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Securities Law Commons

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SEC

2014

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Articles 1 - 23 of 23

Full-Text Articles in Securities Law

Bringing Coherence To Mens Rea Analysis For Securities-Related Offenses, Michael L. Seigel Dec 2014

Bringing Coherence To Mens Rea Analysis For Securities-Related Offenses, Michael L. Seigel

Michael L Seigel

This Article has demonstrated that the failure of commentators and the courts to tackle mens rea analysis head-on has resulted in lasting incoherence in the law. Unintelligible legal doctrine does not simply upset individuals who strive for elegant solutions to legal problems; it also exacts a huge, real-life toll. Juries faced with incoherent legal instructions are likely to become disillusioned about the justice system. Citizens receive inadequate guidance as to acceptable and unacceptable behavior, hampering deterrence -- particularly in the securities-law arena, where one presumably finds mostly rational actors who would be deterred by clear legal rules. Securities regulation is …


Aml In The Spotlight: Compliance Risks For Broker-Dealers And Investment Advisers, John H. Walsh, Cecilia Baute Mavico Nov 2014

Aml In The Spotlight: Compliance Risks For Broker-Dealers And Investment Advisers, John H. Walsh, Cecilia Baute Mavico

The Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship & the Law

In light of regulators' renewed attention, this article discusses recent events, reviews AML enforcement actions against securities firms, and identifies the compliance risks they suggest. The article concludes that the time has come for broker-dealers and advisers alike to take a holistic view of compliance and their AML risks, and to prepare for enhanced oversight and regulation.


Securities Regulation - Great Expectations And The Reality Of Rule 144a And Regulation S; The Sec's Approach To The Internationalization Of The Financial Marketplace, R. Brandon Asbill Nov 2014

Securities Regulation - Great Expectations And The Reality Of Rule 144a And Regulation S; The Sec's Approach To The Internationalization Of The Financial Marketplace, R. Brandon Asbill

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.


From German Shepherds To Wet Poodles: The Sec Exacts Concessions From Daimler-Benz Concerning Disclosure Of Its Hidden Reserves, Andrew H. Walcoff Oct 2014

From German Shepherds To Wet Poodles: The Sec Exacts Concessions From Daimler-Benz Concerning Disclosure Of Its Hidden Reserves, Andrew H. Walcoff

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.


Sec V. Bauer: If The Glove Fits, It's Insider Trading, Kramer Ortman Oct 2014

Sec V. Bauer: If The Glove Fits, It's Insider Trading, Kramer Ortman

Catholic University Law Review

Until SEC v. Bauer, insider trading has never been applied within the context of an open-ended mutual fund. In alleging insider trading against Jilaine Bauer, an account executive of a mutual fund, the SEC originally won summary judgment; however, the case on appeal saw the SEC drop its original theory, the classical theory of insider trading, in favor of the alternative misappropriation theory. This Note argues that the misappropriation theory applies in the context of open-ended mutual funds by recognizing that the policy reasons underlying the prohibitions against insider trading are centered on the principles of fairness, market integrity, …


The Facebook Status That Sparked An Sec Investigation: Regulation Fair Disclosure And The Growth Of Social Media, Alyssa Wanser Oct 2014

The Facebook Status That Sparked An Sec Investigation: Regulation Fair Disclosure And The Growth Of Social Media, Alyssa Wanser

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.


A Comparative Study Of Monitoring Of Management In German And U.S. Corporations After Sarbanes-Oxley: Where Are The German Enrons, Worldcoms, And Tycos?, Florian Stamm Sep 2014

A Comparative Study Of Monitoring Of Management In German And U.S. Corporations After Sarbanes-Oxley: Where Are The German Enrons, Worldcoms, And Tycos?, Florian Stamm

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.


Securities Laws As Foreign Policy, Karen E. Woody Sep 2014

Securities Laws As Foreign Policy, Karen E. Woody

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.


Remembering George Michaely, Lawrence J. Trautman, Stanley Sporkin, John A. Dudley Apr 2014

Remembering George Michaely, Lawrence J. Trautman, Stanley Sporkin, John A. Dudley

Lawrence J. Trautman Sr.

