Recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint against Curt Kramer and three companies owned by Kramer, 1800 Diagonal Lending Company, LLC, Power Up Lending Group, Ltd., and Geneva Roth Remark Holdings, Inc. (Securities and Exchange Commission v....
Content By Christopher J. Hubbert
The SEC Cracks Down on “AI Washing”
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sent clear signals that it will pursue companies for “AI washing” — touting the use of artificial intelligence in ways that are false or misleading. The SEC has imposed fines on two investment advisors for AI washing,...
The Case of the Missing Head: Cleveland Museum of Art’s Battle Over Bronze Statue’s Origin
No, this isn’t a Halloween-themed piece about the infamous Cleveland Torso Murderer from the 1930s, but an issue that is less sensational but far more contemporary — the quest to return looted art to its rightful owners. Although we might typically associate art...
SEC Increases Oversight of Investment Advisers to Private Equity Funds and Hedge Funds with New Rules
SEC Approves New Rules Impacting Investment Advisers and Funds On Wednesday, August 23, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted 3-2 along party lines to approve new rules and rule amendments under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (Advisers Act)....
Is ESG Good for Your Business?
ESG in a Nutshell The goal of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) programs is simple: minimize risk, increase shareholder value and contribute to solving societal problems; but do so in a way that is at the same time good for your business, society and the...
The Importance of How You Announce Your Company’s M&A Deal
The mergers and acquisition process is often heavily burdened with regulations, complications and minute details for both the selling and acquiring companies’ leaders, lawyers and accountants, just to name a few of the involved parties in a deal. Many deals fall apart...
Ohio’s Top Securities Regulator Backs Restrictions on REIT Investments
The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), a non-governmental organization that recommends securities regulations for state adoption, has published proposed rules that would limit the ability of individuals to invest in unlisted real estate...
SEC Proposes to Narrow Bases for Excluding Shareholder Proposals
On July 13, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed rule changes that would make it harder for reporting companies to exclude shareholder proposals from their proxy statement by narrowing certain existing legal bases for excluding proposals....
OpenSea Employee Arrested in First NFT Insider Trading Case
In June, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the first ever indictment for insider trading of digital assets. According to the indictment, in 2021 Nathaniel Chastain was employed at OpenSea, the largest online marketplace for the...
The SEC Moves to Close the (IPO) Back Door
On March 30, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued proposed rules focused on special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and subsequent business combination transactions between SPACs and private operating companies (known as de-SPAC transactions)....