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Fintech
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April 18, 2024
Wife Of Alleged $3B TelexFree Scammer 'Hounded' In MDL
The estranged wife of alleged TelexFree Ponzi schemer Carlos Wanzeler said Thursday that plaintiffs in a decade-old civil suit are needlessly "hounding" her for information they already have and urged a Massachusetts federal court to free her from the "litigation purgatory."
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April 18, 2024
Crypto Trader Convicted Of $110M Mango Markets Scam
A Manhattan federal jury found a cryptocurrency trader guilty Thursday of illegally taking $110 million out of Mango Markets by inflating the value of its tokens, then borrowing against that valuation to suck money out of the decentralized exchange.
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April 17, 2024
Ethics Panel Douses Judge DQ Talk In 5th Circ. CFPB Case
A judicial ethics panel has concluded that recusal isn't automatically required for the Fifth Circuit judge whose financial disclosures have fueled calls for his disqualification from litigation challenging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's $8 credit card late fee rule.
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April 17, 2024
NY Settles With Payroll, Prepaid Card Bank For $700K
Pathward, formerly MetaBank, has reached a $700,000 agreement with New York Attorney General Letitia James to resolve allegations the bank broke the law by freezing certain customer accounts and illegally handing over customer money to debt collectors.
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April 17, 2024
SEC Urged To Rethink Whistleblower Awards To Short-Sellers
A University of Kansas law professor has released research showing that a growing number of corporate outsiders, including short-sellers, are receiving whistleblower rewards from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and he told Law360 on Wednesday the agency should reconsider giving money to those who also seek to profit from trading on the tips they call in.
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April 17, 2024
New Stablecoin Bill Eyes Investor Protections, AML Regime
Sens. Cynthia Lummis, R.-Wyo., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D.-N.Y., have unveiled their long-awaited proposal to regulate stablecoins, which would require issuers to hold full reserves, ban algorithmic stablecoins and define the authority that state and federal banking regulators will have over the tokens.
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April 17, 2024
Flagstar Bank Beats Overdraft 'Fee Maximization' Suit
A Michigan federal judge has shut down a proposed consumer class action that accused Flagstar Bank of unlawfully charging millions of dollars in surprise overdraft fees, ruling that the bank had provided clarifying disclosures that left no more room for surprise.
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April 17, 2024
Coding Bootcamp Fined $164K For Misleading Student Loans
A company that runs coding "bootcamps" has been permanently banned from consumer lending after U.S. regulators found it inflated its job placement rates to students and lied to them about a tuition financing program that turned out to be risky loans.
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April 17, 2024
Trader's Alleged $110M Mango Markets Fraud In Jury's Hands
A Manhattan federal jury weighed charges Wednesday against a cryptocurrency trader accused of illegally squeezing $110 million out of Mango Markets by inflating the finance platform's tokens, then borrowing against them, allegedly taking "supply and demand into his own hands."
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April 17, 2024
Swedish Tax Investigations Add $90M To Crypto Miners' Bills
Investigations revealed that a number of cryptocurrency mining centers in Sweden misrepresented their business dealings, which led to the Swedish Tax Agency doling out a total of 990 million Swedish krona ($90 million) in increased tax liabilities, the agency said Wednesday.
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April 17, 2024
Bankman-Fried Appeal May Cite Unusual Preview Testimony
Sam Bankman-Fried's appeal of his conviction and 25-year prison sentence may cite a "rather unprecedented" trial procedure in which the FTX founder gave provisional testimony before officially taking the witness stand last year, one of his attorneys said Wednesday.
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April 17, 2024
Judge Merges Axos Bank Suits But Won't Appoint Counsel Yet
A California federal judge has agreed to consolidate a pair of cases over how Axos handled interest rates on savings deposit accounts offered through an online banking division, but rejected its customers' bid to name three law firms as interim co-lead counsel, saying it is not necessary at this time since more consolidation could occur.
