Sky Blog
On August 4, 2015 the Securities and Exchange Commission issued interpretive guidance elaborating its view that the anti-retaliation provisions in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act apply equally to tipsters who claim retaliation after reporting internally, as …
For more than a decade, the Justice Department morphed its approach to corporate crime, eschewing criminal prosecutions in favor of deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements that allowed large corporations to avoid the ignominy of criminal convictions. The trend began during …
Be Careful to Adhere to Best Practices When Approving Advisory Agreements
The Securities and Exchange Commission instituted and settled an administrative proceeding against an investment adviser, its principal, and three independent directors of a registered investment company for process failures …
On August 5, 2015, the SEC voted, 3-2, to adopt final rules to implement the pay ratio disclosure provision of Section 953(b) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). Consistent with their positions on …
With over 4000 citations in the Westlaw JLR database (most referencing his antitrust scholarship), Hovenkamp is one of the most cited legal scholars. His citations reflect an enormous body of work including the 21-volume Antitrust Law: An Analysis of Antitrust …
FinTech businesses focused on payments systems and foreign exchange have witnessed an explosion of demand in recent years. As these payment systems services continue to gain mainstream acceptance, financial regulators in the US are increasingly interested in monitoring and, as …
Multiforum shareholder litigation has increased sharply in recent years. In our working paper, The Private Ordering Solution to Multiforum Shareholder Litigation, we empirically analyze what has quickly proven to be the most popular and robust response to this trend: …
On June 30, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued its first guidance document as part of its Start with Security initiative. The initiative, announced by FTC Consumer Protection Director Jessica Rich in March, will initially focus on encouraging small and …
At its core, the Volcker Rule is designed to prevent excessive risk-taking by banks, which was seen by the U.S. Congress and financial regulators as a contributor to the 2008 financial crisis. With its focus on the stability of the …
Companies today face increasing pressure from stakeholder groups to become more transparent and involved in addressing various economic, environmental, governance and social issues. Due to the changing corporate environment, not only are companies expected to maximize long-term shareholder value and …
In a recent paper, I compare the legal treatment of outsider trading under US and EU law. Outsider trading can be defined as the sale or purchase of listed securities on the basis of material nonpublic information by individuals …
Despite the July 31, 2015 compliance date, the SEC will not enforce the third-party solicitation ban until corresponding FINRA/MSRB Rules take effect.
On June 25, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a compliance date of July 31, 2015 …
Critics lament that with Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., the Supreme Court further expanded corporate personhood powers. My forthcoming article offers an alternative reading. It suggests that Hobby Lobby might actually provide a tool for limiting previously recognized corporate …
On July 17, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “FRB”) released a notice of proposed rulemaking (the “NPR” and the rules set forth therein, the “Proposed Rule”) that would modify …
The Dodd-Frank Act charged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with ensuring that consumers “understand the costs, benefits, and risks” associated with financial products and services. Despite this ambitious mandate, and despite the Bureau’s self-branding as a “21st century agency,” the …
As part of the effort to make capital more accessible for small businesses, the JOBS Act authorized the SEC to exempt annually up to $50 million of a company’s securities issuances from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of …
What role does public disclosure by a defendant firm play in the outcome of securities fraud class actions? In a recent article we study this question and find when a defendant firm discloses more via press releases and conference calls, …
Under the long-awaited proposed rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 1, 2015, generally, all US publicly listed companies would be required to adopt broad clawback policies and make new clawback-related disclosures. Although these requirements likely will …
On May 13, 2015, the Equity Market Structure Advisory Committee (the “EMSAC” or “Committee”) held its inaugural meeting (the “Inaugural Meeting”) at the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission” or “SEC”) in Washington, D.C.[1] Discussions during the Inaugural Meeting …
Are Dodd-Frank Act compliance costs forcing smaller private investment fund advisers out of the market? Several policy makers have suggested that Dodd-Frank Act compliance costs affect smaller firms more than larger firms and many financial studies have shown that an …