This short essay is a memorial tribute about George P. Michaely, Jr. (1926 to 2014). After graduating from both the University of Notre Dame and its law school, he began his legal career, serving for approximately seven years as attorney in the Office of General Counsel. He was then appointed Chief Counsel of the Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance, where he served for approximately the next four years and was responsible for advising the Commission and the public concerning the interpretation of the statutory provisions and rules relating to the registration provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and the …


Canceling The Order: How High Frequency Traders Are Disrupting The Derivatives Market, And What The Regulators Can Do To Stop Them, Andrew C. Burr Apr 2014

Canceling The Order: How High Frequency Traders Are Disrupting The Derivatives Market, And What The Regulators Can Do To Stop Them, Andrew C. Burr

Andrew C Burr

High Frequency Trading (“HFT”) is now a part of the modern financial lexicon, and inspires feelings of awe, fear, and ignorance. While millions of investors around the world are still trying to grapple with what exactly HFT is and does, the U.S. regulators who are tasked with investigating and charging manipulators are finding themselves in a quandary of how to prosecute the offenders. Further, while the media has focused its attention on the U.S. Securites Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) new policies on the subject, few have noticed the progress made by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), and how the …


Is The Independent Director Model Broken?, Roberta S. Karmel Mar 2014

Is The Independent Director Model Broken?, Roberta S. Karmel

Seattle University Law Review

At common law, an interested director was barred from participating in corporate decisions in which he had an interest, and therefore “dis-interested” directors became desirable. This concept of the disinterested director developed into the model of an “independent director” and was advocated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and court decisions as a general ideal in a variety of situations. This Article explores doubts regarding the model of an “independent director” and suggests that director expertise may be more important that director independence. The Article then discusses shareholder primacy and sets forth alternatives to the shareholder primacy theory of the …


The Sec Whistleblower Program - What Employers Need To Know, Matthew P. Allen Feb 2014

The Sec Whistleblower Program - What Employers Need To Know, Matthew P. Allen

Matthew P. Allen

No abstract provided.


Proposed Crowdfunding Regulations Under The Jobs Act: Please, Sec, Revise Your Proposed Regulations In Order To Promote Small Business Capital Formation, Rutheford B. Campbell Jr. Feb 2014

Proposed Crowdfunding Regulations Under The Jobs Act: Please, Sec, Revise Your Proposed Regulations In Order To Promote Small Business Capital Formation, Rutheford B. Campbell Jr.

Law Faculty Advocacy

The Jobs Act was enacted to promote efficient access to external capital by small businesses. Title III of the Jobs Act offers small businesses the chance of efficient financial intermediation through crowdfunding. The crowdfunding exemption is not self-executing but, instead, requires regulatory implementation by the SEC.

The Commission’s first iteration of its crowdfunding rules fails to offer small businesses efficient access to external capital. Principally, this is because the proposed crowdfunding rules: (1) require excessive disclosures, especially regarding smaller crowdfunding offerings; (2) fail to offer small businesses relying on the crowdfunding exemption two-way safe harbor integration protection; and (3) fail …


Exculpatory Hedge Clauses In Investment Advisory Contracts: Developments Since Heitman Capital, Francis J. Facciolo, Leland Solon Feb 2014

Exculpatory Hedge Clauses In Investment Advisory Contracts: Developments Since Heitman Capital, Francis J. Facciolo, Leland Solon

Faculty Publications

The Investment Company Act of 1940 (ICA) and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (IAA) prevent an investment adviser from contractually limiting liability to its advisees through three main routes: statutory anti-waiver prohibitions, the IAA’s anti-fraud provisions, and limitations on indemnification by registered investment companies of their investment advisers. This article focuses on one of these three areas, the IAA’s anti-fraud provisions, and specifically, the SEC’s expansive interpretations of those anti-fraud provisions to cover exculpatory “hedge clauses” – caveats or cautionary statements – by investment advisers purporting to limit their liability to their advisees.


Unfinished Business: Dodd-Frank's Whistleblower Anti-Retaliation Protections Fall Short For Private Companies And Their Employees, Chelsea Hunt Overhuls Jan 2014

Unfinished Business: Dodd-Frank's Whistleblower Anti-Retaliation Protections Fall Short For Private Companies And Their Employees, Chelsea Hunt Overhuls

The Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship & the Law

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) revolutionized the world of securities law whistleblowing. It encouraged employees to reveal corporate fraud by providing federal anti-retaliation protection to incentivize such reports. Securities law whistleblowing was transformed a second time in 2010 when Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”). Under Dodd-Frank, employees that report information to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) are not only provided federal anti-retaliation protections but also are eligible for a hefty bounty. Two major differences separate these statutes: (1) SOX is limited to employees of companies who are subject to the reporting …


Broker-Dealers, Institutional Investors, And Fiduciary Duty: Much Ado About Nothing, Lin (Lynn) Bai Jan 2014

Broker-Dealers, Institutional Investors, And Fiduciary Duty: Much Ado About Nothing, Lin (Lynn) Bai

