BrokeAndBroker.com Blog by Bill Singer WEEK IN REVIEW

January 24, 2015


As the economy recovers from the Great Recession, a number of regulatory violations that had been somewhat dormant for the past few years are once again showing up on the radar screen. With increasing number of deals, we're also seeing rising numbers of enforcement actions involving misconduct attendant to selling those deals, among which is the perennial favorite Private Securities Transaction or PST. When a no-no has its own acronym, it's a good indication that it's a pretty common problem.  Read about this recent PST settlement. READ.


Ya got your butcher, your baker, your candlestick maker. Ya also got your attorney, accountant, and federal contractor -- and, while you're at it, let's toss in a stockbroker. What the hell do the three characters in a nursery rhyme have to do with a lawyer, CPA, contractor, and stockbroker?  Frankly, if you have to ask that question, you may be setting yourself up for a nasty surprise. Consider the recent disciplinary settlement involving a CPA and registered person. READ


Recently, a number of clients have contacted me with stories about having been hit with a Ransomware demand. Given the growing danger of this cyber-crime, the BrokeAndBroker.com Blog reprints in full-text below a recent Federal Bureau of Investigation warning. READ


Stockbroker, Compliance, Legal, and Regulatory Jobs. READ


You ever read something that, at first blush, you thought you understood but when you try to explain it to someone else, you realize that you must have missed something because it's not making any sense? At that point, you go back and re-read . . . and then re-read again, and perhaps again. Then it hits you. You didn't miss anything. The writer either assumed too much or failed to provide you with sufficient content and context. Consider a recent public customer's arbitration against three industry respondents.  It's a clear-cut victory for the respondents . . . except, well, it's impossible to figure out why. Which doesn't mean that the industry folks were wrong or should not have won. It just means that we don't quite understand the underlying facts  or the Decision. READ