Business Continuity Planning and Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic.”[1]  In doing so, FINRA issued guidance and summarized stakeholder feedback on such topics as the inspection and registration of temporary/remote offices, Membership Application Program (“MAP”) compliance for those offices, and the ...

Starting this year (2022), most private, domestic U.S. entities will be required to self-report to the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) certain basic information about themselves, their beneficial owners and those individuals authorized to act on their behalf. These new requirements were enacted on January 1, 2021 as part of the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”).[1]  They represent a major departure from the United States’ historic approach to business entity operation, as most private companies have not previously been subject to any beneficial ownership reporting requirements outside the context of a business relationship with a regulated financial institution.  The stated purpose of the CTA is to “discourage the use of shell corporations as a tool to disguise and move illicit funds,” part of a broader federal initiative to prevent and combat money laundering, terrorist financing and tax fraud.

NEW SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS BOARD TO DEVELOP GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY DISCLOSURE STANDARDS

The global standardization of ESG and, more broadly, sustainability related disclosure requirements may arrive sooner than anyone could have expected. A recent Financial Times article entitled “New Body to Oversee Global Sustainability Disclosure Standards” (paywall) announces that, in response to investors increasing focus on sustainability and the growing need for clearer standardized company disclosures, the IFRS Foundation, the current administrators of the International Accounting Standards Board, are in the process of forming their newest brainchild: the ...

Ed Ivey’s article published by Thomson Reuter’s Futures & Derivatives Law Report

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Financial Services Counsel Ed Ivey’s article, “The Future Dominant Reference Rate of the Loan Market: Will There Be One Rate to Rule Them All?”, was recently published by Thomson Reuter’s Futures & Derivatives Law Report

In this article Ed provides his thoughts on (i) the developing loan and derivatives markets’ use of non-LIBOR interest rates, specifically Daily Simple SOFR, Term SOFR, BSBY and Ameribor and (ii) analysis and issues that Lenders and Borrowers may wish consider today when looking at entering into a loan referencing any of these ...

UPDATED: Term SOFR vs BSBY vs Ameribor in the Loan Market

This is an update to a previous post. This update highlights the formal endorsement of Term SOFR by the ARRC, expands the discussion to include Ameribor and dives more deeply into the issues associated with Term SOFR swaps resulting in a mismatch with any related hedge by the Lender.

The ARRC has endorsed (HERE) CME’s Term SOFR. One of the bigger pieces to this announcement and earlier related announcements (Scope of Use Cases), is that U.S. regulators will also permit Term SOFR Swaps, when one of the parties is an “end-user”. When looking only at the loan market, what new reference ...

Term SOFR vs BSBY in the Loan Market

Wednesday, the ARRC announced (HERE) the expectation to endorse CME’s Term SOFR in late July or early August. One of the bigger pieces to this announcement is the announcement that U.S. regulators will also permit Term SOFR Swaps, when one of the parties is an “end-user”. When looking only at the loan market, what new reference rate will be the most common? Term SOFR, BSBY or one of the other SOFR rates? A few thoughts below, but at this point I think Lenders need to begin considering how rate options will be discussed with Borrowers. We have worked with clients to develop guidance on ...

Preemption Update and Future Implications: Congress Repeals The OCC’s True Lender Rule

Congress has voted to overturn the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (“OCC’s”) “true lender” rule under the Congressional Review Act (“CRA”), and the President has signed the resolution. Repeal of the “true lender” rule under the CRA prevents the OCC from issuing any substantially similar rule unless authorized by law to do so.  

The True Lender Rule, which became effective December 29, 2020, provided that a bank would be deemed to have made a loan if, on the date of its origination, the bank either (1) is named as the lender in the loan agreement, or (2) funds ...

Financial Services’ Role in Anti-Trafficking, Human Rights, and ESG is at Turning Point

Last month marked the tenth anniversary of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council adoption of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (“UNGPs”), setting forth the internationally-accepted framework for the role of businesses in promoting and protecting human rights. These principles highlight the risks businesses face in their activities that may be linked to human rights violations. According to the UNGPs, “[b]usiness enterprises should respect human rights. This means that they should avoid infringing on the human rights of others and should address ...

SEC Chairman Questions the Use of BSBY

In a recent speech, the new SEC Chairman, Gary Gensler, came out questioning the use of BSBY as a replacement to LIBOR, by highlighting a number of “concerns” he has with BSBY and why SOFR is preferable.

HERE is the speech. The last half focuses on BSBY.

Gensler focused largely on the transaction data which underpins BSBY versus the transaction data which underpins SOFR. Here, SOFR has not only a clear advantage, but Gensler also notes weakness in BSBY in the 6- and 12-month tenors. However, there is an important difference between SOFR and BSBY that should have been noted by Gensler ...

No More Dealer-to-Dealer LIBOR Swaps in the OTC Market?

In a press release (HERE) on June 8th, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) published its first release in a series called the “SOFR First Transition Initiative” as a best practice. One goal for this sort of “best practice” is to impact the liquidity in LIBOR and SOFR swaps, thereby slowly (a) increasing the spread on LIBOR swaps and (b) tightening the spread on SOFR swaps. In other words, make LIBOR swaps more expensive and SOFR swaps less expensive. Even for non-dealers, this announcement is important as it is not only a major step in such non-dealers’ ...

Supreme Court Limits FTC's Power to Seek Damages

In AMG Capital Management v. FTC, a unanimous Supreme Court recently struck the Federal Trade Commission’s (the FTC) power to obtain monetary relief under § 13(b) of the FTC Act (the Act). Under § 13(b), the FTC can seek the aid of a court to obtain a permanent injunction. The issue the court addressed is whether Congress, by enacting § 13(b) and using the words “permanent injunction”, granted the FTC authority to obtain monetary relief directly from the courts rather than through the administrative process, which ultimately allows for such relief. The Court held the FTC is not ...

