Compliance & Ethics

Federal Regulators Impose $135.6 Million in Fines on Citigroup for Ongoing Compliance Issues

The Federal Reserve Board and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) have levied combined fines of $135.6 million against Citigroup and its subsidiary Citibank for persistent deficiencies in risk management and internal controls.

Rite Aid & Subsidiaries to Pay $121 Million in False Claims Settlement

Rite Aid Corporation and its subsidiaries have agreed to pay $121 million to resolve allegations of violating the False Claims Act. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the settlement on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, marking a major enforcement action against one of the country's largest retail pharmacy chains.

Fifth Third Bank Faces $20 Million in Penalties for Illegal Practices

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has taken action against Fifth Third Bank for a series of illegal activities, resulting in $20 million in penalties and mandatory redress for approximately 35,000 affected consumers. The enforcement actions, announced on July 9, 2024, address two primary issues: forced auto insurance and the creation of unauthorized bank accounts.

Elevating Governance, Risk Management, & Compliance: From Compliance-Centric to Performance-Driven Integration

In today's landscape of governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC), there's a prevalent but often misguided approach that begins with compliance rather than governance. If we were to parse the acronym logically, one might expect it to be CRG, or even Cr (intentionally lowercase), reflecting the common tendency where compliance takes precedence over governance and strategic performance considerations. This approach, while common, can lead to fragmented risk management efforts and overlooks the foundational role that governance plays in setting objectives and guiding risk mitigation strategies.

Powell Urges Re-Proposal of Basel III Endgame Plan

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell emphasized the necessity of seeking additional feedback on the controversial Basel III Endgame proposal during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Tuesday, according to a recent Reuters report. Powell stated that it is the "strongly held" view of the Fed board that further input is needed before finalizing the plan, which aims to overhaul how large banks assess risk and determine capital requirements.

CFTC Unveils Spring 2024 Regulatory Agenda Amid Controversy

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) recently unveiled its Spring 2024 regulatory agenda, part of the government-wide Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. This agenda outlines the CFTC’s anticipated rulemakings for the upcoming year. While the agenda includes several noteworthy rulemaking matters, the exclusion of a key proposed rulemaking regarding the CFTC’s uncleared swap margin rules has sparked significant debate within the Commission.

Boeing's Deferred Prosecution Agreement Over 737 Max Fraud Conspiracy

On January 7, 2021, Boeing entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to resolve a criminal charge related to a conspiracy to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aircraft Evaluation Group (FAA AEG). This resolution stems from Boeing’s fraudulent conduct in the evaluation of its 737 MAX airplane.