Securities

  • September 18, 2024

    SEC's Equity Trading Reforms Allow Half-Penny Stock Pricing

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday unanimously agreed to allow exchanges to quote stock prices in half-penny increments, part of a wider overhaul purportedly aimed at improving transparency and lowering trading costs.

  • September 18, 2024

    Texas Criminal Court Pauses Paxton Prosecutor Fee Ruling

    The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Tuesday agreed to pause a lower court ruling that would allow Collin County to pay a lower amount to the special prosecutors appointed to oversee the securities fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, putting the county's victory on ice while it considers the dispute.

  • September 18, 2024

    Norton Rose Adds Family Office Ace From Sidley In Dallas

    Norton Rose Fulbright has expanded its Dallas shop with the addition of a former Sidley Austin LLP attorney to its corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and securities practice who boasts substantial expertise in the family office industry.

  • September 18, 2024

    Biotech Co. Escapes Stock-Drop Suit Over COVID-19 Drug

    A Massachusetts biotech company won dismissal Wednesday from a proposed class action by investors who say their shares tanked in value after it allegedly came to light that executives had falsely touted an unproven prospective COVID-19 medicine.

  • September 18, 2024

    GameStop CEO Pays $1M For Failure To Flag Bank Stock Buy

    GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen has agreed to pay nearly $1 million to settle U.S. Department of Justice claims that the Canadian entrepreneur violated the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act when he bought more than $20 million worth of Wells Fargo shares in 2018.

  • September 18, 2024

    Silvergate Bank Parent Co. Files Ch. 11, Plans Liquidation

    The parent company of shuttered cryptocurrency-focused bank Silvergate filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware on Tuesday with plans to wind down and liquidate its remaining assets.

  • September 17, 2024

    Conn. Adviser Gets 21 Mos. For $2.7M Cherry-Picking Scheme

    An investment advisor was sentenced Tuesday to 21 months in prison for bilking clients out of $2.7 million through a "cherry-picking" securities scheme, Connecticut's top federal prosecutor said.

  • September 17, 2024

    Chancery Sides With Truth Social Backer In SPAC Deal Payout

    A Delaware Chancery judge sided Tuesday with the investment sponsor of the entity that took former President Donald Trump's Truth Social media company public, on claims it was shortchanged in the deal, ordering a larger share of the stock be handed over from the transaction.

  • September 17, 2024

    FDIC, OCC Cement New Bank-Merger Policy Guidelines

    Federal banking regulators on Tuesday approved plans to tighten their oversight of bank mergers, scoping out heightened scrutiny for deals that result in banks with $100 billion in assets among other things.

  • September 17, 2024

    Police Pension Fund Says Store Chain Inflated Stock Price

    Discount retailer Five Below is facing securities class claims in Pennsylvania federal court from a Florida police officers' pension fund, which says the company falsely attributed poor financial performance to inventory shrinkage while concealing deeper operational issues, causing substantial investor losses.

  • September 17, 2024

    FDIC Proposes Rule On Bank-Fintech Partnership Risks

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s rulemaking board on Tuesday proposed new recordkeeping rules aimed at both shoring up consumer protections as more fintech firms enter the banking space, and preventing a repeat of account freezes that have occurred after fintech service provider Synapse entered into bankruptcy earlier this year.

  • September 17, 2024

    Brooklyn Feds Unveil Whistleblower Nonprosecution Plan

    The Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office on Tuesday announced an initiative to reward corporate whistleblowers with nonprosecution deals amid a broader effort by federal prosecutors to encourage voluntary disclosure of criminal activity.

  • September 17, 2024

    GC Base Salaries At Big Companies On The Rise

    General counsel base salaries at companies making $5 billion or more in revenue has increased from last year, while their total compensation has decreased, according to a report released Tuesday by the Association of Corporate Counsel and Empsight International LLC.

  • September 17, 2024

    SEC Fines 12 Muni Advisers $1.3M In Texting Probe Actions

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday fined 12 municipal advisory firms a combined $1.3 million over their failure to keep records of employees' use of text messages and other so-called off-channel communication methods to conduct business.

  • September 17, 2024

    Euronext Buys UK Stock Market Research, Data Software Biz

    Euronext NV said Tuesday that it has bought Substantive Research Ltd., a British provider of investment research and market data, as the stock exchange aims to bolster its analysis service for investors.

  • September 17, 2024

    Top UK Banks Push Payments Infrastructure Reform Plan

    The trade body for financial institutions urged U.K. regulators and companies on Tuesday to engage with a new infrastructure for digital payments that is backed by major banks and card providers.

  • September 16, 2024

    Ex-MoviePass CEO Admits $9.95 Plan Too Good To Be True

    Former MoviePass CEO J. Mitchell Lowe pleaded guilty in Florida federal court on Monday to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, admitting that he and another executive hyped the illusion that their $9.95-a-month unlimited movie watching plan would be profitable while knowing it was merely a gimmick to defraud investors.

  • September 16, 2024

    CEO's AI Fraud Detection Tool Contract Was Fraud, Feds Say

    A former technology company CEO has pled guilty to a charge that he cooked his company's books and raised tens of millions of dollars from investors off phony claims that an artificial intelligence program his firm developed was being used to spot digital ad fraud, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office said Monday.

