IN THIS ISSUE: SEC Releases Update to 2018 Agenda of Regulatory Priorities The SEC Enforcement Division’s Initiatives Regarding Retail Investor Protection and Cybersecurity ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS: F-Squared Investment, Inc ...
The SEC Division of Examinations issued a Risk Alert on September 19, 2022 announcing examination initiatives relating to Advisers Act Rule 206(4)-1 – the “Marketing Rule.” The compliance date for the Marketing Rule is November 4, 2022. Any advertisements distributed by investment advisers on or after that date are subject to the requirements of the Marketing Rule. This alert outlines areas that will be reviewed during examinations ...
Issuers and borrowers who enter into continuing disclosure undertakings on or after February 27, 2019 in connection with the offering of municipal securities will be required to report two new material events. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is implementing the amendment to Rule 15c2-12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Rule 15c2-12) by virtue of Release No ...
On March 28, 2022, buried within a 200-page proposed rule ostensibly meant to redefine “dealer” and “government securities dealer” under Sections 3(a)(5) and 3(a)(44) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) published a seemingly innocuous footnote: "Proposed Rule 3a5-4 would apply to securities as defined by Section 3(a)(10) of the Exchange Act, and proposed Rule 3a44-2 would apply to government &
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently granted a petition for interlocutory review to decide whether a violation of the FCA’s first-to-file rule can be cured by filing an amended pleading. Both the D.C. Circuit and Fourth Circuit1 recently addressed this issue, concluding that the plain language of the first-to-file rule precludes amending around the rule ...
A new appellate court ruling will permit workers in parts of the northeastern United States to bring forward federal law claims of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation ...
In the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), Congress – among other things – directed U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to report regarding waivers of children’s rights under the IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. On April 27, DeVos announced she would not recommend that Congress pass any additional waivers concerning the requirements in those acts ...
Here’s a fun conversation starter for lenders, borrowers and attorneys who regularly work on HUD-insured multifamily and health care facility loans: If HUD had a list of Ten Commandments for obtaining a HUD-insured loan, what would be Commandment No. 1? Most professionals in the HUD-insured loan universe would likely put the “first lien” requirement at or near the top of the list of Ten Commandments ...
On May 23, 2019, by a vote of 417-3, the United States House of Representatives passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement (SECURE) Act. Notwithstanding broad bipartisan support, the bill stalled in the United States Senate until Dec. 19, 2019, when it passed a budget reconciliation bill (H.R. 1865, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 [the “Act”]), which contains the provisions from the SECURE Act. The president signed the Act on Dec. 20 ...
Since the 1960s, the United Stated Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) has implemented several “Guides” for business disclosure by certain SEC registrants involved in banking, oil and gas, real estate, insurance, and mining activities ...
In response to the ongoing disruption caused by COVID-19, OCIE issued a Risk Alert on Aug. 12, 2020. In the Risk Alert, OCIE makes various observations and recommendations which fall into six different categories: (1) protection of investors’ assets; (2) supervision of personnel; (3) practices relating to fees, expenses, and financial transactions; (4) investment fraud; (5) business continuity; and (6) the protection of investor and other sensitive information ...
Commercial real estate professionals live in a world where single-asset entities (SAEs) are ubiquitous. In this respect, the niche market of HUD-affiliated health care facilities follows suit. Skilled nursing or assisted living facility owners seeking HUD-insured financing and the operators overseeing day-to-day functions at those facilities generally need to be SAEs to participate in the HUD programs ...
In response to questions regarding the legality of Cannabidiol (CBD) oil products, the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy (Board) announced that only licensed and operating Medical Marijuana Control Program dispensaries may sell CBD oil products. In June, the Board announced the award of 56 provisional medical marijuana dispensary licenses. All of those provisional licensees will have six months to comply with operational requirements in order to obtain a certification of operation (COO) ...
Upcoming changes to Ohio’s Community Reinvestment Area (“CRA”) property tax exemption program will make it easier to create and to use CRAs. On January 2, 2023, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Substitute Senate Bill 33 of the 134th General Assembly (“SB 33”), enacting substantial changes to existing CRA statutes, ultimately easing existing CRA requirements. The changes will take effect on April 3, 2023 ...
If the COVID-19 pandemic affected the value of your property, Ohio Senate Bill 57 (S.B. 57) may offer you (or your triple-net lease tenant) a chance to reduce your Ohio real property taxes not available under prior law. Property tax valuation complaints in Ohio counties can be filed only once in each three-year interim period, and property values are determined as of January 1 of the tax year. Because the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S ...
Though the legislative session again received a lot of attention from educators this year, there were also bills passed that did not receive as much attention. One of those was Senate Bill 632, which by its terms aims at “improving student safety.” The bill adds two new code sections and amends a third. This education alert provides a basic summary of what those sections require when they take effect July 1, 2019 ...
Regulation brings uniformity and security, which may feel anathema to the fundamental premise of distributed ledger technology (specifically blockchain and the nascent crypto industry blockchain technology allows) – a world that needs neither trust nor centralized authority. Nevertheless, two U.S. senators are pushing to reconcile these seemingly contrary positions and priorities ...
The Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) has announced a settled Administrative Proceeding with Senvest Management LLC (“Senvest”). Pursuant to the SEC issued Order, Senvest failed to maintain and preserve certain electronic communications and failed to enforce its code of ethics ...
Work with the People to Solve the Problem When approaching mediation, parties need to work together to tackle the problem, not each other. The goal is to be soft on the people and hard on the problem. Failing to interact with the other party sensitively, can be catastrophic to building or maintaining a working relationship. Knowing the other side personally helps to build cordiality. Find ways to meet them informally before the negotiation, arrive early to chat or linger afterwards ...
On May 16, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced a $350,000 settlement with MedEvolve, Inc., a practice and revenue cycle management and practice analytics software services company, to resolve alleged violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) regulations ...
If the United States Congress cannot reach a budget agreement to continue funding Federal government operations, the U.S. government will shut down non-essential functions Sunday, October 1, 2023. During the shutdown, immigration-related government agencies will be affected as described below. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) USCIS is funded by the fees it receives in connection with petitions and applications it processes and will not close ...
Last year, California employers faced a swell of new city and county labor laws that increased employers’ local minimum wage obligations. Several of these local ordinances included incremental increases that went into effect over time, including many increases that are effective as of July 1, 2018. In addition to meeting the state’s minimum wage requirements ($10.50/hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees, and $11 ...
In an 8-1 decision delivered by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the much-anticipated BOOKING.COM case, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that in some circumstances, a generic word combined with “.com” can be a protectable trademark. Generic marks are not eligible for trademark protection and are not actually marks at all. Instead, they are essentially the name for the product/service or type of product/service at issue ...
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently affirmed dismissal of an FCA complaint that failed to meet the FCA’s stringent pleading requirements. See United States ex rel. Ibanez v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., No. 16-3154, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 21328 (6th Cir. Oct. 27, 2017) ...
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has limited the use of “special remedies” by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) in a 3-0 decision issued on Sept. 4, 2020.[1] On April 4, 2019, the NLRB ordered the employer to remedy unfair labor practices committed during a union organizational drive.[2] As part of that decision, the Board refused to enforce a Gissel bargaining order that would have compelled the employer to recognize and bargain with the union ...