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April 17, 2024
IBM Privacy Head Says AI Needs Transparency To Be Trusted
To combat artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, disinformation and bias requires transparent, open-sourced AI models and swift regulations that protect elections, creators and the public, says IBM's Chief Privacy & Trust Officer Christina Montgomery.
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April 16, 2024
Crypto Co. Can't Be Sued Over 'Scam Token,' 2nd Circ. Hears
The business, founder and venture capital backers behind decentralized cryptocurrency exchange Uniswap Labs told the Second Circuit that a New York federal judge was right to dismiss a suit from investors who claimed they bought scam tokens on the platform since the business didn't enter into any contract with buyers.
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April 16, 2024
9th Circ. Upholds Tossing Skillz Gaming Tech Investor Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a decision to toss a proposed class action claiming that mobile gaming company Skillz Inc. misled investors about its technology prior to a 2021 merger with a special purpose acquisition company, ruling that issues with the gaming software do not make the company' statements false or misleading.
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April 16, 2024
SEC Hit With Class Action Over Database Privacy Concerns
A conservative think tank filed a lawsuit in Texas federal court Tuesday hoping to put an end to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission market surveillance tool known as the consolidated audit trail, arguing in the proposed class action that the database threatens to subject the personal information of tens of millions of American citizens to a possible data breach.
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April 16, 2024
Genesis To Return $2B Of Crypto Under Gemini Settlement
Bankrupt crypto lender Genesis will return 97% of digital assets from a customer program with crypto platform Gemini by early May after a New York bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved a settlement that attorneys for Genesis said closes out bitter disputes and sets it up to repay other creditors under a Chapter 11 plan.
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April 16, 2024
CFPB Moves To 'Streamline' How It Tags Nonbanks For Exams
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday unveiled procedural adjustments to its process for singling out fintech firms and other nonbanks for examination, changes the agency attributed in part to plans for an internal reorganization of its supervision and enforcement unit.
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April 16, 2024
Terraform Creditors Say All Clear To Hire Crypto Tracing Firm
The creditors committee for bankrupt cryptocurrency startup Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd. said on Tuesday it had resolved the only issues the U.S. Trustee's Office had with the committee's request to hire an investment bank to advise it on tracing cryptocurrency in Terraform's Chapter 11 case.
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April 16, 2024
Binance.US Adds Ex-NY Fed Compliance Chief To Board
Binance.US announced Tuesday that it had brought aboard a seasoned compliance and regulation expert to join its board of directors, three months after the cryptocurrency platform hired a new top compliance officer amid federal regulators' ongoing scrutiny of the platform.
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April 16, 2024
Chancery Tosses Zelle Fraud Suit Against JPMorgan Directors
A JPMorgan Chase & Co. shareholder that sued the bank's board for allegedly ignoring fraud on the payment platform Zelle has not shown the bank failed to respond to the problem, a Delaware Chancery Court judge ruled Tuesday, dismissing the shareholder's case.
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April 15, 2024
Dems Grill Chamber Over 'Outrageous' CFPB Card Fee Suit
Two top Democratic senators are calling on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to explain why it sued to block the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's $8 credit card late fee rule, a case they say is "outrageous" and puts the interests of big banks over the group's rank and file.
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April 15, 2024
FTX Liquidators Describe Operating Blindly In Initial Days
The U.S. liquidator for collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX told attendees at the OffshoreAlert Conference in Miami Beach, Florida, the case was unlike any other he'd handled as the company had "no set of books," forcing both onshore and offshore liquidators to scramble to track down assets.
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April 15, 2024
'Pig Butchering' Scams' Human Toll Has Experts Alarmed
Financial institutions, cryptocurrency exchanges and social media companies need to do more to stem a growing tide of so-called pig butchering scams, which experts at the OffshoreAlert Conference in Miami said Monday are wreaking havoc on victims while funding a large human trafficking operation.
