MyComplianceOffice Blog

For every registered firm with the SEC, it’s not a matter of if you’ll be examined but when. COVID-19 drove a necessity for the SEC to adapt its examination processes from traditionally in-person activities to remote. As a result, companies operating in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region must now be ready and able to support the SEC in its procedures.

The Division of Examinations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently released a Risk Alert to provide an overview of compliance issues observed in examinations of registered investment advisers that manage private funds. The alert covered areas including conflicts of interest when actions are inconsistent with disclosures and noted the importance of policies and procedures.

Conduct risk is a form of business risk that refers to potential misconduct of individuals associated with a firm, including employees, third-party vendors, customers or agents interacting with the firm. Read more on conduct risk, what regulators say about it and how to protect against it.

To assist and prepare SEC registered investment advisers for exams, The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) issued a Risk Alert listing five of the most frequently identified compliance topics in deficiency letters following an examination.

The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) has released its 2017 examinations letter. We at MCO have summarized the top areas of priority. 

MCO hosted a live Webinar with NorthPoint Compliance on January 26. This included tips for registered investment advisers regarding compliance policies and how to conduct reviews and tests to assist you in the areas the SEC will be scrutinizing the most. You can watch live recordings from that webinar here: "2017 SEC Examination Priorities: Best Practices to Ace the Exam"