Water Under the Bridge: Revised Interagency Flood Insurance Q&As to Replace Decade-Old Q&As

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Farm Credit Administration, and the National Credit Union Administration (the Agencies) have proposed new, revised, and reorganized guidance on flood insurance (the Q&As). The Agencies published a first set of 118 proposed Q&As in July 2020, and a second set of 24 proposed Q&As relating to private insurance specifically on March 11, 2021. After the Q&As are consolidated into a single set and finalized, they ...

CFPB Announces Proposed Plan to Prevent Deluge of Post-Pandemic Foreclosures

On April 5, 2021 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a proposed rule entitled Protections for Borrowers Affected by the COVID-19 Emergency Under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Regulation X. The proposed amendments to Regulation X are aimed to ensure that the approximately 2.5 million borrowers still in forbearance programs will not be ushered immediately into foreclosure when their respective COVID-related forbearance ends. 

The proposed amendments, which apply only to mortgage loans secured by principal residences, contemplate a ...

Jim McLoughlin and Neil Bloomfield’s Article Published by Westlaw: 3rd Circuit panel raises the bar on risk disclosures as the trend toward greater disclosure continues

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Litigation Member Jim McLoughlin and Financial Regulatory Advice & Response Member Neil Bloomfield‘s article titled, “3rd Circuit panel raises the bar on risk disclosures as the trend toward greater disclosure continues” was published by Westlaw on March 30, 2021.

The Article

It had been an article of faith in the securities legal community that a registrant has no obligation to disclose possible wrongdoing or a government investigation into its conduct absent some statement that would be rendered misleading without such a disclosure.

However, in ...

IBA Advisory
Summary

Last Friday, the IBA published its Feedback Statement on Consultation on Potential Cessation.

The relevant dates regarding cessation are the same in the November request for comment – i.e., all LIBOR settings will either cease to be provided by any administrator or no longer be representative:

  • immediately after 31 December 2021, in the case of all sterling, euro, Swiss franc and Japanese yen settings, and the 1-week and 2-month US dollar settings; and,
  • immediately after 30 June 2023, in the case of the remaining US dollar settings.
Advisory: Canada Designates Proud Boys a Terrorist Entity

Canada has designated the Proud Boys as a terrorist entity, meaning that banks and other financial services providers will no longer be allowed to deal with or facilitate transactions concerning property controlled by the group. The restrictions will apply to U.S. financial institutions in their activities within Canada and will extend to cover the activities of Canadian institutions outside of Canada.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Senior Counsel Tandy Mathis will be presenting during the NCBAR 2021 International Practice Section Program webcast, “The World Spins Madly On: Making Sense of the Current State of International Law Practicing International Law in the Digital Age,” taking place on March 25. Tandy will present on the session titled, “Practicing International Law in the Digital Age.”

This session concentrates on e-discovery, privacy, and security issues unique to international law practitioners. Explore how these issues and digital solutions are continuing to ...

MVA Financial Regulatory Advice and Response Member Barbara Meeks and Associate Jules Carter will serve as panelists for the Lorman webinar titled, “BSA/AML Customer Identification Program and Due Diligence Basics” which will take place on March 11.

This webinar will provide an overview of BSA/AML/Know Your Customer (KYC) components,  including the Customer Identification Program (CIP) and beneficial owner Customer Due Diligence (CDD) Rules. They will cover key definitions and procedural issues for compliance and highlight areas of risk for enhanced due ...

MVA Financial Services Member Lauren Biek, Co-head of Financial Regulatory Advice and Response Neil Bloomfield, and Financial Services Counsel Ed Ivey will serve as panelists during the NCBA: The Business Lawyer as First Responder, 2021 Business Law Section Program. This live webcast will take place on February 11. Additionally, Financial Services Member Kimberly Zirkle serves on the planning committee for the Business Law Section program.
 
The panel titled, “SOFR, So Good? Current Issues in Credit Agreements” will highlight the differences in approach ...

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Co-head of the White Collar, Regulatory Defense & Investigations practice and member of the firm’s Management Committee, Valecia McDowell has been highlighted in the Business North Carolina article titled, “Dynamic Diversity: The Changing Look of N.C. Executive Power,” published on February 1. The article also mentions area CEOs Marvin Ellison of Lowe’s and Gene Woods of Atrium Health.
 
To view the complete Business North Carolina article, please click here.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Co-head of the White Collar, Regulatory Defense and Investigations practice and a member of the firm’s Management Committee, Valecia McDowell, will be teaching the LAW 832 - Internal Investigations course during the winter session for Duke Law on February 19 - 21.
 
During this course, students will study the range of legal and practical issues in the conduct of in-house investigations of potential illegal conduct by corporate employees and officers. Students will participate in simulated exercises involving interviews of company employees in the ...

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Financial Regulatory Advice and Response Member Ed O’Keefe will serve as the moderator for the panel titled, “Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 on Bank Health” during the Banking Institute Program which will take place March 18-19. Ed’s panel includes senior representatives of the OCC, Federal Reserve, NC Department of Banking and the Bank Policy Institute.

This year's Institute agenda also includes panels on: 

  • The Current State of the LIBOR Transition
  • Diversity and Inclusion: A Business Imperative
  • Bank Partnerships with FinTech Firms

And ...

Healthcare: Indictment for Antitrust in Employment

Moore & Van Allen’s (MVA) White Collar Defense, Investigations, and Regulatory Advice Member Jim McLoughlin and Associate Kristen Kenley’s blog titled, “Healthcare: Indictment for Antitrust in Employment” was published on January 25.

MVA Financial Services Counsel Ed Ivey‘s article titled “Election Season Special: 2021 Candidates for LIBOR Replacement” was recently published in the Futures & Derivatives Law Report, a Thomson Reuters publication. The article provides an overview and analysis regarding the various non-SOFR alternative reference rates, such as Ameribor, and issues related to the chances such rates have at being adopted and widely used in the market.
 
The article
Get excited. The next big election season is about to kick-off. The London Inter- bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) is ...

