Category: News Roundup

These are brief synopses of news items that have been covered by other sites. They include a few paragraphs and a link to the fully contained article on another site.

Looking for hidden Junk Fees

FTC Finalizes Rule that Aims to End Hidden ‘Junk Fees’

The Federal Trade Commission announced that it has finalized a Junk Fees Rule which essentially prohibits businesses in the live-event ticketing and short-term lodging industries from using bait-and-switch pricing and other tactics used to hide total prices and bury “junk fees.” The rule will ensure that pricing information is provided Read More

McKinsey fined for role in opioid crisis

McKinsey To Pay $650 Million to DoJ for Advising Client in Criminal Conduct

G lobal consulting firm McKinsey & Co. has agreed to pay $650 million to settle a Department of Justice investigation into the firm’s consulting work with opioids manufacturer Purdue Pharma. The DoJ had accused McKinsey of fueling the opioid epidemic with its aggressive sales and marketing advice to Purdue, including Read More

Person putting money in their pocket

McKinsey Unit to Pay $122 Million to Settle Bribery Charges

M cKinsey and Company Africa, which operates in South Africa as a subsidiary of international consulting firm McKinsey & Co., will pay over $122 million to resolve an investigation by the Justice Department into a scheme to pay bribes to government officials in South Africa between 2012 and 2016. A Read More

Investco fined for misleading ESG reporting

SEC Fines Invesco Advisers $17.5M for Misleading ESG Statements

I nvesco Advisers is paying the price for misleading clients and investors about how much of its assets were truly aligned with environmental, social, and governance principles. The Atlanta-based investment firm has agreed to pay a $17.5 million civil penalty to settle the Securities and Exchange Commission’s charges that it Read More

Cybersecurity Breach

SEC Charges Four Companies With Misleading Cyber Disclosures

T he Securities and Exchange Commission has charged four public companies with making materially misleading disclosures regarding cybersecurity risks and intrusions. The charges against the four companies—Unisys, Avaya, Check Point Software, and Mimecast—result from an investigation involving public companies impacted by the compromise of SolarWinds’ Orion software. The SEC also Read More

SEC examination Priorities

SEC Issues It’s List of 2025 Examination Priorities

T he Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Examinations has released its 2025 examination priorities. This year’s examinations will prioritize perennial and emerging risk areas, such as fiduciary duty, standards of conduct, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. For fiscal year 2025, in addition to conducting examinations in core areas such as Read More

Hornet FA 18 Fighter Jet

DoD Finalizes Cybersecurity Certification Program for Contractors

T he U.S. Department of Defense issued final rules for its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program, which is indented to ensure that defense contractors meet standards for safeguarding sensitive information. The CMMC Program aligns with the DoD’s existing information security requirements for private sector defense contractors. It is designed Read More

TD Bank to Pay $3B in Plea to Settle Money-Laundering Case

C anadian-based TD Bank will pay more than $3 billion in a historic settlement with U.S. authorities who said that the financial institution’s lax practices allowed significant money laundering over multiple years. The bank pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, the largest bank in U.S. history to do Read More

Justice Dept. Sues Visa over Accusations of Monopolizing Debt Markets

T he Justice Department filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Visa accusing the payments processor of monopolization and other unlawful conduct in debit network markets in violation of anti-trust laws. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the complaint alleges that Visa illegally maintains Read More

The Battle over the Ban of Noncompetes Continues as FTC Receives Unfavorable Ruling

In April 2023, the Federal Trade Commission announced that that it would be banning noncompete agreements in order to promote competition. Although this historic announcement was meant to change the entire landscape of the employment industry within the U.S., the FTC’s push to ban these agreements raised much skepticism from Read More