Busy morning? You probably deserve a break. A JD Supra Corporate Brief break, that is. And a blueberry scone… Check your mailbox – the FTC is sending out COPPA compliance letters… (Mintz Levin) In the market for a municipal regulated gas division? (Saul Ewing) Appeals court reverses an $11 million False Claims Act judgment with… Read more »
Do business in Europe? Here’s a roundup of recent commentary and analysis on conducting business in Europe, including REACH regulations, patent classification, taxation, mobile apps, dawn raids, and more: Some clarification regarding challenges to REACH candidate listing (K&L Gates LLP): “In a series of recent judgments the EU General Court has given some guidance to companies… Read more »
While Cyprus political leaders hash out the details of the latest proposal to bail out the country’s financial institutions, multinationals with interests in the island nation may wonder if the time has come to seek higher ground. It’s a valid question, write Pavlos Aristodemou and Peter Tarn of law firm Harney Westwood & Riegels, but… Read more »
[Video: A New World for Mortgage Banking – What You Need to Know About the CFPB’s Final Mortgage Servicing Rules - Pepper Hamilton LLP] The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently issued two rules that are going to change the way mortgage service companies do business: the 2013 RESPA Servicing Final Rule, an amendment to Regulation X… Read more »
In mid-January, federal regulators published a final rule implementing new appraisal requirements for higher-priced mortgage loans. The new regulation, – authored by the Federal Reserve, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency –… Read more »
The net of international sanctions on Iran and entities that do business with the Iranian regime continues to tighten. For your reference, here’s a roundup of latest commentary and analysis on sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe: U.S. Activity New Iran Sanctions Enacted (BakerHostetler): “The [latest] law, which comes just shy of five… Read more »
The business community as a whole can expect President Obama’s second term to be one of most intense periods of regulatory activity in nearly 40 years. But the health care, energy, and financial services industries will be the hardest hit. From law firm Venable: “Several themes will shape the regulatory process over the next four… Read more »
What’s the going punishment for laundering drug money? If you’re one of the world’s largest banks, it’s about six weeks’ worth of earnings and no jail time for your executives. Not too bad for committing a felony, no? Iowa Senator Charles Grassley and the former Inspector General of the Treasury Department’s Troubled Assets Relief Program… Read more »
From Bloomberg Law, a discussion with Tangent Capital Partners’ Chris Whalen and Fusion IQ’s Barry Ritholtz – “two of the brightest guys in the business” according to host Lee Pacchia – on the subject of reform in the multi-trillion dollar derivatives market. The money quotes (and there are many): “[The derivatives market] is not just… Read more »
“ERISA treats all members of a ‘controlled group’ as a single employer for purposes of its provisions imposing liability on employers in connection with the termination of an underfunded single employer pension plan or a withdrawal from an underfunded multi-employer pension plan. As a result, if an employer terminates or withdraws from an underfunded pension… Read more »
[Link: Bill on Bankruptcy: Who's to Blame for the Hostess Liquidation? - Bloomberg Law] The impending dissolution of Hostess Brands – maker of Twinkies, Ho Hos, and Wonder Bread – has captured headlines over the past few weeks. But Hostess’s story isn’t the only bankruptcy law news of relevance to Corporate America. For your reference:… Read more »
“Foreign exchange (FX) swaps, the second largest derivatives trading market, [have] been exempted from Dodd-Frank regulation by the U.S. Treasury. Though some Democratic legislators criticized the move, the Treasury went forward with the exemption citing the high-levels of risk management inherent in FX trading. ‘Unlike other derivatives, FX swaps and forwards already trade in a… Read more »
“The FSOC’s proposals also set the stage for fresh tension between a vocal group of regulators, who feel that despite limited reforms in 2010, money market funds are still vulnerable to havoc-wreaking asset runs, and the fund industry, which has devoted significant public-relations efforts to arguing that reform would harm investors by making money market… Read more »
Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia talks with Ralph Ferrara, partner at Proskauer Rose and General Counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission from 1978 to 1981, about high frequency trading, the problems it caused, and what solutions are needed. Some highlights: “What we’ve pulled out of the process is human judgment making; that’s got to be… Read more »
A cautionary tale kicks off this latest edition of Doing Business in China: Sixing Liu, a Chinese national with U.S. residency, was arrested and charged with export control violations when returning from a trip to China one year ago. From law firm Miller Canfield: “Liu allegedly took export-controlled technical data on military technology (Controlled Data)… Read more »
