New accusations against equity index annuity sellers may lead to regulatory grief comparable to what property-casualty firms suffered during the contingent- commission scandal a couple of years ago, industry observers say.
While advisers want their separately managed accounts made available on unified managed account systems, SMA managers fear that that will result in a loss of control over how their products are marketed.
IRVINE, Calif. — NASD is expanding the disciplinary information it discloses about brokers and firms.
NASD has hired a former board member as a consultant, raising questions about conflicts of interest and concerns about how well small firms have been represented in the organization.
Industry leaders eagerly are awaiting a proposal that would allow mutual funds to provide a two-page prospectus in lieu of the lengthy one now required, a concept that could save millions of dollars in costs.
WASHINGTON — House Democrats are hoping to appeal to the middle class with a plan to shift to wealthy taxpayers the responsibility for paying the alternative minimum tax, but financial advisers in general think that it is a bad idea.
NEW YORK — As the May 14 deadline looms for the Securities and Exchange Commission to appeal the overturning of the broker-dealer exemption rule, supporters and opponents of the rule have been busy making their case in the court of public opinion.
A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc. of St. Louis yesterday settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations of mutual fund market timing. The firm agreed to pay $2.4 million in disgorgement and $1.5 million in penalties.
The fight over the pending consolidation of the regulatory units of the New York Stock Exchange and NASD is proceeding apace on two fronts: in court and at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Congress is beginning to refocus its retirement savings policy-making efforts on finding ways to help Americans of modest means save for retirement, as well as trying to help people get better returns from their retirement savings plans.
Critics of short-selling practices they deem abusive are up in arms over what they say is continued inaction by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The SEC can’t win for losing. As a result of judicial overrides of its major regulatory initiatives in the past year, the Securities and Exchange Commission is less likely to try bold new initiatives, experts on securities regulation say.
A new firm is assisting insurance agents in becoming registered investment advisers so the agents can obtain fee income from advice and securities products.
WASHINGTON — New default options that the Department of Labor will likely approve for 401(k) investments will have a “significant” impact on the way mutual fund assets are invested, independent fund directors were told at a conference here April 12.
BOSTON — Labor activists are using a Securities and Exchange Commission rule requiring mutual fund proxy disclosure to ratchet up the pressure on executive compensation that they consider excessive.
The IRS plans to issue final regulations for 403(b) plans by the end of June, and the changes could result in industry consolidation, particularly in the K-12 marketplace, observers said.
The radical notion of abolishing mutual fund boards and allowing funds to set their own prices may be worth a second look, according to the head of a group representing independent fund directors for the $10.4 trillion fund industry.
IRVINE, Calif. — NASD continues to tinker with a pending variable annuity suitability rule, making a fourth proposed change in almost two years.
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress are calling for investigations into alleged long-term-care-insurance abuses just as the government is set to release its latest survey, showing a 97% satisfaction rate among policy claimants.
CIT Group Inc. said Monday that it placed three top executives at its Student Loan Xpress unit on leave just days after the companies were subpoenaed by New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in his ongoing probe of the $85 billion student loan industry.
