Doug Cornelius on compliance for private equity real estate
Legend has it that Joseph P. Kennedy Senior pulled out of the stock market in 1929 when a shoe shine boy started giving him stock tips. What to do when your driver starts giving investment advice? Shahin Ahmed was the personal driver of a hedge fund manager. According to the SEC complaint, Mr. Ahmed met…
I was left scratching my head on how this Atlanta case got so bad for the real estate investor. In March 2022, OFAC added a family member of a Russian oligarch to its sanctions list. This person owned property in Atlanta, Georgia. All dealings in that property, including its transfer, sale, or foreclosure, were blocked…
As Matt Levine says, “Everything is Securities Fraud“. Michael G. Hull, Christopher J. Nohl, Greenpoint Asset Management II LLC, Chrysalis Financial LLC, Bluepoint Investment Counsel LLC, Greenpoint Tactical Income Fund LLC, and Greenpoint Rare Earth Trading Account LLC all got sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for securities fraud back in 2020. The heart of…
After 43 days of being forced out of the office, the Securities and Exchange Commission has re-engaged its motor and is taking action. I found something in my inbox this morning that I haven’t seen for those 43 days: an administrative order from the SEC. In the scope of things it’s fairly minor. RespireRx Pharmaceuticals…
On September 17, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission each voted to further extend the date for investment advisers to comply with amendments to Form PF to Oct. 1, 2026. The Form PF amendments were adopted in February 2024 and the original compliance date was March 12, 2025. The compliance…
You create a useful trading model. Get the firm to start using it, then tweak it so you get more compensation. Sounds like a good way to get rich… and to get in trouble. Jian Wu is finding out. The Department of Justice filed wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering charges against him for…
An investment adviser always has a conflict of interest. An adviser should never say there are no conflicts.You take money from your client for fees. ConflictYou get paid differently depending on the client asset. ConflictYou get paid distribution fees: Conflict If you put in an advertisement that you have no conflicts, an SEC examiner will…
On August 7, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order titled “Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors.” The order asks the relevant federal agencies to clarify the obligations of Employee Retirement Income Security Act plan fiduciaries when considering alternative assets as potential investment options for defined contribution plans. So private funds may end…
Sure. Why not? Help with cash flow and liquidity. Can you charge interest on the deferred fees? Probably not. If the fund documents explicitly allow for interest to accrue on the deferred fees, then sure. I’m not sure I’ve seen many funds that allow this. Of course, you get in the immediate conflict of what…
Before and after Regulation BI, broker-dealers get suitability questionnaires from their clients. Knowing your clients’ risk tolerance, liquidity needs, investment goals, and investment experience are keys to giving good investment advice. Certainly there has been a lot of concern about the changing standard from “suitability” to “best interest.” Rightly so. When I see a Reg…