A common complaint from individuals working in the financial services industry is the lack of resources and guidance from the regulatory industry. To most it feels like the regulators do nothing but impose rule after rule after rule and just…
With the rapid growth of the crypto currency industry, many questions remain. One primary concern is just how are coins/tokens being issued, distributed and sold and how are federal securities laws being applied to these asset transactions? William Hinman, the…
State securities regulators in Alabama and Massachusetts led an investigation into LPL Financial LLC’s (“LPL”) failure to establish and maintain policies and procedures to prevent the sale of unregistered, non-exempt securities. The regulators determined “that LPL offered and sold unregistered,…
The world of cryptocurrencies is wrought by “a persistently expanding exploitation of the crypto ecosystem by fraudsters.” So much so that the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) recently announced one of the largest coordinated series of enforcement actions by…
Last month, the Securities & Exchange Commission (“SEC” or the “Commission”) instituted cease and desist proceedings against PNC Investments LLC (PNCI), a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer, due to violations of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”) and…
On May 2, 2018 the Securities and Exchange Commission announced the launch of an additional online search feature that is designed to enable investors to research whether the person trying to sell them investments has a judgment or order entered…