Yay, Government Ethics Is Happening!

The Office of Government Ethics, probably the most forsaken place in Washington since Team Trump swept into power, issued an extraordinary tweetstorm on Thursday afternoon reminding everyone of how OGE works. Apparently this office—which, let’s be honest, almost nobody knew about until Donald Trump took office three weeks ago—has been receiving so many calls, emails,…

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A Whistleblower Sanction Worth Your Attention

pre-taliation

As compliance officers wait to see how the Trump Administration might try to change patterns of SEC enforcement, you may want to consider a case last week where the SEC fined a consumer bank for accounting improprieties and whistleblower pre-taliation at the same time. The firm in question is HomeStreet, a bank based in Seattle…

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Six Compliance Events to Watch in 2017

compliance 2017

Welcome back to the grind, everyone! Before we all go back to audit committee meetings, anti-corruption training, and committing your travel budget before the CFO implements a freeze, let’s take a look at what events in 2017 will carry big consequences for the compliance community. The arrival of the Trump Administration in particular sets up…

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Compliance in the Trump Era, Part I: The SEC

enforcement

SEC Chairman Mary Jo White announced her resignation yesterday, firing the starting pistol for the Trump Administration to reshape financial regulation in this country. Compliance officers are uneasy about what the incoming Trump Administration might mean to them, and for good reason. Still, we have a few early clues to consider, so let’s try to…

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SEC Whacks Whistleblower Waivers Again

whistleblower

Well we didn’t expect that so soon: for the second time in less than a week, the Securities and Exchange Commission has fined a company for trying to strong-arm employees into waiving whistleblower rewards for reporting potential misconduct. This time around the target is Health Net, an insurer based in Los Angeles. The company agreed…

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SEC’s Whistleblower Rewards Chief to Leave

Big news from the Securities and Exchange Commission this afternoon: Sean McKessy, the agency’s first and only director of the Office of the Whistleblower, is stepping down after five years on the job. The SEC’s prepared statement says McKessy will leave by the end of July, and does not say what he may do next.…

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