Blog
SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations Publishes 2017 Priorities
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (the “OCIE”) has published it 2017 exam priorities. These include (i) matters important to retail investors, (ii) risks to elderly and retiring investors and (iii) market-wide risks. In terms of the latter, the OCIE will focus on: (i) compliance with the 2014 amendments to... Read more »
FINRA Exam Priorities for 2017
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) issued a letter setting forth its exam priorities for 2017. These include a focus on implementation of Regulatory Notice 15-46 on Best Execution, and exhorting firms to consider the continuing automation of the markets for equity securities and standardized options, and recent advances in trading technology and communications in the fixed... Read more »
Trademark Name and Logo Re-Registration in the United Kingdom
Commentators are suggesting that it is not clear whether a “Brexit”, meaning a U.K. exit from the European Union as approved in the recent U.K. referendum, will have an effect on recognition of the E.U. patent and trademark regimes. E.U. countries have a dual registration regime, so that it is possible to register at the E.U. and national... Read more »
OCC Proposes to Issue Special Purpose National Bank Licenses for FinTechs
On December 2, 2016, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”), which licenses and regulates in part National Banks, issued a white paper, and Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry spoke, on voluntary licensing as “Special Purpose National Banks” certain FinTech companies that meet OCC requirements. “FinTech” is usually defined as financial technology firms that use... Read more »