SEC charges ratings agency Morningstar for violating disclosure and internal controls provisions of the securities laws

ion today filed a civil action alleging that former credit ratings agency Morningstar Credit Ratings LLC  violated disclosure and internal controls provisions of the federal securities laws in rating commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS). Credit ratings are used by market participants to help evaluate credit risk, price certain securities, and guide the investment decisions of...
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SEC charges biotech consultant Mark Ahn with insider trading information he learned from his time consulting for Abeona Therapeutics

  A biotech consultant has been charged by the SEC with two counts of insider trading charges, with federal prosecutors and securities regulators claiming the defendant made profitable stock trades using confidential information he learned during his time consulting for Abeona Therapeutics. The U.S. attorney’s office in Massachusetts and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)...
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SEC charges CEO and owner of GPB Capital and Ascendant Capital $1.7 BILLION Ponzi like scheme based on whistleblower SEC filing

 The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged three individuals and their affiliated entities with running a Ponzi-like scheme that raised over $1.7 billion from securities issued by a New York-based asset management firm and registered investment adviser, GPB Capital.  The SEC also charged GPB Capital with violating the whistleblower protection laws. The SEC’s...
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Deutsche Bank pays $130 million to settle SEC DOJ investigation into foreign bribes and manipulation of commodities markets

  Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft (Deutsche Bank or the Company) has agreed to pay more than $130 million to resolve the government’s investigation into violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and a separate investigation into a commodities fraud scheme. According to admissions and court documents, between 2009 and 2016, Deutsche Bank, acting through its employees...
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Prudential subsidiary Pruco Securities settles SEC case for $18.3 million on allegations of breach of fiduciary duty on mutual fund selections

Prudential subsidiary Pruco Securities will pay approx$18.3 million to settle an SEC investigation concerning alleged breaches of its fiduciary duty related to the firm’s mutual fund share class selection and wrap fee programs. The SEC says that Pruco, a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer, recommended clients buy and hold mutual fund share classes paying...
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Robinhood pays $65 million to settle charges over omissions in statements about selling customer order info to trading firms for big money

  The SEC says that between 2015 and 2018, the brokerage company Robinhood made misleading  omissions about routing customer orders, known as “payments for order flow,” which constituted its largest source of income. The SEC says that because the firm received “unusually high payment for order flow rates,” customers’ orders...
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SEC awards more than $300,000 to a whistleblower with auditing responsibillities

The Securities and Exchange Commission awarded more than $300,000 to a whistleblower with auditing responsibilities who helped lead to the successful enforcement of SEC and related actions. The whistleblower learned of  securities law violations in connection with their audit responsibilities. Individuals with audit or compliance responsibilities are usually not eligible for such SEC awards, but...
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