Department of Justice Brings First Sherman Act Wage Case and Does So in Healthcare, A Primary Focus of the Department

In December, the Department of Justice filed its first ever criminal case for price fixing of wages. DOJ indicted the owner of a physical therapist staffing company for instigating a conspiracy among physical therapy services to suppress competition and fix wages for physical therapists and physical therapy assistants. Neerha Jindal, whose former company operated in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, was indicted in the Eastern District of Texas for violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. 

In Count One, DOJ alleges Mr. Jindal successfully encouraged his co-conspirators at other ...

Fall 2020 Brings Increased Regulatory Focus on Financial Institution Detection of Human Trafficking

On October 15, 2020, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Department of Treasury (FinCEN) released its Supplemental Advisory on Identifying and Reporting Human Trafficking and Related Activity (Supplemental Advisory). The last time FinCEN provided guidance on identifying trafficking in anti-money laundering (AML) processes was in Guidance on Recognizing Activity that May be Associated with Human Smuggling and Human Trafficking – Financial Red Flags on September 11, 2014. The evolving tactics of human traffickers and behaviors of victims required ...

New Treasury Department Regulations Modify Mandatory Filing Requirements for Critical Technology Businesses

By: Elena F. Mitchell and Frank Schall.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) recently published a proposed rule that would modify the mandatory filing requirements in place throughout the pilot program for certain foreign investment transactions subject to review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) pursuant to the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”). The proposed rule modifies the mandatory filing requirement for “critical technologies” transactions involving a U.S. business ...

Modern Slavery Statement Guidance – Note to Financial Institutions

The United Kingdom Home Office has released guidance to companies that are required to make a public statement about human trafficking risks and prevention measures under the U.K. Modern Slavery Act of 2015. Organizations are to address the emerging risks of exploitation at the company and in the supply chain caused by COVID-19 in their statement against modern slavery.

The guidance encourages careful consideration of the risks posed by changes in operations and supply chains that may result from the current economic crisis, including fluctuation in product or service demands and ...

Treasury Department Publishes Interim Final Rule Implementing CFIUS Filing Fees

By: Elena F. Mitchell and Frank Schall.

As discussed in our related March 25, 2020 post, in early March 2020, the Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) issued a proposed rule regarding filing fees for parties filing voluntary notices of certain transactions for review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) pursuant to the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”). Earlier this week, on April 28, Treasury filed an interim final rule implementing filing fees beginning May 1, 2020. In issuing the rule as an ...

Legislative and Bank Regulatory Actions to Assist Forbearance in a Pandemic World

By Kristina Whittaker and Ed O'Keefe. For the last three weeks or so, the federal and state banking agencies, collectively and individually, have, with increasing urgency, called on financial institutions to meet the financial needs of customers impacted by the COVID-19. Congress has now codified some of the guidance in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). To assist our clients in understanding the scale and scope of the regulatory actions, we describe the state of play as we know it today. 

As first discussed in the article by our colleagues Neil ...

COVID-19 National and State Relief Efforts Focus on Single Family Mortgage Loans

The shuttered storefronts and grounded airplanes that by now have become an all too familiar image of the COVID-19 pandemic are quickly creating a ripple effect through the U.S. economy. As unemployment rises and Americans struggle to pay their bills, federal and state governments and agencies are rushing to provide aid to those most impacted by the virus. A key focus of those efforts has been on mortgage related relief. This article canvasses the rapidly changing regulatory environment related to single family mortgage loans and provides an overview of the relief available to ...

Treasury Department Publishes Proposed Rule on CFIUS Filing Fees

By: Elena F. Mitchell and Frank Schall. Further implementing the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA“), the U.S. Department of the Treasury recently published a proposed rule to establish filing fees for parties filing voluntary notices of certain transactions for review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”). Under the proposed rule, CFIUS would accept a transaction for review only after payment of the filing fee. The proposed rule remains subject to public comment through April 8, 2020, and does not specify ...

Financial Services Regulators Call for Preparedness and Flexibility in Supervised Institutions’ Responses to COVID-19

By Kate Wellman and Neil Bloomfield. As COVID-19 continues to spread globally, U.S. financial services regulators have released guidance to their supervised institutions to encourage proactive planning for what may be months of sustained impact to business infrastructure and the financial system.  The theme running through recent guidance released by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and federal and state banking agencies is the need for flexibility.  Financial institutions, like all of us ...

Never Waste a Crisis: How Coronavirus May Help Shape the LIBOR Transition

The transition away from LIBOR was born from the financial crisis.  For years regulators have been pushing for an alternative to the dominant market benchmark.  The underlying market was illiquid.  The rate was set by opinion, not transactions.  It was easily manipulated.  It was set by only the largest of financial institutions.  In the U.S., SOFR—the secured overnight funding rate—has been designated as the LIBOR replacement.  In many ways, it cures the ills of LIBOR.  The underlying market is liquid and the rate is set by actual transactions.  But in many ways it is wholly dissimilar to ...

A Time of Testing – What Lawyers Can Do

A black swan has arrived – the Pandemic of 2020 and with it a bear market. As with previous black swan events, experts and leaders are in learning mode, with the facts and events evolving hourly. As my financial advisor told me, this event cannot be modeled. Nonetheless, there are lessons learned from past crises – we are facing not just a health crisis uprooting lives and businesses, but also we can expect significant economic impact. The event will have effects longer than initially predicted or imagined.

In such circumstances, what should be on in-house lawyers’ and leaders ...

House Financial Services Subcommittee Tackles Trafficking Prevention in Financial Systems

Last week, the House Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy held a hearing on transnational trafficking networks and illicit finances.  Titled “The Traffickers’ Roadmap: How Bad Actors Exploit Financial Systems to Facilitate the Illicit Trade in People, Animals, Drugs, and Weapons,” the hearing was billed as the beginning of a bi-partisan counter-trafficking initiative to explore legislation to improve (i) the financial sector’s role in identifying trafficking; and (ii) communication ...

