A recent enforcement action by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is sending a clear signal to corporate compliance teams: HIPAA obligations don’t stop at hospitals and insurers. In a newly reported case, the agency’s Office for Civil Rights pursued enforcement against a self-funded employer health plan—marking a Read More
T he crackdown on off-channel communications at financial firms isn’t over—it has simply taken a quieter, more targeted turn. While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission drew headlines over the past several years with multibillion-dollar penalties for financial firms where employees communicated with undocumented texts and messages, recent developments suggest Read More
T he Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has finalized a rule that narrows how fair lending laws are enforced, marking a notable shift for compliance programs across the financial services industry. The rule amends Regulation B, which implements the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). Its most significant change is the Read More
T he U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has announced that it is working on significant reforms of the country’s anti–money laundering (AML) framework. Rather than a single sweeping overhaul, the current reform effort consists of a series of interrelated rulemakings, delays, and targeted expansions that Read More
T he Commissioner for Competition at the European Commission, Teresa Ribera, warned that political influences are in danger of corrupting competition enforcement decisions. Ribera argues that antitrust must stay strong against politics and its pressures to ensure impartial and evidence-based enforcement policies. In a statement, she emphasized independence from political Read More
T he FTC chairman, Andrew Ferguson, has instructed the FTC staff to create a special health care task force intended to better protect patients, healthcare workers, and taxpayers. The FTC said, in a statement, that the task force will create a coordinated, competitive, and innovative approach to how the agency Read More
E arlier this month, the Department of Justice announced a new “department-wide” corporate criminal enforcement policy that it says will promote uniformity, predictability, and fairness in how it pursues corporate wrongdoing. The policy, which it labeled the Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self-Disclosure policy, is intended to incentivize companies to self-disclose Read More
T he Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced that they have agreed to work more closely and collaborate more on regulatory issues and enforcement. The agencies say the agreement, documented in a “memorandum of understanding,” will allow the agencies to better support lawful innovations, uphold Read More
T he Securities and Exchange Commission’s director of the Enforcement Division, Margaret Ryan, stepped down this week after only a little more than half a year on the job. Sam Waldon, who served as head of enforcement before Ryan, will return to the role as acting director. During her time Read More
W almart has agreed to a $100 million judgment to settle allegations by the Federal Trade Commission and 11 states that the company caused delivery drivers to lose earnings, by deceiving them about the base pay, incentive pay, and tips they could earn. The FTC estimates that Walmart delivery drivers Read More
