Registered Funds

In 2021, the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) was enacted into U.S. federal law as part of a multi‑national effort to rein in the use of entities to mask illegal activity. The CTA directs the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) to propose rules requiring certain types of entities to file…

Today, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued a final rule aimed to ease compliance with certain aspects of the regulations promulgated under the Corporate Transparency Act.  The final rule extends the deadline from 30 days to 90 days for entities created or registered during 2024 that do not qualify for an…

Beginning on December 1, 2023, companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) will need to adopt and comply with policies providing for the recovery, or “clawback”, of erroneously awarded incentive-based executive compensation, as required by Rule 10D-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Rule 10D-1”).[1]…

As the effective date of the US federal Corporate Transparency Act approaches, FinCEN continues to develop its rules almost on a daily basis. Within the past few days, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) published notice of proposals aimed to clarify and ease compliance with certain aspects of the regulations promulgated under the Corporate Transparency Act. The Corporate Transparency Act requires certain entities (“reporting companies”) to report to FinCEN information about their beneficial owners and company applicants, and is intended to help prevent and combat money laundering, terrorist financing, tax fraud and other illicit activity.[1] The Beneficial Ownership Reporting Rule (the “BOI Rule”), promulgated by FinCEN in September of 2022, establishes who are reporting companies and their beneficial owners and company applicants, as well as what information is required to be reported about these entities and individuals.

In 2021, the U.S. enacted the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) as part of a multi‑national effort to rein in the use of entities to mask illegal activity.  The CTA directs the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) to propose rules requiring certain types of entities to file a report identifying the entities’ beneficial owners and the persons who formed the entity.  FinCEN issued the final rule on Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Requirements (the “Reporting Rule”) on September 29, 2022. FinCEN recently published a Small Entity Compliance Guide intended to assist entities in determining whether they are required to file a report and what information will need to be reported.  The Reporting Rule will become effective on January 1, 2024.

On April 20, 2023, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) published an FAQ‑style bulletin[1] that provides guidance on the care obligations of broker‑dealers and investment advisers in providing investment advice and recommendations to retail investors. The bulletin emphasizes the importance of complying with the Care Obligation of Regulation Best Interest (“Reg BI”) for broker‑dealers and the duty of care enforced under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “IA fiduciary standard”) for investment advisers (together, the “care obligations”). The care obligations are drawn from key fiduciary principles, including an obligation to act in the retail investor’s best interest and not to place the fiduciary’s interests ahead of the investor’s interest.

On January 1, 2021, Congress enacted the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) as part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.  Congress passed the CTA to “better enable critical national security, intelligence, and law enforcement efforts to counter money laundering, the financing of terrorism, and other illicit activity.” The CTA requires a range of entities, primarily smaller, otherwise unregulated companies, to file a report with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) identifying the entities’ beneficial owners—the persons who ultimately own or control the company—and provide similar identifying information about the persons who formed the entity. The CTA also authorizes FinCEN to disclose this information to authorized government authorities and to financial institutions in certain circumstances.

Summary of the Corporate Transparency Act under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021

On January 1, 2021, the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”), which is part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, became effective after both houses of Congress overrode a presidential veto. The CTA amends the Bank Secrecy Act (the “BSA”) and, once the Treasury Department’s reporting procedures and standards are established, it will require many companies, which have historically been unregulated, to file a report with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) identifying the companies’ beneficial owners. In an attempt to ban anonymous shell companies and “better enable critical national security, intelligence, and law enforcement efforts to counter money laundering, the financing of terrorism, and other illicit activity,” government authorities will, for the first time, have access to a database of such beneficial ownership information.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) recently adopted final rules[1] (the “Final Rules”) amending Regulation S-X and related rules and forms in a manner that directly impacts registered investment companies and business development companies (“BDCs”, and together with registered investment companies, “investment companies”) by substantially rewriting the rules that require reporting companies to…