Valecia McDowell and Ed O'Keefe to Serve as Panelists for 2020 SIFMA C&L Annual Seminar

Charlotte White Collar, Regulatory Defense and Investigations Member Valecia M. McDowell and Financial Regulatory Advice and Response Member Edward O'Keefe will both serve as speakers at the 2020 SIFMA C&L Annual Seminar.

Sarah Byrne featured in Charlotte Magazine for role in Human Trafficking Pro Bono Project

MVA's Human Trafficking Pro Bono Project Leader, Sarah Byrne and her fight for victims of human trafficking was highlighted by Charlotte Magazine. The article titled, "Charlotte Attorney Sarah Byrne on Fighting for Victims of Human Trafficking" was published on February 13. Read the full article here.

New Treasury Department Regulations Expand CFIUS Authority

By: Elena F. Mitchell and Frank Schall.  The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently published final regulations to further implement the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA“) and to better address national security concerns resulting from certain investments and transactions in the U.S.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) is an interagency committee chaired by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and tasked with evaluating certain foreign investments and transactions for national security-related ...

Human Trafficking Awareness  – What Financial Institutions Need to Know

Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Customer departments at financial institutions are on the front lines of human trafficking.  Not only does enhanced transaction monitoring help law enforcement identify trafficking circumstances through generation of Suspicious Activity Reports but it helps avoid high risk lending relationships and cuts the power source of businesses or people who facilitate trafficking.

Recently, there has been an emergence of legal action related to organizational responsibility for human trafficking.  In November, the Australian Transaction ...

Latest DOJ Spoofing Settlement

On November 6, 2019, the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, and the CFTC, announced settlements of their spoofing and market manipulation investigations of Tower Research Capital LLC (Tower Research).  The penalties are the highest in a spoofing case to date. The Department’s settlement again indicates that the Fraud Section has concluded spoofing and market manipulation are widespread, so general deterrence requires harsher sanction. However, there is also important history.  The predicted ...

Bloomfield serves as panelist for 19th Annual Banking and Finance Forum

Charlotte Financial Regulatory Advice & Response Co-Head Neil Bloomfield served as a panelist for Mecklenburg County Bar’s 19th Annual Banking and Finance Forum which took place on November 22. Bloomfield joined others from Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Bryan Cave to discuss “LIBOR Transition Challenges.”  During the panel, Mr. Bloomfield discussed the latest regulatory guidance and best practices in managing the transition away from LIBOR to SOFR.  

The Clearing House + Bank Policy Institute Annual Conference 2019

MVA is proud to once again be a sponsoring partner for The Clearing House + Bank Policy Institute Annual Conference, which took take place in New York on November 19–21. Now in its ninth year, The Clearing House + Bank Policy Institute Annual Conference is the leading conference for key regulatory, legal, and payments issues facing America’s largest commercial banks. Held for two and a half days at The Pierre Hotel in New York, the TCH + BPI Annual Conference brings together the industry’s leading executives and thought leaders – C-suite financial services executives ...

U.S. Authorities’ Campaign Against Spoofing and Related Market Manipulation Enters a Potentially New Phase with Recent Criminal and Civil Enforcement Actions

On September 16, 2019, the Department of Justice and the CFTC jointly announced the indictment of three precious metal traders for an alleged eight year conspiracy to manipulate gold, silver, platinum, and palladium futures prices and civil charges based upon the same conduct. (One former trader from the institution had already pleaded guilty to one count of commodities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, commodities fraud, price manipulation, and spoofing; a second former trader had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in spoofing and one count of ...

Fraud As An Operational Risk For Banks

By Neil Bloomfield and Kristina Whittaker. Operational risk is a continuing and increasing focus of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and, as a result, it needs to be a greater priority of the institutions it regulates. The OCC publishes a "Semiannual Risk Perspective" that addresses key issues facing banks and other federally chartered institutions.

In recent years, the OCC has categorized operational risks as elevated as banks respond to an evolving and increasingly complex environment. The OCC defines operational risk as the risk to current or projected financial ...

U.S. Regulator Suggests Easing Post-Crisis Derivatives Rules

By Neil Bloomfield. In another sign of progress, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) proposed easing a rule that requires banks to put cash aside to safeguard derivatives trades among affiliates. The proposal would remove the current requirement for members within the same bank group to post margins upfront when trading derivatives.  According to a 2018 survey conducted by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA), the new rule could free up to $40 billion across some of the largest banks. FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams also stated that revoking the ...

Revised Interagency Examination Procedures for the Flood Disaster Protection Act

By Neil Bloomfield. The Task Force on Consumer Compliance of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) recently published the modified interagency examination procedures for the Flood Disaster Protection Act (FDPA) designed to promote consistency and communication of supervisory expectations in the examination process. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Farm Credit Administration, and the National Credit Union Administration issued ...

Federal Reserve Discloses Plan for “FedNow” a Real Time Payment System

By Neil Bloomfield. The Federal Reserve Board (Federal Reserve) recently announced it will develop a “new round-the-clock real-time payment and settlement service”, named the FedNow℠Service to support faster payments in the United States.  FedNow will be a national instant payment system that is designed to offer an option for consumers and businesses to transfer up to $25,000 24x7x365. Federal Reserve Board Governor Lael Brainard stated, “FedNow will permit banks of every size in every community across the country to provide real-time payments to their customers.”

Enhancing Transparency in the Agencies’ Approach to BSA/AML Examinations

By Barbara Meeks and Kristina Whittaker. Last month the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the federal bank regulators issued a Joint Statement aimed at improving transparency into their risk-focused examination and supervision of banks’ compliance with Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-money Laundering (BSA/AML) requirements. 

The statement outlines common supervisory practices for assessing a bank’s BSA/AML risk profile, scope and planning of examinations and evaluating the adequacy of BSA/AML compliance programs.  The risk-focused approach enables federal ...

OCC Releases Bulletin on Fraud Risk Management Principles

By Kristina Whittaker and Neil Bloomfield. In the aftermath of sales practices, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) recently published a bulletin on fraud risk management principles that are applicable to all federally chartered financial institutions. The bulletin supplements existing OCC and interagency guidance and provides a roadmap of OCC expectations.  

