After the financial crisis, 2011 saw a revival in the United States of offerings of collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), one of the structured credit products that proved resilient during the financial crisis. CLOs primarily invest in loans to non-investment-grade commercial and industrial enterprises and, unlike collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), which invest in mortgage-backed securities, CLOs

On July 12, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) announced that investment firm ValueAct had entered into a consent decree in which it agreed to pay $11 million to settle charges that two of its affiliated funds acquired large stakes in Halliburton Company (“Halliburton”) and Baker Hughes Incorporated (“Baker Hughes”) in violation of

As we move deeper into another election season, investment advisers should consider refreshing their efforts to comply effectively with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rule on their political contributions — known as the pay-to-play rule. Although it’s more than five years old, Rule 206(4)-5 has not been easily integrated into many advisers’ compliance programs. If

On April 7, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s proposed amendments to NASD rule 1032 (Categories of Representative Registration). These amendments will require FINRA members to register associated persons who are primarily responsible for the design, development or significant modification of “algorithmic trading strategies” (or for the day-to-day supervision

Over the past year, there have been regulatory actions that implement or modify the risk retention regulations and requirements applicable to collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) in both the U.S. and the EU. In light of these regulatory changes, CLO managers have developed legal structures to enable them to comply with risk retention requirements.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission issued a release on Dec. 11, 2015 proposing a new rule that would establish new limitations on the use of derivatives by registered investment companies and business development companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Proposed Rule 18f-4 would also regulate other trading practices of such funds, including short

The SEC’s recent release proposing the adoption of new Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 is the culmination of years of focus on the concept of hidden leverage. Indeed, the SEC’s Concept Releases date back to 2011. The SEC is particularly concerned about funds where the risks of leverage may not be

SRZ on Aug. 11, 2015 submitted comments to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on the agency’s proposed amendments to Form ADV and the corresponding rules under the Investment Advisers Act. SRZ’s comment letter addresses confidentiality concerns about the proposal’s obligation for advisers to make detailed disclosure of proprietary information regarding separately managed accounts. The

In the proposing release for the Form ADV amendments, the SEC is asking advisers to provide substantial amounts of information on their managed accounts. The new information gathered on Form ADV is meant to be a complement to Form PF data that is already collected by the U.S. government. The questions differ slightly and managers

Cybersecurity continues to be a priority for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations conducted a cybersecurity “sweep” examination in 2014 and released a summary of its results in early 2015. The SEC’s Division of Investment Management — which regulates investment companies and investment advisers — has now