The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is devoting significant resources to combat deceptive COVID-19 advertising in a range of industries as consumer complaints to the FTC pick up steam. Companies are shifting marketing spend to cover COVID-19 messaging and should be mindful of the FTC’s increased scrutiny. Through April 9, 2020, the FTC has received 15,006 consumer complaints relating to COVID-19 advertising and business activities ...
Following the announcement of economic measures aimed towards responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Serbian Government issued two regulations on 10 April 2020 that determine the conditions and criteria for compliance of the state aid (i) for remedying the negative effects caused byCOVID-19 and (ii) for remedying a serious disturbance in the economy caused byCOVID-19, whereas both regulations will be valid until 1 July 2021 ...
The SEC’s Office of Municipal Securities recently released guidance providing that statements made by municipal issuers, such as public announcements, press releases, interviews with media representatives, and public reports, may be subject to the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10(b)-5 thereunder. On Feb. 7, 2020, the Office of Municipal Securities released Staff Legal Bulletin No ...
TOP STORY: Coronavirus (COVID-19) In recognition of the unique hardships presented by Novel Coronavirus/COVID-19, the SEC has issued a variety of relief orders across the securities industries. Many of these have come in the form of deadline exemptions or extensions. Our newsletter is focused on providing updates and information primarily concerning the investment advisory business ...
In passing the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), Congress provided much-needed relief to project owners by making it easier to modify construction loans. Under the Act, an owner may qualify for a forbearance arrangement, an interest rate modification, or a repayment plan, among other options, and the modification does not adversely impact the credit of the borrower ...
The IRS continues to provide clarity regarding application of the various Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security ("CARES Act") modifications to the Internal Revenue Code (the "Code") (see prior coverage here). In addition to recent guidance regarding bonus depreciation, the IRS on April 9 released Rev. Proc. 2020-24 and Notice 2020-26, both of which address CARES Act amendments applicable to net operating losses ("NOLs") ...
The Financial Services Authority (Otoritas Jasa Keuangan/“OJK”) recently issued OJK Regulation Number 12/POJK.03/2020 of 2020 on the Consolidation of Commercial Banks (“OJK Reg 12/2020”). This new regulation aims for strengthening the structure, resilience, and competitiveness of the national banking industry to support national economic stability and growth through the strengthening of bank capital and the consolidation of banks in Indonesia ...
Background On 15 February 2019, a petition for a judicial review was submitted by two individuals (“Petitioners”), claiming that their constitutional rights had been violated by Article 15 (2) and Article 15 (3) of Law No. 42 of 1999 on Fiduciary Security (“Fiduciary Security Law”) ...
As COVID-19 cases have continued to spread across the country resulting in government-issued “shelter in place” orders, few industries have felt the impact as swiftly and deeply as the restaurant industry. Indeed, such government orders have required restaurants to shut down all onsite dining, causing a sharp decline in restaurant revenue. According to restaurant ...
The Government of Serbia adoptedthe Regulation on Fiscal Benefits and Direct Aid to Private Sector Entities and Financial Aid to Citizens to Mitigate the Economic Impact ofCOVID-19 (“Regulation”) on 10 April 2020, ten days after the announcement of the proposalof the Program of economic measures aimedat reducing the negative effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Regulation provides tax benefits and direct payments to private sector companies ...
The health crisis caused by COVID-19 (better known as “Coronavirus”) has had a significant impact on both global and local trade. In our country, the first case, which was confirmed on March 9, triggered the implementation of significant sanitary measures that led to the necessary temporary closure of multiple enterprises, as well as limited the movement of the population, and restricted commercial [1] and governmental [2] activity ...
The extensive global COVID-19 pandemic determined the states to impose restrictive measures with impact over the free movement of people and usual course of business of the economic operators. Due to the recent development of the outbreak in Romania, the Presidential Decree no. 195/16.03 ...
In their March 3, 2020 Law 360 article, our colleagues, Rob Patterson and Shu-Shu Wong, commented on the trend of certain buyers evaluating the feasibility of invoking force majeure as an excuse for not performing their purchase obligations under their liquefied natural gas long-term sale and purchase agreements (LNG SPAs) due to the COVID-19 outbreak ...
On April 9, 2020, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Board”) announced the establishment of the Main Street Business Lending Program (“Main Street Loan Program”), an up to $600 billion lending program for mid-size businesses ...
On April 9, 2020, the Argentine Executive Branch issued and published in the Official Gazette Decree No. 351/2020, whereby it summons the mayors of all the country’s municipalities to control and monitor compliance with National Secretariat of Domestic Commerce’s Resolution No. 100/2020 concurrently with the national government and while health emergency lasts ...
Upon the ongoing spread of coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) pandemic, the Indonesian Government has declared the COVID-19 as a national emergency situation. Following the nation’s COVID-19 emergency, the Indonesian Government have issued sets of regulations and policies in various sectors in order to control and mitigate the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic ...
Covid19 related lock down measures implemented in France since mid-March make it quite difficult if not impossible to hold physical meetings for signing financing transactions under French law / involving French parties. For notarised deeds, the emergency measures enacted by a decree dated 3 April 2020 have suspended the requirement of physical presence during and replaced it by remote signature mechanism. This applies to the remote signature of notarised loan agreement and mortgage deeds ...
In the face of governmental orders shutting down businesses, redirecting business efforts and assets, and even seizing business property to redistribute to others, we are seeing more and more questions about the limits of governmental authority and the remedies for affected people and businesses. Lawsuits already are being filed, and the courts undoubtedly will have to provide the answers ...
In the face of governmental orders shutting down businesses, redirecting business efforts and assets, and even seizing business property to redistribute to others, we are seeing more and more questions about the limits of governmental authority and the remedies for affected people and businesses. Lawsuits already are being filed, and the courts undoubtedly will have to provide the answers ...
In an April 7, 2020 press release, the SEC Office of Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) issued two risk alerts. The first, involving examinations, focuses on compliance with Regulation Best Interest, and the second focuses on compliance with Form CRS. OCIE has released these two risk alerts to give investment advisers and broker-dealers advance notice as to what they can expect, in terms of scope and substance, during initial exams for compliance with the two initiatives ...
Under the CARES Act that was signed into law on March 27, 2020, $100 billion was allocated to “eligible health care providers” to provide financial relief for health care organizations in relation to the COVID-19 public health emergency ...
When COVID-19 first hit, many employers were initially faced with the need to identify if they qualified as an essential business under the operative orders issued by the federal and state governments, and then come into compliance with safety measures, all while ensuring compliance with other requirements such as those laid out by the Americans with Disabilities Act ...
For over 240 years, Congress has allowed citizens of different states to litigate in federal court and, for equally as long, has permitted defendants to remove such cases from state court to federal court in cases exceeding the jurisdictional minimum. Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 79 Section 12 ...