The OCC highlights certain risk management principles:

  • A bank should have sound corporate governance practices that instill a corporate culture of ethical standards and promote employee ...
Meeks and O’Keefe Article, “Pursuit of a Regulatory Practice Dream: The Story of 2 Powerhouse Bank GCs Uniting,” published by Corporate Counsel

Charlotte Financial Regulatory Advice and Response Members Barbara Meeks and Ed O'Keefe's article titled, "Pursuit of a Regulatory Practice Dream: The Story of 2 Powerhouse Bank GCs Uniting," was published by Corporate Counsel on July 26, 2019. In the article, Meeks and O'Keefe share their personal vision for a world-class bank regulatory practice that would provide practical, innovative results while retaining Southeastern rates and culture.

The Article

Historically, financial regulatory lawyers have rooted themselves in New York or Washington, D.C. to develop thriving ...

From “Where Were the Lawyers?” to “Where Have the Lawyers Gone?”

Colleagues, I hope you are enjoying your summer and have had or are planning a break. Summer breaks help us maintain a healthy balance of rest and work.  

Speaking of balance, over a recent beach vacation, I had time to study Tom Baxter’s article on the current role of lawyers in financial institutions: The Rise of Risk Management in Financial Institutions and a Potential Unintended Consequence – The Diminution of the Legal Function. Tom analyzes the effect of well-intended post Crisis regulatory governance changes on legal departments. Starting with the three lines of ...

SEC Staff Issues Statement on Preparing for Impending LIBOR Transition

On July 12, 2019, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) joined the call to prepare for the transition away from LIBOR.  The staff of several Divisions of the SEC (the Divisions of Corporation Finance (DCF), Investment Management (DIM), and Trading and Markets (DTM)) and its Office of the Chief Accountant (OCA) issued a public statement regarding the impending transition away from using LIBOR as a benchmark and reference rate for commercial and financial contracts. Warning of the potential risks associated with the transition and the failure to prepare in advance, the SEC ...

Parting the Waters of Uncertainty for Private Flood Insurance

By Elena F. Mitchell, Barbara S. Meeks, and Neil T. Bloomfield*

A final interagency rule taking effect on July 1, 2019, provides federally regulated lending institutions with eagerly awaited guidance concerning private flood insurance for improved properties located in special flood hazard areas. Pursuant to the final rule, the OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC, Farm Credit Administration and National Credit Union Administration seek to increase availability and use of private flood insurance coverage by instructing regulated lending institutions to accept certain private ...

“At the Next Critical Stage in the Transition Away from LIBOR” – Federal Reserve Vice Chair Urges Companies, Financial Institutions to Begin Shift from LIBOR to Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR)

 Noting that we are at “the start of the next critical stage in the transition away from LIBOR,” Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Randal K. Quarles delivered taped remarks at the June 3, 2019 Alternative Reference Rates Committee Roundtable, cohosted by the Alternative Reference Rates Committee and the New York University Stern School of Business and Salomon Center for the Study of Financial Institutions. Vice Chair Quarles reiterated warnings from regulators regarding the potential instability of LIBOR and stated that “[m]y key message to you today is that you ...

The Time Is Now to Prepare for Congressional Inquiries from a Democrat-Led House

The article titled “The Time Is Now to Prepare for Congressional Inquiries from a Democrat-Led House,” written by Charlotte Members Neil Bloomfield and Edward O’Keefe, and Associate Elena Mitchell, was published and first appeared in the March 4, 2019 edition of Westlaw Journal Bank & Lender Liability.

The Article

At the start of a new year, we tend to make promises to ourselves. We often promise to address issues head-on — to be proactive[1] instead of reactive. While most New Year’s resolutions are quickly forgotten, we urge those involved with highly regulated ...

Bank Capital Plans and Stress Test Results Due April 5, 2019, CFTC Foreign Corrupt Practices Advisory on Self-Reporting/Cooperation

As government authorities around the world create a constantly evolving regulatory environment, conduct overlapping investigations, and bring parallel proceedings, companies are facing perhaps the most challenging regulatory and criminal enforcement environment. Our goal is to serve as a leading-edge resource for companies navigating these waters. Moore & Van Allen’s WCIRA News Clips is a complement to our White Collar Defense, Investigations, and Regulatory Advice Blog’s in-depth individual treatment of critical emerging issues. WCIRA News Clips hits the ...

2019 SIFMA C&L Annual Seminar

Moore & Van Allen is pleased to be a Gold sponsor at the 2019 SIFMA C&L Annual Seminar. Charlotte Litigation Members Edward O'Keefe and Valecia M. McDowell have been invited to serve as panelists for this year’s seminar. O’Keefe will contribute to the Tuesday, March 26, 2019 afternoon panel entitled “Intersection of Banking and Wealth Management” and McDowell will join the discussion for the Wednesday, March 27, 2019 morning panel entitled “What is Conduct Risk Data and How do you use it?” 

SIFMA’s C&L Annual Seminar is the premier event for compliance and legal ...

Mecklenburg County Bar’s 18th Banking and Finance Forum on Friday, November 9, 2018

Charlotte Associate Brian Soja, a member of MVA’s Financial Regulatory Advice and Response and White Collar, Regulatory Defense, and Investigations practice groups, served as a panelist at Mecklenburg County Bar’s 18th Banking and Finance Forum on November 9.  Soja participated in the Forum’s Regulatory Highlights panel along with Phil Wertz of Bank of America, John Stoker of Wells Fargo, Grant Harbrecht of Fifth Third, and Scott Cammarn of Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft.  During the panel, which focused on significant regulatory developments over the past year, Soja ...