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April 15, 2024
Coinbase Wants 2nd Circ. To Weigh Crypto's Howey Question
Crypto exchange Coinbase has asked a Manhattan federal judge to send the question of whether digital assets meet the definition of investment contracts to the Second Circuit, challenging a March order that found the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had adequately pled that the platform offered securities.
Expert Analysis
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As Promised, IRS Is Coming For Crypto Tax Evaders
The IRS is fulfilling its promise to crack down on those who have neglected to pay taxes on cryptocurrency earnings, as demonstrated by recently imposed prison sentences, enforcement initiatives and meetings with international counterparts — suggesting a few key takeaways for taxpayer compliance, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money
As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.
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Following Banking Regulators' Breadcrumbs To 2024 Priorities
Through blog posts, speeches, and formal guidance and regulations, prudential and other federal and state financial regulators laid out a road map last year pointing to compliance priorities that should be reflected in financial institutions' planning this year, say Laurel Loomis Rimon and Gina Shabana at Jenner & Block.
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Series
Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.
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The Questions Around Prometheum's SEC-Compliant Strategy
While the rest of the crypto industry has been engaged in a long-running battle to escape the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's jurisdiction, a once-obscure startup called Prometheum has instead embraced the SEC's view to become the first crypto special-purpose broker-dealer, but it's unclear whether it can turn its favored status into a workable business, says Keith Blackman at Bracewell.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.
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Ex-OpenSea Staffer Case May Clarify When Info Is Property
In considering the appeal of a former OpenSea manager’s wire fraud conviction in U.S. v. Chastain, the Second Circuit may soon provide guidance about whether economic information is traditional property in certain insider trading prosecutions — a theory of fraud that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly narrowed, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Money Transmitter Licensing: An Issue Too Costly To Ignore
Money transmitter licensing has become particularly relevant in recent years as digital currencies and payment technologies have piqued regulator interest, and companies should consider whether they need to be licensed to avoid disruption of operations, as well as significant fines and penalties, says Clayton Swears at Hudson Cook.
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CFPB's Proposed Overdraft Rule Evokes A Dickensian Tale
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new proposed rule, declaring overdraft credit to be under Truth In Lending Act protection, creates tension between vigorous agency action and judicial concerns about administrative overreach that calls to mind Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities," say Eric Mogilnicki and David Stein at Covington.
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Considerations For Lawyer Witnesses After FTX Trial
Sam Bankman-Fried's recent trial testimony about his lawyers' involvement in FTX's business highlights the need for attorney-witnesses to understand privilege issues in order to avoid costly discovery disputes and, potentially, uncover critical evidence an adversary might seek to conceal, says Lawrence Bluestone at Genova Burns.
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Employee Experience Strategy Can Boost Law Firm Success
Amid continuing business uncertainty, law firms should consider adopting a holistic employee experience strategy — prioritizing consistency, targeting signature moments and leveraging measurement tools — to maximize productivity and profitability, says Haley Revel at Calibrate Consulting.
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Series
Competing In Triathlons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While practicing law and competing in long-distance triathlons can make work and life feel unbalanced at times, participating in the sport has revealed important lessons about versatility, self-care and perseverance that apply to the office as much as they do the racecourse, says Laura Heusel at Butler Snow.
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OCC Guidance May Lead Off 'Buy Now, Pay Later' Regulations
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's bulletin released last month to assist national and federal savings banks with managing the risks posed by "buy now, pay later" lending may be the start of increased state legislation or guidance specifically aimed at regulating such loans, say Susan Seaman and Jacob Huston at Husch Blackwell.
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Where Justices Stand On Chevron Doctrine Post-Argument
Following recent oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court, at least four justices appear to be in favor of overturning the long-standing Chevron deference, and three justices seem ready to uphold it, which means the ultimate decision may rest on Chief Justice John Roberts' vote, say Wayne D'Angelo and Zachary Lee at Kelley Drye.
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Perspectives
6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice
An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.