The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the compliance date for the ban on third-party solicitation pursuant to the Pay-to-Play rule: July 31, 2015. Rule 206(4)-5 prohibits an investment adviser from providing compensated services to a government entity, following a political contribution to certain officials of that entity.
Rule 206(4)-5 became effective on September 13, 2010 and the compliance date for the third-party solicitor ban was set to September 13, 2011.
The third-party solicitation ban, prohibits an investment adviser from paying a third-party to solicit advisory business from any government entity, on behalf of the adviser, unless the third party is a regulated entity:
- Registered Investment Adviser;
- Registered Broker-Dealer; or
- Certain Registered Municipal Advisers.
When the Commission added municipal advisors to the definition of regulated person, the Commission also extended the third-party solicitor ban’s compliance date to June 13, 2012. However, at the time the final municipal advisor registration rule was not in effect. So, the SEC extended the third-party solicitor ban’s compliance date from June 13, 2012 to nine months after the compliance date of the final rule. That date is now set at July 31, 2015.
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