  • September 16, 2024

    Icahn Enterprises Beats Investor Suit Over Dividend Program

    Icahn Enterprises has beaten a proposed investor class action accusing it of propping up its stock price with unsustainably high dividends in order to support founder Carl Icahn's loans and financial interests, with a Florida federal judge saying the plaintiffs hadn't shown any misstatements the company made about the "true motivation" for its dividend program.

  • September 16, 2024

    Pot Co. Execs Go To 9th Circ. In Investment Scam Case

    A California cannabis company and its co-founders on Monday appealed a federal court decision booting them from the securities industry and holding them liable for roughly $6 million tied to a medical marijuana investment scam, the same day that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission asked the court to order a third individual to pay up for his part in the alleged scam.

  • September 16, 2024

    Four Fla. Residents Charged In Insider Trading Scheme

    A Miami-based financial consultant, his father and two friends were criminally charged with securities fraud violations in connection to an insider trading scheme after they used non-public information about a proposed merger to buy stocks, then sold them at a profit when the deal went through, according to federal prosecutors.

  • September 16, 2024

    Michael Best Absorbs 6-Atty Great Plains Startup Boutique

    Michael Best & Friedrich LLP announced Monday it had expanded into the Great Plains region of the U.S. as it combines with a six-attorney Nebraska-based boutique helmed by a former Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC attorney.

  • September 16, 2024

    Milbank Taps SEC Chief Litigation Counsel As DC Partner

    Milbank LLP said Monday it has hired the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's chief litigation counsel as a new partner in Washington, D.C.

  • September 16, 2024

    Ex-Cadwalader Litigation Co-Head Among Duo Added By V&E

    Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP's former global litigation group co-chair is one of two ex-partners in New York bringing their practices to Vinson & Elkins LLP, according to a Monday announcement.

  • September 16, 2024

    IRS Cancels Hearing On 'Basket Contract' Transactions Rule

    The Internal Revenue Service canceled a hearing on proposed rules that would flag what are known as basket option contracts as potentially abusive listed transactions, according to a notice released Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Ways To Lower Insider Trading Risk After First 10b5-1 Case

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    In light of the U.S. Department of Justice's insider trading prosecution against the former CEO of Ontrack based on alleged abuse of a Rule 10b5-1 safe harbor plan — designed to allow executives to sell their companies' securities without liability — companies and individuals should take steps to avoid enacting similar plans in bad faith, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • Evolving Regulatory Oversight For AI And Asset Management

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    Attorneys at K&L Gates discuss the evolving regulatory and legislative landscape for artificial intelligence in the asset management industry, as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Congress consider how to address potential investor protection and systemic risks associated with AI.

  • 3rd Circ. Ruling Shows Benefits Of IP Licenses In Bankruptcy

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    The Third Circuit’s recent ruling in Mallinckrodt’s Chapter 11 filing, which held that Mallinckrodt could sever its obligations to pay Sanofi royalties on sales of an autoimmune disease drug, highlights the advantages of structuring transactions as nonexclusive licenses for developers of intellectual property, say Gregory Hesse and Kaleb Bailey at Hunton.

  • Series

    A Day In The In-House Life: Block CLO Talks Problem-Solving

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    Amid the busy summer months, Block Inc. Chief Legal Officer Chrysty Esperanza chronicles a typical Wednesday where she conquered everything from unexpected fintech regulatory issues and team building to Bay Area commutes and school drop-off.

  • Analyzing Advance Notice Bylaws On 'Clear' Or 'Cloudy' Days

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    In Kellner v. AIM ImmunoTech, the Delaware Supreme Court recently clarified the framework for judicial review of advance notice bylaws adopted, amended or enforced on "clear" or "cloudy" days, underscoring the responsibility of boards to ensure that their scope does not overreach or prevent the possibility of a contested election, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Navigating Antitrust Considerations In ESG Collaborations

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    The intersection of ESG goals and antitrust laws presents a complex challenge for businesses and their counsel — but by creating clear frameworks for collaboration, adhering to established guidelines and carefully considering the competitive implications of their actions, companies can work toward sustainability while mitigating legal risks, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Jarkesy's Impact On SEC Enforcement Will Be Modest

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision found that fraud defendants have a constitutional right to a jury trial, the ruling will have muted impact on the agency’s enforcement because it’s already bringing most of its cases in federal court, say Jeremiah Williams and Alyssa Fixsen at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Examining Chancery's Relaxed New Confidential Filing Rules

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    The Delaware Court of Chancery’s overhauled Rule 5.1, which governs confidential filings, risks permitting nonconfidential information to be shielded from public review unless and until a challenge notice is filed — but several potential solutions could help to override this issue, says Delaware attorney Daniel J. McBride.

  • Opinion

    After Jarkesy, IRS Must Course-Correct On Captive Insurance

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision has profound implications for other agencies, including the IRS, which must stop ignoring due process and curtailing congressional intent in its policing of captive insurance arrangements, says Peter Dawson at the 831(b) Institute.

  • Dissecting Treasury's Call For Input On AI In Financial Sector

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    The U.S. Department of the Treasury's request for comments on the potential benefits and challenges AI may pose to the financial services sector, which asks how stakeholders are addressing and mitigating increased fraud risks, reflects the federal government's continued interest in AI's effects across the economy, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • NYSE Delisting May Be The Cost Of FCPA Compliance

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    ABB’s recent decision to delist its U.S. depository receipts from the New York Stock Exchange, coupled with having settled three Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement actions, begs the question of whether the cost of FCPA compliance should factor into a company's decision to remain listed in the U.S., says John Joy at FTI Law.

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