TCH/BPI 2018 Annual Conference

2018 ANNUAL CONFERENCE (Nov. 2018): We are proud to once again be a sponsoring partner for The Clearing House + Bank Policy Institute Annual Conference, which will take place in New York on November 26–28, 2018.  The Annual Conference provides a forum for the industry’s leaders to examine the changing dynamics of the bank regulatory and payments landscape.  Keynote speakers for this year’s conference include Jelena McWilliams, Chair of the FDIC, Antony Phillipson, British Consul General in New York and HM Trade Commissioner for North America, Richard Clarida, Vice Chairman of ...

When Someone Shows You Who They Are, Believe Them the First Time:* What a Blue Wave in the House Likely Means for Financial Institutions

By: Edward P. O’Keefe, Neil T. Bloomfield, and Elena F. Mitchell. Elections have consequences and the recent midterm elections are no exception.  Having won the House majority, Democrats are expected to proceed with an ambitious agenda in January 2019.  Much of the focus has been on how the Democrats will use their control to scrutinize the Trump Administration, but lessons from the last time the Democrats controlled the House suggest there are also likely to be significant implications for the financial services industry in terms of proposed legislation and investigations.

SEC Issues Disclosure Guidance as Part of Continued Focus on Cybersecurity

As cybersecurity attacks have continued to gain prominence as a threat posing critical risk management and compliance challenges for financial institutions, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has emerged as an active federal regulator in this arena. In September 2017, the SEC announced creation of a Cyber Unit housed within the SEC’s Enforcement Division that targets cyber-related misconduct, including hacking to obtain material nonpublic information, intrusions into retail brokerage accounts, and cyber-related threats to trading platforms and other ...

New Federal Reserve Rating System; U.S. Sues UBS Over Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities; Traders Charged With Spoofing & More

As government authorities around the world create a constantly evolving regulatory environment, conduct overlapping investigations, and bring parallel proceedings, companies are facing perhaps the most challenging regulatory and criminal enforcement environment. Our goal is to serve as a leading-edge resource for companies navigating these waters. Moore & Van Allen’s WCIRA News Clips is a complement to our White Collar Defense, Investigations, and Regulatory Advice Blog’s in-depth individual treatment of critical emerging issues. WCIRA News Clips hits the ...

SIFMA Compliance and Legal Society's Charlotte Regional Seminar on Monday, September 24, 2018

Charlotte Litigation Members Neil Bloomfield and Ed O’Keefe will be serving as panelists at the upcoming SIFMA Compliance and Legal Society's Charlotte Regional Seminar on Monday, September 24, 2018. This one day seminar feature presentations by leading securities regulators and industry professionals.  Bloomfield will be speaking on the Privacy and Cybersecurity Issues panel alongside Keith Agisim (Moderator, Bank of America), Michael Adams (McGuireWoods), James Powell (LPL Financial LLC), and John Reed Stark (John Reed Stark Consulting, LLC).  O’Keefe ...

Data Management in Government Investigations

Members of MVA’s Privacy and Data Security team, Charlotte Member Neil Bloomfield, Charlotte Counsel and Charlotte Associate Nathan White were speakers for the latest Privacy and Data Security Seminar that was held on August 22, 2018. This seminar discussed the data management challenges in today’s government investigations. This is an area undergoing significant changes in light of GDPR, the CLOUD Act and the impending suspension of the Privacy Shield. This CLE focused on both the legal restrictions and practical challenges confronting U.S. counsel when ...

Trump Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh, could play role in reshaping major securities fraud enforcement tool 

By Mark Nebrig and Fielding Huseth.  No one doubts that Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court, would have an impact on the court’s jurisprudence if confirmed.  For financial services and publicly-traded companies, as well as those that support them, one area that should not be overlooked is his potential influence on securities fraud prosecutions.  If Judge Kavanaugh joins the Court and brings along his current interpretation of the securities laws, the Supreme Court may soon reshape a major securities fraud enforcement tool.

This fall, the ...

Will Congress Clarify Regulation of Marijuana-Related Business?

By John Han and Katherine Lamberth. President Trump piqued the interest of participants in and observers of the marijuana industry when he stated in early June that he would “probably” support recently proposed bipartisan legislation aimed at removing the federal prohibition on certain marijuana-related activity. President Trump’s statement is significant because it:

  • indicates presidential support for the bill, which other legislative attempts at reforming federal marijuana laws have generally lacked, and
  • signals a shift from the strict enforcement position taken ...
Caution: Costs of Investigations into Employees’ Fraud are No Longer Recoverable under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act

By Kim Cochran[1] and Frank Schall  In a decision with far-reaching implications for corporate victims of fraud, the U.S. Supreme Court recently held that the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act of 1996 (MVRA) does not entitle victims of certain federal offenses, including wire fraud, to reimbursement for costs incurred conducting investigations and participating in civil or bankruptcy proceedings related to the fraud.

Before Lagos, Many Courts of Appeal Allowed Recovery of Investigation Costs

In Lagos v. United States, 584 U.S. ___ (2018), Sergio Fernando Lagos pleaded ...

Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud

By John Fagg, Nader Raja, and Kristen Kenley.  On July 11, 2018, pursuant to a Presidential Executive Order, the Department of Justice announced the formation of a new multi-agency task force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud that will focus on combating consumer and market fraud.  Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who will chair the new task force, unveiled plans for the initiative at a press conference that brought together top regulators at the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Federal ...

Bank Regulators Set Priorities at the Prudential Regulation Conference

Financial Regulatory Advice and Response Team members Neil Bloomfield, Ed O’Keefe, Tom Pennington, and Kris Whittaker attended the Prudential Regulation Conference presented by SIFMA and The Clearing House in Washington, D.C.  This year’s conference was focused on the future of prudential regulation, including the new leadership at the prudential agencies.  The conference included insights from the Joseph M. Otting, Comptroller of the Currency, Mark E. Van Der Weide, General Counsel for the Federal Reserve, and Jelena McWilliams, Chairman of the FDIC, among others.   There ...

