This morning I am at the Harvard Club in New York City participating in Social Media: Risks & Rewards an Incisive Media event. My first presentation is Develop your Company’s Corporate Policy for Social Media with David Morris, Group Counsel of TripAdvisor Media Group and Howard Greenstein, President of The Harbrooke Group. The approach we … Read more »
The Downside to Corporate Transparency
Dilbert points out the downside when you don’t sugarcoat your message: Read more »
Schwarzman Stands up for Placement Agents
“Eliminating placement agents as a group because there were a few bad actors who have tarnished the industry is analogous to eliminating Major League Baseball because several of its players behaved illegally.” Steven Schwarzman, The Blackstone Group’s chairman and chief executive, has submitted a comment letter on the SEC’s proposed ban on placement agents interacting … Read more »
More on Free and Legal Services: WhichDraft
After my previous post on Free and Law Firms, a new thing caught my attention in this area. In that post, I focused on some ways that the legal services industry is adopting some of the models Chris Anderson describes in his book. WhichDraft is a resource that allows users to build a variety of … Read more »
SEC Announces New Division of Risk, Strategy, and Financial Innovation
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the creation of its new Division of Risk, Strategy, and Financial Innovation. University of Texas School of Law Professor Henry T. C. Hu will be its first Director. Professor Hu authored several articles that brought attention to potentially manipulative market practices using borrowed stock and derivatives. “The new division … Read more »
Pfizer and Compliance
Pfizer got itself in trouble for the way it was marketing some of its drugs. Enough trouble that they need to cough up a $2.3 billion fine to the Department of Justice. (Yes, that is billion.) Under its settlement with the DOJ, Pfizer will pay a $1.3 billion criminal fine related to the company’s illegal … Read more »
New Rules Ease the Restructuring of CMBS Loans
The Treasury Department released new tax rules that make it easier for property owners to restructure loans that were packaged and sold as Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities. The IRS passed relief for residential mortgage packed securities in May, 2008. Until now, tax rules have made it impossible for borrowers who are not in default to … Read more »
Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act of 2009
I had largely ignored the Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act of 2009 (H. R. 3269) thinking it was limited to public companies and banks. I was surprised to find that it also sweeps up investment advisers, and therefore private investment funds, with assets greater than $1 billion. The bill does focus mostly on … Read more »
Dogbert on Executive Compensation
I wonder if the SEC is thinking about using hobos as part of its “Say on Pay” regulations? Read more »
The Collapse of AIG
There have been many stories about the collapse of AIG. There have also been many stories about the internal flaws at AIG. The pitchforks were out when bonuses were announced in March. One of those executives was Jake DeSantis who wrote a New York Times OP-ED about his bonus. (AIG Bonus – My Thoughts) It … Read more »