On April 16, the CFPB issued a HMDA final rule increasing the number of closed-end mortgage loans and/or open-end mortgage loans an institution must originate before it meets HMDA’s coverage thresholds. Effective July 1, 2020, institutions originating fewer than 100 closed-end mortgage loans in either of the two preceding calendar years will not have to report such data effective July 1, 2020 ...
With nearly five years of enforcement experience since the coming into effect of the Competition Ordinance (Ordinance), on 16 April 2020, the Hong Kong Competition Commission (Commission) published a revised Leniency Policy for Undertakings Engaged in Cartel Conduct (Leniency Policy for Undertakings) and introduced a new Leniency Policy for Individuals Involved in Cartel Conduct (Leniency Policy for Individuals) (collectively, Leniency Policies) ...
Another week brings another round of COVID-19-related lawsuits. We are identifying some early trends and provide a synopsis of the more relevant lawsuits below. Will nursing homes be overwhelmed by wrongful death lawsuits? The daughter of a woman suspected to have died from COVID-19 has filed a wrongful death suit against the company who owns the Life Care Center of Kirkland where her mother was a resident ...
The stock market has had record declines and many businesses are shuttered, at least temporarily. Long-term prospects may still be positive but in the near-term the value of many entities has reduced. Are there transactions that privately-held businesses and their owners could implement that would allow them to achieve long-term goals that could benefit the business, the owner, and owner’s family? We believe that there are ...
On April 15th, Exempt Resolution No. 258, that determines certain maximum prices in accordance with the abilities granted to the Ministry of Health by Decree No. 4/2020, was published in the Official Gazette ...
The evening of April 22, Governor Wolf presented his detailed plan for reopening Pennsylvania beginning May 8, 2020. The reopening will be done in three phases: red, yellow, and green. The entire Commonwealth is currently under the red phase, which has the purpose of minimizing the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing, implementing safety protocols, and closing schools and businesses that have been deemed non-life sustaining ...
As all lenders know by now, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act’s (“CARES Act”) guaranteed Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans are the key piece of economic relief for small businesses during the COVID-19 crisis ...
Key Points: SF Major extends commercial eviction moratorium through May 17, 2020. Moratorium applies only to commercial tenants registered to do business in San Francisco meeting certain requirements. Moratorium applies to all attempts to recover possession due to non-payment. Moratorium covers security deposits ...
Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) licensed corporations (LCs) which store regulatory records in the cloud, data centres or other electronic storage facilities provided by external persons (EDSPs) without keeping copies of such records in their Hong Kong business premises are reminded of the need to comply with the following requirements, according to the circular issued by the SFC on 31 October 2019 (Circular): (i) notify the SFC of the external electronic data stor
In response to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has passed several new laws to provide trillions of dollars of funding to affected businesses and individuals. But this also means there are new compliance considerations for entities receiving federal funds, especially as it relates to the False Claims Act’s “false certification” theory of liability ...
Panama, April 6, 2020. On Tuesday March 24th, 2020, the Executive Decree 251 of the same date was published in Official Gazette 28987-A which adopts tax measures to relief the economic effects of the National State of Emergency ...
The Chilean Central Bank increased the upper thresholds for the investment in alternative assets by Pension Funds type A, B, C, and D, with the purpose of “promoting the diversification of Pension Funds' portfolios, granting them access to a better combination of risk and return ”. In the case of Pension Funds type E, the former limit was kept ...
The so called “break-even point” is a relevant concept in business economy. Simply speaking, a company is in break-even point when the number of product units sold equals its Total Fixed Cost, divided by the respective Contribution Margin per Unit (i.e ...
As of 16 March, the day when the state of emergency was declared in Romania, the Government has adopted an impressive number of pieces of legislation aimed at preventing and limiting the spread of the new coronavirus, on one hand, and at reducing the negative impact on economy of the implemented solutions, on the other hand. To be specific, we are talking about 75 acts (primary and secondary legislation) adopted in the course of approximately 1 month ...
The West Virginia legislature is considering bills to amend the Consumer Credit and Protection Act (“WVCCPA”) and they can affect how lenders, creditors, collectors, and others interact with consumers in financial transactions. The WVCCPA is the primary statute in West Virginia that regulates how lenders, creditors, collectors, and others deal with consumers in financial transactions ...
Professor Andrew Muscat, who heads the Corporate Law Department at the Firm, has published a series of articles in the Times of Malta dealing with the duties and liabilities of directors of a company experiencing financial difficulties. This subject is particularly relevant these days when several companies are finding themselves in a difficult position as a result of the Covid-19 worldwide pandemic ...
GERMAN GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO INCREASE HURDLES FOR ACQUIRING GERMAN COMPANIES IN STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT BUSINESS SECTORS On April 8, 2020, the German government adopted the draft bill of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs to amend the Foreign Trade and Payments Act (Außenwirtschaftsgesetz, AWG) ...
The digital signature in Bolivia was created by the General Law on Telecommunications, Information and Communication Technologies No. 164, published on August 8, 2011, granting full legal and evidentiary validity to the legal act or business carried out using this technological tool. Supreme Decree No ...
The Plurinational State of Bolivia, within the framework of its governmental powers and in accordance with the Declaration of Sanitary Emergency and Quarantine established in recent days, has determined to strengthen the latest measures. The government has conviniently declared that the total quarantine, extends until April 30, 2020, maintaining the suspension of public and private activities ...