How could BNY Pershing have unintentionally stored and distributed the wrong interest rates on domestic and international variable rate securities to clients for years? Easily if the firm didn’t have the right checks and balances to ensure data quality, based on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s account of why it fined the giant clearing firm […]
Private Fund Managers: Hello AML Compliance Officers
Chief compliance officers (CCOs) at private fund management firms could be saddled with the extra title of anti-money laundering compliance officer and a lot more work if a proposed AML rule from the FinCEN unit of the US Treasury takes effect. FinCEN, short for Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, has resurrected its longstanding desire for many […]
SS&C: $890M At Stake in Legal Tussle With BNY Mellon
A longstanding dispute over a market data contract with SS&C Technologies, which could cost BNY Mellon up to a whopping US$890 million in damages, highlights the danger of intentionally violating or even misinterpreting a critical element of such an agreement– distribution rights. At issue is whether BNY Mellon had the right to distribute market data […]
NY’s New Cyber Law Shines Stronger Light on C-Level
C-level executives at most financial firms operating in New York will have one more reason besides the fear of a data breach to change their corporate governance for cybersecurity this year– New York State’s amended regulation. Electronic securities lending and borrowing platform EquiLend’s recent announcement it was the target of a ransomware attack followed New […]
US Treasuries Central Clearing: Fund Managers’ Juggling Act in 2024
US fund managers will be spending the new year preparing for the operational and legal challenges arising from central clearing of most secondary trades in Treasury cash and repurchase agreements now that the Securities and Exchange Commission has approved the phased move. The mandated switch to central clearing for many transactions in US Treasuries will […]
SEC Tells Mutual Fund Industry: Lost Accountholders Matter
Compliance directors at US mutual fund transfer agents and US mutual funds will have to follow the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules to a T and they will have more administrative work on their hands to inform investors about the perils of escheatment of unclaimed or “lost” accounts, based on the US Securities and […]
EquiLend, Prime Brokers Settle Sec Lending Antitrust Lawsuit
E-trading platform for securities lending EquLend has agreed to pay pension funds and others part of a whopping $500 million and to revamp its governance policy to settle an antitrust class-action lawsuit which includes prime brokers Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan Chase and UBS. The plaintiffs in the case led by the Iowa Public […]
SEC’s Proposed New Custody Rule Fails Industry Litmus Test
Fund management and custodian operations and legal experts are warning the US Securities and Exchange Commission that its proposed changes to its custody rule, which requires registered investment advisers to select a qualified custodian to safeguard their assets, are far too impractical and costly. “The new proposed rule is contrary to existing business practice and […]
Industry Squeezes SEC on Sec Loan Reporting
Wall Street continues to turn up the heat against the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposal for transaction reporting on securities loans, citing its contradictory analysis on short position and short activity reporting as well as potential operational shortcomings. The SEC recently reopened the comment period for its proposed securities loan reporting plan to adopt […]
What’s a CUSIP Worth? Over US$1B in Class Action Win
If you think you have been fleeced by CUSIP Global Services and others for paying licensing fees for nine-digit alphanumeric identification codes for US securities you might be entitled to a chunk of at least US $1 billion in compensation if a jury decides you’re right. All you must do is be part of an […]