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Fintech
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June 18, 2024
SEC's Ether Orders Spur Hope For Crypto, Caution From Attys
The crypto industry received a step toward clarity when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's approval of exchange-traded products holding the token ether signified the cryptocurrency isn't a security subject to SEC regulation, but attorneys say they remain cautious when counseling clients on how to deal in the asset.
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June 18, 2024
Gov't Says New Guidelines Can't Cut Crypto Expert's Sentence
Federal prosecutors have told a Manhattan federal judge that the crypto computing expert who received five years for aiding North Korea's blockchain development shouldn't get to cut a year off his sentence just because sentencing guidelines have been updated while he's served his term.
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June 18, 2024
Crypto Firm Latinum Can't Arbitrate Investors' Fraud Suit
A Michigan federal judge discerned that crypto firm Bitcoin Latinum can't send claims it duped investors out of promised digital assets to arbitration considering it didn't raise the issue in the two years since the suit was brought.
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June 18, 2024
Fed Should Vote Now On Basel Capital Hike Plan, Warren Says
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has accused Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell of "doing the bank industry's bidding" as federal regulators look to back off of significant proposed increases to big-bank capital requirements, saying he should instead put those increases to a board vote by the end of June.
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June 18, 2024
Sterling Bank Ex-CEO Won't Face Charges Over Loan Program
The founder and former CEO of Sterling Bank and Trust, who has been investigated in connection with a fraud-plagued loan program, will not face criminal charges from the U.S. Department of Justice, according to Michigan federal court documents filed Monday.
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June 18, 2024
5th Circ. Keeps Suit Over CFPB's Card Late Fee Rule In Texas
The Fifth Circuit on Tuesday ordered a banking industry lawsuit against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's credit card late fee rule to remain in Texas federal court, rejecting a second attempted transfer of the case to Washington, D.C.
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June 17, 2024
Milbank Snags FTC Competition Trial Chief For DC Office
Milbank LLP announced Monday it has hired the chief trial counsel for the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition, bulking up its Washington, D.C., antitrust and competition practice with a veteran litigator who led the government's challenge to Microsoft Corp.'s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
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June 17, 2024
CFPB Reaches $7M Deal In Suit Over Ex-Exec's Money Moves
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Monday that it will accept $7 million from a former online loan executive and his wife to resolve a Kansas federal court lawsuit in which the agency accuses them of trying to keep millions more dollars out of the agency's reach.
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June 17, 2024
Bitcoin Mining Hosting Vendor Can't Dodge $6.4M Suit
A Washington federal judge told a crypto computer host that it must face a suit from a bitcoin mining company accusing it of failing to return equipment worth $6.4 million, finding the hosting agreement allowed the mining company to demand access to all the equipment if the host failed to meet its obligations.
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June 17, 2024
Ex-CNBC Pundit Caught After Years Of Dodging Fraud Claims
A former frequent CNBC guest who became a fugitive for nearly three years after being accused of defrauding investors has been arrested and faces a seven-count indictment, California federal prosecutors said Monday.
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June 17, 2024
SEC Says Ripple's Remedies Not Comparable To Terraform's
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fired back at blockchain firm Ripple Labs' claims that a recent settlement with Terraform Labs supports a lower penalty amount, saying it can't be a direct comparison given Terraform is in bankruptcy and has made significant concessions Ripple hasn't.
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June 17, 2024
FTX, Customers Lay Claim To SBF's $11B Forfeiture Tab
FTX told the New York federal court that hit the company's founder Sam Bankman-Fried with a 25-year prison sentence and an $11 billion forfeiture order that the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange has a right to those funds, while a group of its former clients asserted a similar claim for itself.
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June 17, 2024
Crypto Trading Firm Nabs NY BitLicense
Crypto trading firm and liquidity provider Cumberland DRW announced Monday that the New York Department of Financial Services has granted it a BitLicense, which allows it to operate a crypto business within the state.
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June 17, 2024
Binance Says Hamas Attack Suit Can't Prove Fundraising Link
Binance Holdings Ltd. has urged a New York federal judge to dismiss claims the exchange abetted terrorism because the survivors of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel haven't shown a direct link between the platform's cryptocurrency services and the planning of the attack.
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June 17, 2024
SEC Head Of Crypto Assets And Cyber Unit Departs Agency
The head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's crypto and cyber enforcement team said Monday that he has left the agency after nearly nine years.
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June 17, 2024
Justices To Hear Nvidia Case On Securities Pleading Standard
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal of a Ninth Circuit ruling that revived investors' claims over chipmaker Nvidia's crypto mining sales, giving the high court a chance to weigh in on the pleading requirements needed to sustain a shareholder class action.
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June 14, 2024
Novel Ill. Swipe Fee Law Sparks New Banks V. Retailers Battle
Illinois lawmakers have passed first-of-their-kind restrictions on swipe fees that represent a major, multimillion-dollar victory for retailers, but they could also set up a legal clash with bankers, who warn that the state risks turning into a national payments pariah.
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June 14, 2024
Fed Limits Bank's Fintech Dealings Over Risk Concerns
The Federal Reserve filed a cease-and-desist order against an Arkansas bank Friday requiring it to obtain federal and state approval before partnering with any fintech companies going forward after the agency identified risk management deficiencies in recent safety and compliance exams.
