According to Compliance Week, JPMorgan Chase Bank was fooled into wildly overpaying for a student loan assistance company after the bank dropped its guard on how carefully to vet the startup’s customer database. Questions: Source: Nicodemus, A. (2023). Alleged fraudster cited privacy in duping JPMorgan into $175M merger. Compliance Week, April 5 (Retrievable online at… Read more »
Posts Tagged: SEC
Three Long Years!
According to The New York Times, the Securities and Exchange Commission ended its investigation into former Senator Richard Burr, three years after he sold more than $1.6 million in stocks following Covid-19 briefings. Questions: Source: Kelly, K. S.E.C. Inquiry Into Former Senator’s Stock Sales Is Closed Without Charges. The New York Times, Jan. 6 (Retrievable… Read more »
Reining in Crypto
According to the New York Times, the SEC fined cryptocurrency lending firm Nexo for violating federal securities law. Questions: Source: Yaffe-Bellany, D. (2023) Crypto Lender Nexo Is Fined $45 Million as Crackdown Widens. The New York Times, Jan. 19 (Retrievable online at https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/business/nexo-sec-crypto-fined.html?)
Nikola Fraud Update
Trevor Milton convicted of securities fraud after 6-year successful stock market run. His company and concept car was all a lie! Questions: Why do, as the article says, “corporate executives tend to portray activist short sellers as vigilantes?” Related to the first question, what has Nathan Anderson’s firm done in the past several years? Why… Read more »
Largest Penalty Fine Ever by the SEC for Ernst &Young (EY) Cheating
According to the New York Times, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said the cheating involved hundreds of EY’s workers from 2017 to 2021, resulted in the largest penalty ever imposed by the agency against an auditing firm. Questions: What amount was the fine imposed by U.S. securities regulators? What were the three (3) charges… Read more »
Kraft Heinz Fraud
Today’s column offers a review of a clawback fraud; CFO.com explains that Kraft-Heinz (KHC) reported supplier contracts that made it appear as if expense savings were provided in exchange for past or same-year events performed by the company when, in reality, they were upfront payments in exchange for a future benefit from KHC. This was… Read more »
The Continuing Saga
According to the Washington Post, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the SEC told the company that the upcoming product it is planning to offer is a type of security that should be registered with the government. Questions: What is Coinbase’s proposed product? Why does the SEC care? How does Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis… Read more »
Alarm about Crypto Move into Banking
According to the New York Times, with more companies offering cryptocurrency loans and high-yield deposit accounts Washington is worried about how this might disrupt the banking industry with a lack of regulations. Questions: Which company was mentioned in the article as aspiring to be the J.P. Morgan Chase of cryptocurrency? What crypto platform temporarily lost… Read more »
E & Y Charged
According to Accounting Today, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Ernst & Young (EY), one of its current partners, and two of the firm’s former partners Monday with violating auditor independence rules and improper professional conduct. Questions What was the public company audited by EY according to this charge? What were the auditor independence… Read more »
Big Shakeup!
The Securities and Exchange Commission abruptly removed William Duhnke as chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Questions: According to the new chair, what does this firing report to do? Why has the PCAOB come under recent scrutiny? How long has Duhnke been chair? According to the article, why shouldn’t PCAOB members be replaced… Read more »