Recently, a group of Congress members introduced into Congress Senate Bill 2155 named the Stop Wall Street Looting Act of 2019. Although unlikely to be enacted into law as drafted, this proposed legislation would directly and substantially affect a number of fundamental operational aspects of private equity funds and their affiliates.… Continue Reading
Today, we are launching a proprietary database tracking all SEC enforcement actions involving private equity advisers. The tracker contains key information from the actions, including summaries of key issues, settlement terms, and relevant statutory provisions. The tracker will be an important resource for us and our clients, providing us with quick access to comparable cases … Continue Reading
A recent action where the SEC focused on the presumably conservative undervaluation of assets suggests that it is more than willing to use valuation as a hook to deter “smoothing” of returns. As we previously noted, while the SEC consistently announces that valuation is a “key area of focus,” it is uncommon for regulators to … Continue Reading
The SEC, in conjunction with the Colorado Bar Association and Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants, recently sponsored the 51st Annual Rocky Mountain Securities Conference featuring SEC officials and corporate experts from across the nation. Sam Waldon, partner at Proskauer and former Assistant Chief Counsel in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, moderated a panel of … Continue Reading
There’s a new unicorn in town, and this time, it isn’t just another tech company. Rent the Runway, also known as RTR, is now officially valued at over $1 billion after its most recent funding round which raised $125 million. The high-end rental clothing brand was launched in 2009 by female founders, including co-founder and CEO Jennifer … Continue Reading
Last week the SEC announced a settlement of fraud claims against the founder of Jumio, Inc, a private mobile payments company, for misstating the company’s financial results and using those financials to sell his company shares on the secondary market. This case is a reminder that privately negotiated securities transactions and private, VC-funded companies are … Continue Reading
An increasingly sophisticated and active OCIE division, innovative market disruptors, a maturing credit cycle, and a philosophical change in how the private fund industry views and utilizes litigation are likely to lead to increased regulatory scrutiny and litigation risk for advisers (and their funds) in 2019. With that backdrop, we are pleased to present our … Continue Reading
The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations has released its annual priorities publication for 2019. Containing both a look back at the program’s accomplishments for fiscal year 2018 and a look forward into its initiatives for 2019, this annual report sets out important guidance for private fund managers in administering their compliance programs and … Continue Reading
While the SEC consistently announces that valuation is a “key area of focus,” it is uncommon for regulators to “second guess” valuation determinations in the absence of other potential violations. However, recent actions would suggest that the SEC is particularly interested in the valuations and methodologies behind illiquid securities. As we have noted here before, … Continue Reading
Proskauer’s Private Investment Funds Group today released its 2018 Annual Review and Outlook for Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds and Other Private Funds. This yearly publication provides a summary of some of the significant changes and developments that occurred in the past year in the private equity and hedge funds space, as well as certain recommended … Continue Reading
On Friday, the WSJ published an article detailing how companies are monetizing smartphone location data by selling it to hedge fund clients. The data vendor featured in the WSJ article obtains geolocation data from about 1,000 apps that fund managers use to predict trends involving public companies. However, as we’ve noted, the use of alternative … Continue Reading
Former SDNY U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and SEC Commissioner Jackson recently announced, via NY Times op-ed, the creation of the Bharara Task Force on Insider Trading. Based on the premise that U.S. insider trading laws are unclear and hopelessly out of date, the task force intends to propose new insider trading reforms to help clarify … Continue Reading
The theft of millions of bitcoins and related failure of cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox—recently written about in the Wall Street Journal—provides a perfect example of how cryptocurrency-related issues can blossom into one of our Top Ten Regulatory and Litigation Risks. The WSJ article chronicles the journey of Kim Nilsson—one of the victims of the $400 … Continue Reading
Potential disputes involving unicorns have been a hot topic for the last several years. We predicted that would continue this year in in our webinar and related blog post: The Top Ten Regulatory and Litigation Risks for Private Funds in 2018. In April, the Regional Director of the SEC’s San Francisco office, Jina Choi, confirmed … Continue Reading
A recent settled SEC order, In re Arlington Capital Management, Inc. and Joseph F. LoPresti, highlights the potential benefits of voluntarily taking steps to remediate conduct or practices that could run afoul of the SEC’s rules and standards. If done correctly, voluntary remediation can result in meaningful reductions in the sanctions sought by the SEC. … Continue Reading
Last week, former CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler explained in remarks at M.I.T. that he believes the second and third most widely used virtual currencies—Ether and Ripple—may have been issued and traded in violation of securities regulations. This comes on the heels of a crackdown on cryptocurrency-related securities by the SEC, which is particularly focused on … Continue Reading
As a sign that the SEC is continuing to actively pursue private equity fund advisers, on April 24, 2018, the SEC announced a settlement with private equity fund adviser WCAS Management Corporation (WCAS) related to allegations of undisclosed conflicts of interest. The specific conflicts resulted from an allegedly undisclosed contractual arrangement whereby a portion of … Continue Reading
On April 12, 2018, the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations issued a risk alert listing the most common compliance issues concerning fees and expenses charged by SEC-registered investment advisers. Advisers should review their practices, policies and procedures to ensure compliance with their advisory agreements and representations to clients in light of the fee … Continue Reading
We are pleased to announce that partner Samuel Waldon has joined Proskauer’s Litigation Department in DC, enhancing the Firm’s securities litigation and regulatory enforcement practices. Among his other areas of focus, Sam will bolster the firm’s Asset Management Litigation team. “In today’s ever evolving regulatory landscape, Sam’s extensive experience at the SEC and his deep … Continue Reading
On Tuesday, February 13th, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the opening of registration for its 2018 national compliance outreach seminar for investment companies and investment advisers. The event is intended to help Chief Compliance Officers (CCOs) and other senior personnel at investment companies and investment advisory firms to enhance their compliance programs. … Continue Reading
With the public equity markets at an all-time high and private equity fund raising setting new records, it might seem counterintuitive to forecast litigation and regulatory risks. The opposite is true. Disputes typically follow capital, and the steeper the growth curve, the greater the risk of litigation and regulatory scrutiny. With that backdrop, we are … Continue Reading
If a team from the SEC arrives at your office and says, “We are conducting an on-site examination and would like to talk to the CCO right now,” are you prepared? A handful of registered investment advisers have faced surprise SEC exams in recent months. These exams come in two flavors: either a “for cause” … Continue Reading
Proskauer’s Private Investment Funds Group recently released its 2017 Annual Review and Outlook for Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds and Other Private Funds. This yearly publication provides a summary of some of the significant changes and developments that occurred in the past year in the private equity and hedge funds space, as well as certain … Continue Reading
Last night, the SEC announced its enforcement results for the Fiscal Year 2017, accompanied by a report from the Co-Directors of its Division of Enforcement. While the total number of actions was down slightly from 2016, the percentage of those cases involving investment advisers or investment companies – 18% – remained consistent, and amounted to … Continue Reading