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June 14, 2024
CFPB Says 5th Circ. Should Leave Payday Rule Case For Dead
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau urged the Fifth Circuit on Friday to deny efforts to revive industry litigation over the agency's 2017 payday loan rule, a case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court based on a constitutional challenge that the agency ended up beating last month.
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June 14, 2024
Judge Declines To Decide Whether Gemini Misled CFTC
A Manhattan federal judge declined to decide whether crypto exchange Gemini is responsible for alleged misstatements made to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission through the listing exchange of a proposed bitcoin futures contract.
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June 14, 2024
Gemini, NYAG Settle Crypto Lending Fraud Case
The Winklevoss-led crypto exchange Gemini on Friday resolved the New York attorney general's claims it had a hand in defrauding users of its lending program with a settlement that the attorney general's office said would recover $50 million for the platform's users and require the firm's cooperation as it takes on the remaining defendants.
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June 14, 2024
Ripple Cites Terraform Fine In Call To Limit SEC Penalty
Ripple Labs Inc. says the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent settlement with fellow crypto firm Terraform Labs, with the company agreeing to pay a $420 million civil penalty, is further proof of the "unreasonableness" of the agency's request that it be made to pay a much larger fine for activities that did not amount to fraud.
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June 14, 2024
Feds Lob New Charges Over $430M Dark Web Market
Two owners of an online marketplace known as Empire Market were hit Thursday with additional charges alleging that over a period of years they allowed users worldwide to buy and sell $430 million worth of illegal goods and services.
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June 14, 2024
Guo's Crypto Venture Raised 'Red Flags,' Investigator Says
A compliance investigator at cryptocurrency wallet provider BitGo testified in Manhattan federal court Friday that he identified multiple "financial crime red flags" in the digital asset exchange promoted by Chinese dissident Miles Guo.
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June 13, 2024
Visa, Mastercard Fee Deal Not 'Likely' To Get Court Approval
A New York federal judge said at a hearing Thursday that she will "likely not approve" Mastercard and Visa's proposed settlement in long-running litigation over merchant transaction fees, according to the case docket.
Expert Analysis
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Bankruptcy Courts' Role In Shaping Crypto's Legal Framework
Massive financial and criminal liability has led to the recent collapse of major cryptocurrency companies and put bankruptcy courts in the spotlight, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive regulatory framework, say Tara Pakrouh and Eric Monzo at Morris James.
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Handling Customer Complaints In Bank-Fintech Partnerships
As regulators mine consumer complaint databases for their next investigative targets, it is critical that fintech and bank partners adopt a well-defined and monitored process for ensuring proper complaint handling, including by demonstrating proficiency and following interagency guidance, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
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Series
Illinois Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
In the first quarter of 2024, Illinois lawmakers proposed a stack of bills aimed at modernizing money transmission, digital assets and banking laws, with a particular focus on improving consumer protections and better defining the state’s authority to regulate digital services, say James Morrissey and Mark Svalina at Vedder Price.
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Defense Attys Must Prep For Imminent AI Crime Enforcement
Given recent statements by U.S. Department of Justice officials, white collar practitioners should expect to encounter artificial intelligence in federal criminal enforcement in the near term, even in pending cases, say Jarrod Schaeffer and Scott Glicksman at Abell Eskew.
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Series
Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
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Opinion
The SEC Is Engaging In Regulation By Destruction
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent use of regulation by enforcement against digital assets indicates it's more interested in causing harm to crypto companies than providing guidance to the markets or protecting investors, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University.
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Series
NJ Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
Early 2024 developments in New Jersey financial regulations include new bills that propose regulating some cryptocurrency as securities and protecting banks that serve the cannabis industry, as well as the signing of a data privacy law that could change banks’ responsibility to vet vendors and borrowers, say attorneys at Chiesa Shahinian.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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ShapeShift Fine Epitomizes SEC's Crypto Policy, And Its Flaws
A recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission order imposing a fine on former cryptocurrency exchange ShapeShift for failing to register as a securities dealer showcases the SEC's regulation-by-enforcement approach, but the dissent by two commissioners raises valid concerns that the agency's embrace of ambiguity over clarity risks hampering the growth of the crypto economy, says Keith Blackman at Bracewell.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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Overdraft Opt-In Practices Hold Risks For Banks
A recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau action against Atlantic Union Bank regarding overdraft opt-in sales practices highlights compliance risks that financial institutions must be aware of, especially when enrolling customers by phone, says Kristen Larson at Ballard Spahr.
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How Experian, Apple Aid CFPB's 'Buy Now, Pay Later' Goals
Experian’s recent voluntary addition of Apple's “buy now, pay later” loans to consumer credit reports makes now a useful occasion to reflect on past Consumer Financial Protection Bureau calls for wider transparency around these products, and to analyze how its stated priorities for regulating them may shape coming bureau guidance and rules, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.
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Ready Or Not, Big Tech Should Expect CFPB Surveillance
In light of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposed plan to supervise large companies providing the vast majority of digital money transfers, not only will Big Tech have to prepare for regulation previously reserved for traditional banks, but the CFPB will also likely face some difficult decisions and obstacles, says Meredith Osborn at Arnold & Porter.