Mick Mulvaney’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

By Kristina Whittaker[1]. Mick Mulvaney was appointed Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) on November 25, 2017.  His term will end on June 22, 2018, unless the President nominates a Director prior to that date, in which case Mr. Mulvaney will remain as Acting Director until a new Director is confirmed.  During his time as Acting Director, Mr.  Mulvaney has sought to change the priorities and culture of the Bureau, starting by changing its name to align with Title X of the Dodd Frank Act to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.  His recent public ...

Is the Trump Administration Charting a New Course Away from the Duplicative Fines of the Financial Crisis?

By Neil Bloomfield and Kristen Kenley  Double jeopardy prevents criminal defendants from being convicted of the same crime twice.  Res judicata prevents civil litigants from facing repeated claims by an overly aggressive plaintiff. Unfortunately, in the years after the financial crisis financial institutions were essentially unprotected from receiving multi-million dollar demands by multiple regulators for the same conduct.  The financial industry may soon experience a welcome shift from the Government’s burdensome and duplicative practice as policy changes at the ...

The Clock is Ticking for Investment Advisers to Self-Report Mutual Fund Share Class Violations

On February 12, 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced an initiative to address undisclosed conflicts of interest by investment advisers in the context of mutual fund share classes. Dubbed the Share Class Selection Disclosure (“SCSD”) Initiative, the program encourages investment advisers to self-report potential violations by June 12, 2018, in exchange for favorable settlement terms.

The Potential Violations

An investment adviser often has several share classes to choose from when investing in a mutual fund for a client. One share class may charge a ...

Transitioning Away from LIBOR: What Is Coming and What Can We Do Now?

By Neil Bloomfield and Elena Mitchell.  The potential transition away from LIBOR has raised significant concerns in the financial markets, including whether LIBOR will end in 2021, what may replace it, what fallback language should be included in contracts in the interim, and how transition risks can be managed.  I was fortunate enough to participate in a recent panel entitled “LIBOR and the Potential Replacement Reference Rates: Where Do We Go from Here?” which was held at the University of North Carolina’s Banking Institute on Thursday, March 22, 2018.  The panel was moderated ...

Comptroller Otting’s Priorities – Good News for Bankers and the Economy

In a series of interviews, speeches and other public releases, OCC Comptroller Joseph Otting has set out a number of priorities, some substantive, some related to how the agency operates.  It is clear that Mr. Otting intends to roll back or “modernize” regulations that have been viewed as burdensome or ineffective by the financial industry.  In addition, he intends to make changes to the agency in ways that pull back on the Washington-centric structure and puts more authority in the hands of local supervisors.   All of these are works in progress and some require action and/or ...

SEC Releases Interpretive Guidance on Cybersecurity Risk and Incident Disclosures

On Feb. 22, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued its first interpretive guidance since October 2011 on public companies’ cybersecurity risk and incident disclosure obligations. Although public companies are not subject to an express obligation to disclose data security threats under federal law or SEC regulations, the latest guidance confirms that “companies nonetheless may be obligated to disclose such risks and incidents.”

The purposes of the SEC’s new guidance are threefold:

  1. Reinforce and expand upon the October 2011 guidance;
  2. Address the ...
Presentation at SIFMA C&L Annual Seminar

Neil Bloomfield presented at the SIFMA C&L Annual Seminar on March 20, 2018.  Mr. Bloomfield provided an outside counsel perspective on managing large scale litigation and investigations.  The panel focused on incorporating project management techniques from business into the practice of law and innovations in technology and processes that can make the practice more efficient and effective. Mr. Bloomfield presented alongside experts from Integreon and Fidelity Investments.  SIFMA’s C&L Annual Seminar is the premier event for compliance and legal professionals working ...

Cybersecurity Enforcement and Regulation—2017 In Review

By Neil Bloomfield and Lindsey Frye.  The legal and regulatory landscape continues to evolve in an effort to meet the pervasive and destructive effects of cyber attacks.  2017 brought a substantial increase in the number of attacks and the severity of the breaches.  Hacking victims disclosed former breaches to be more serious than originally reported, while others delayed disclosure of the hacks entirely.  Cyber attacks affected both the private and public sectors with equal force.  Attacks were launched by private and state-sponsored groups, making cyber defense a popular talking ...

The CLOUD Act – Congress Passes New Bill Which Will Impact Access To Cross-Border Data
This post originally appeared on the Moore & Van Allen DataPoints Blog. By Tandy MathisOn Friday, March 23, 2018, Congress passed a 2,232 page omnibus spending bill. Included in the bill was a bipartisan act known as the “Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act” or CLOUD Act, which will allow United States law enforcement to access the data stored abroad for U.S. citizens and will provide some relief to foreign law enforcement agencies to access the data of their citizens when that data is stored in the U.S.

The CLOUD Act Overhauls an Outdated Stored Communications Act (SCA ...

Bloomfield and O'Keefe Coordinate Panel with Regulatory and Industry Leaders on the LIBOR Transition

Neil Bloomfield and Ed O’Keefe are coordinating a panel titled "LIBOR and the Potential Replacement Reference Rates: Where Do We Go from Here?" for the UNC Banking Institute on March 22 at the Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte, NC. Speakers on the panel include Ann Battle of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., David Bloom of SunTrust Banks, Inc., Raymond Check of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Harriet Hunnable of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and Joaquin M. Sena of Bank of America.

The panel will discuss how the potential transition away from LIBOR has ...

O’Keefe to Present at 2018 Financial Markets Association Conference

Charlotte Litigation Member Ed O’Keefe will be presenting at the 2018 Financial Markets Association Conference on April 18, 2018. His presentation will discuss key legislative and regulatory initiatives affecting financial services companies, the rulemaking agenda for the SEC and the CFTC, and regulatory burden relief initiatives undertaken by the banking agencies to date.

For additional information on this event, click here.