Faculty Articles and Other Publications

Under the mandate of Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the SEC is soliciting public opinions on whether broker-dealers should be subject to a fiduciary duty when advising retail and institutional investors. This paper focuses on the advisability of such a proposal for institutional investors. It shows that (1) a fiduciary duty could potentially enhance broker-dealers’ standard of conduct for only a subset of institutional investors who are well capitalized, capable of assessing risks independently, and acknowledge in writing their non-reliance on broker-dealers’ advice. Thus, the benefit of fiduciary duty is much narrower than what its …


Sec Preventative Measures Against Securities Violations And Fraud Post-Jobs Act, Kristie Benner Jan 2014

Sec Preventative Measures Against Securities Violations And Fraud Post-Jobs Act, Kristie Benner

Kristie Benner

The purpose of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act is to supply investors with the necessary information to make informed decisions regarding an entity’s offerings. After the 2010 financial crisis, the economic crisis devastated the economy leaving many without jobs. In response to this economic recession, President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act) into law in 2012 as one method of stimulating the economy. This Act deregulated the securities laws for small businesses in the hopes of creating jobs and invigorating the economy. These changes allow a small business more access to capital by reducing …


Admission Of Guilt: Sinking Teeth Into The Sec's Sweetheart Deals, Larissa Lee Jan 2014

Admission Of Guilt: Sinking Teeth Into The Sec's Sweetheart Deals, Larissa Lee

Larissa Lee

Throughout its existence, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has allowed defendants to settle cases without admitting to the allegations of wrongdoing. This “neither admit nor deny” policy has received heavy criticism by judges, Congress, and the public, especially in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. On June 18, 2013, SEC Chairman Mary Jo White announced the agency’s intention to require admissions of guilt in certain cases. While Chairman White did not articulate a clear standard of when admissions would be required, she did say that the agency would focus on the egregiousness of the defendant’s conduct and the …


High-Frequency Trading: A Regulatory Strategy, Charles R. Korsmo Jan 2014

High-Frequency Trading: A Regulatory Strategy, Charles R. Korsmo

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.


The Sec Adds A New Weapon: How Does The New Admission Requirement Change The Landscape?, Paul Radvany Jan 2014

The Sec Adds A New Weapon: How Does The New Admission Requirement Change The Landscape?, Paul Radvany

Faculty Scholarship

Over the past several years, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has settled the vast majority of the cases it has brought. Some people have suggested, however, that settlements by public agencies such as the SEC should be scrutinized more closely. For instance, in a series of recent opinions, Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the Southern District of New York has “question[ed] the wisdom” of the SEC’s well-established practice of permitting defendants to enter into consent judgments while neither admitting nor denying the allegations. During the past two years, the SEC has implemented new policies that have altered its …


Taking Section 10(B) Seriously: Criminal Enforcement Of Sec Rules, Steve Thel Jan 2014

Taking Section 10(B) Seriously: Criminal Enforcement Of Sec Rules, Steve Thel

Faculty Scholarship

The Supreme Court has determined the scope of federal securities laws in a series of cases in which it has read section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act as either prohibiting certain misconduct or authorizing the SEC to regulate that conduct and only that conduct. Judging by the language, structure and history of the Exchange Act, the Court’s reading is wrong. Section 10(b) does not prohibit anything, and it neither grants the SEC rulemaking power nor limits the rulemaking power granted to the SEC elsewhere in the Exchange Act. Instead, section 10(b) simply triggers criminal sanctions for certain rule violations. …


Behaviorism In Finance And Securities Law, David A. Skeel Jr. Jan 2014

Behaviorism In Finance And Securities Law, David A. Skeel Jr.

All Faculty Scholarship

In this Essay, I take stock (as something of an outsider) of the behavioral economics movement, focusing in particular on its interaction with traditional cost-benefit analysis and its implications for agency structure. The usual strategy for such a project—a strategy that has been used by others with behavioral economics—is to marshal the existing evidence and critically assess its significance. My approach in this Essay is somewhat different. Although I describe behavioral economics and summarize the strongest criticisms of its use, the heart of the Essay is inductive, and focuses on a particular context: financial and securities regulation, as recently revamped …


Fee-Shifting Bylaw And Charter Provisions: Can They Apply In Federal Court? – The Case For Preemption, John C. Coffee Jr. Jan 2014

Fee-Shifting Bylaw And Charter Provisions: Can They Apply In Federal Court? – The Case For Preemption, John C. Coffee Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

In the first months after a decision of the Delaware Supreme Court upholding a fee-shifting bylaw under which the unsuccessful plaintiff shareholder was required to reimburse all defendants for their legal and other expenses in the litigation, some 24 public companies adopted a similar provision – either by means of a board-adopted bylaw or by placing such a provision in their certificate of incorporation (in the case of companies undergoing an IPO). In effect, private ordering is introducing a one-sided version of the “loser pays” rules. Indeed, as drafted, these provisions typically require a plaintiff who is not completely successful …