MyComplianceOffice Blog

Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) are a hot topic in the news right now—and an issue that’s been on the mind of SEC Chair Gary Gensler as well. In remarks at several events over the past few months he’s voiced concerns that SPACs can leave investors vulnerable and at risk.

The SPAC process leaves individuals and firms open to conduct risk and conflicts of interest along the way. And even as SPACs are in the limelight these days, it’s important to remember that there’s ample room for conduct risk in a traditional Initial Public Offering (IPO) as well.

According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s 2021 Examination Priorities, in the  last five years the number of Registered Investment Advisers the SEC Division of Examinations oversees increased from about 12,000 to more than 13,900, and the assets under management of RIAs increased from approximately $67 trillion to $97 trillion.

Because of the totality of assets managed, RIAs are always going to be a priority for the SEC. Examinations are not going anywhere. The Division has made significant process, staffing and technology updates to keep up with the growth and increase RIA coverage. In 2020, a year where COVID forced a mid-year switch to remote examinations, Division coverage of RIAs was 15%.

In a landscape rife with legal obligations, few financial firms are as heavily regulated as broker-dealers.

From transaction monitoring and conflict management to complex customer protection rules, the resources needed to maintain compliance are significant—but not as high as the costs of being found non-compliant.

In this article, we’ll look at the regulatory landscape for broker-dealers and what firms can do to stay on top.

Between security, financial, and many other regulations, compliance has become a critical business function for every large organization. Keeping track of the rapidly evolving compliance landscape requires time and resources. And actually becoming and staying compliant? That’s a whole other ball game.

Last week MCO participated in the Stockbrokers and Financial Advisers Annual Conference, a virtual event in 2020 due to COVID-19.

We set out to discuss how to manage emerging risks such as cyber security, social engineering and to deliver a successful business. The level of scrutiny as to how advice businesses manage these risks is increasing dramatically. How do you keep on top of the demands?