Moore & Van Allen welcomes former OCC Deputy Comptroller Kristina B. Whittaker to Financial Regulatory Advice and Response team

Moore & Van Allen PLLC is pleased to announce that Kristina (“Kris”) B. Whittaker, former Deputy Comptroller for Special Supervision in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), has joined the firm’s Charlotte office as Counsel. Whittaker will practice on Moore and Van Allen’s growing Financial Regulatory Advice and Response team. *

“Kris’ valuable experience and longstanding esteem within the OCC will greatly benefit our clients and increase our practice capabilities,” said Charlotte Member Edward P. O’Keefe. “Kris brings more ...

Otting Named Acting Director of FHFA; OCC Semiannual Risk Perspective; 2018 Benchmark Reform Progress Report & More

As government authorities around the world create a constantly evolving regulatory environment, conduct overlapping investigations, and bring parallel proceedings, companies are facing perhaps the most challenging regulatory and criminal enforcement environment. Our goal is to serve as a leading-edge resource for companies navigating these waters. Moore & Van Allen’s WCIRA News Clips is a complement to our White Collar Defense, Investigations, and Regulatory Advice Blog’s in-depth individual treatment of critical emerging issues. WCIRA News Clips hits the ...

Presentation to the Association of Corporate Counsel on the Future of the Markets Without LIBOR

Neil Bloomfield, Rob Kenny, and Zack King joined with Jim Blair from WCM Global Wealth for a presentation to the Association of Corporate Counsel on a future of the markets where LIBOR may no longer exist. In a speech on July 27, 2017, Andrew Bailey, the Chief Executive of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), discussed the future of LIBOR. Mr. Bailey explained that work must begin in earnest to plan for the transition away from LIBOR. He explained that the FCA had spoken to “current panel banks about agreeing voluntarily to sustain LIBOR for a four to five-year period, i.e ...

Cain Takes the Reins as Chief of SEC's FCPA Unit

With the official announcement that Charles Cain will replace Kara Brockmeyer as head of the SEC's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Unit, it is more likely that we will see a return to the enforcement trends and outcomes of recent years. Mr. Cain has served as Acting Chief of the FCPA Unit since April 2017, and directly supervised recent enforcement actions, including the $965 million global settlement with Sweden-based telecommunications provider Telia Company AB announced in September this year.

Mr. Cain helped write the book on the SEC and DOJ's enforcement views and ...

Anti-Money Laundering and Bank Secrecy Act Update

By Neil Bloomfield and Nathan White. After the Panama Papers exposed efforts by wealthy individuals and government officials to hide funds offshore, government authorities around the world have responded with new legislation, regulations and enforcement actions that are beginning to reshape the landscape for anti-money laundering (AML) and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) violations.  This post will be the first in a series of updates as the world begins to redefine these issues and what that means for companies that need to comply with the new standards. 

United States

In some areas, the ...

Protections for Investigation Materials Remains in the Eye of the Beholder

One of the most problematic questions facing companies simultaneously undergoing a review by external counsel and responding to a government inquiry is whether the information shared with or created by counsel will be protected from discovery in follow on civil litigation.  Unfortunately, despite significant efforts to shield this information, the answer often depends on where the litigation is brought and this fact has only been crystalized by recent decisions from courts in the Second Circuit and the U.K.

Second Circuit

Judge Batts in In re: Ex Parte Application of ...

MVA Litigation Client Advisory Update - Judge Refuses to Dismiss SEC Action Against RPM International and Its General Counsel Alleging Loss Contingency Disclosure Failures

James P. McLoughlin, Jr., Neil T. Bloomfield, and Elena F. Mitchell issued a Client Advisory Update titled "Judge Refuses to Dismiss SEC Action Against RPM International and Its General Counsel Alleging Loss Contingency Disclosure Failures." On Friday September 29, 2017, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson denied the motions to dismiss filed by RPM International, Inc. and its general counsel, Edward Moore, discussed in our previous Client Advisory. Judge Jackson concluded the SEC’s allegations stated plausible fraud claims against RPM and Moore and RPM and Moore had ...

Recent Developments in Cybersecurity Enforcement

By Neil Bloomfield and Lindsey Frye.  This will be our first in a series of updates on the status of regulation and enforcement in the context of cybersecurity related issues.  Regulation and liability in the context of a cyber attack present complex questions.  The easy target is the individual or organization that committed that attack—the criminal hacker.  Unfortunately, the easy target is often beyond the jurisdiction of U.S. courts, and even if they are not, they lack the resources to provide a meaningful recovery.  Secondary targets, which have become the focus of ...

MVA Litigation Client Advisory - Timely Disclosure of Investigation Loss Contingencies: The SEC’s Aggressive Enforcement Stance

James P. McLoughlin, Jr., Neil T. Bloomfield, and Frank E. Schall issued a Client Advisory titled "Timely Disclosure of Investigation Loss Contingencies: The SEC’s Aggressive Enforcement Stance." The Advisory discusses SEC v. RPM International, Inc., No. 16-01803 (D.D.C. filed Sept. 9, 2016), in which the SEC has pushed its aggressive litigation strategy in pursuit of its policy of compelling registrants to accelerate loss contingency disclosures. The SEC filed against RPM International, Inc. and its general counsel, Edward Moore, alleging the failure to disclose a ...

Financial Regulatory Advice and Response Team Issue Client Alert

Jim McLoughlin, Ed O’Keefe and Tom Pennington issued a client alert titled, “Focusing on the Mission While Watching Macro Trends,” on August 16, 2017. The alert provides clients with guidance on how to focus on a commonly understood corporate mission while watching for macro trends which ultimately will reduce the risk of unstable environments. The three macro trends discussed in the article include: The US Common Market Is Fraying; Reduced Returns Heighten Focus on Costs; and Process-Based Management Can Be More Fully Deployed. Click here to read more.

About MVA White Collar Defense, Investigations, and Regulatory Advice Blog

As government authorities around the world conduct overlapping investigations and bring parallel proceedings in evolving regulatory environments, companies face challenging regulatory and criminal enforcement dynamics. We help keep our clients up to date in these fast-moving areas and to serve as a thought leader.

Stay Informed

* indicates required
Jump to Page

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Stay Informed

* indicates required

By using this site, you agree to our updated Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use.