MFDF News Feed

December 20, 2024

The Directors' Institute offers fund independent directors an unique opportunity, using a case study format, to discuss new approaches to critical boardroom issues with experts and their peers in the fund industry.

December 19, 2024

In a recent client alert, Davis Polk highlights potential areas for tax reform in the next Congress and presidential administration.

December 18, 2024

The article addresses the evolving use of AI across the investment management industry and the challenges presented by its rapid growth.

December 17, 2024

The session will cover the applications of skills matrices in fund boardrooms, including how they may be useful in self-assessment and recruitment processes, as well as in circumstances of leadership succession planning and board mergers.

December 16, 2024

Panelists will offer helpful tips and policies to build cyber resilience against evolving threats while also helping professionals better understand SEC cybersecurity disclosure requirements and global regulation trends.

December 11, 2024

Many of the individuals interviewed noted the headwinds in the DEI space but offered suggestions to manage those in the short- and long-term, which includes ensuring the pipeline of exceptional diverse candidates continues to grow and noting that boards should also recruit beyond traditional backgrounds.

December 10, 2024

Stacy Fuller and Kevin Gustafson, partners at K&L Gates, will highlight the differences between oversight responsibilities for boards based on the various ETF product structures and exposures.

December 9, 2024

Cindy Beyea, Harry Pangas, and Darius Ravangard, partners at Dechert LLP, will discuss key topics and considerations for BDC independent directors, including valuation, co-investment, and other affiliated transactions.

December 5, 2024

President-Elect Donald Trump nominated Paul Atkins to serve as the next Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Atkins is widely known as a supporter of cryptocurrency and will likely focus on this area if confirmed. In a social media post, President-Elect Trump noted that Atkins “recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before."

December 5, 2024

The framework provides additional considerations such as setting expectations for the conversion project, early and ongoing communication, and understanding market flows, among others.

December 4, 2024

The program will prepare audit committees and management teams for upcoming year-end meetings and explore top-of-mind issues for audit committees heading into 2025.

December 3, 2024

In five administrative actions, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged JPMorgan Securities LLC and JPMorgan Investment Management for alleged failures including, “misleading disclosures to investors, breach of fiduciary duty, prohibited joint transactions and principal trades, and failures to make recommendations in the best interest of customers.” The two affiliates of JPMorgan Chase & Co. agreed to pay more than $151 million in combined civil penalties as well as voluntary payments to investors to resolve four of the ­actions.

December 2, 2024

In November, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair, Gary Gensler, announced his intention to depart from his role on Monday, January 20, 2025. During his tenure, he advanced several new rules including Money Market Fund reforms, Names Rule amendments, changes to Form N-PORT and N-CEN, shortening the settlement cycle to T+1, as well as additional final rules on central clearing, the National Market System, private fund reporting, and others.

November 21, 2024

The seminar covered topics including information security, registered funds, private funds, marketing, registered advisers and hot topics. Much of the discussion focused on items pulled from recent headlines and regulatory focus areas, including off-channel communications enforcement actions, cybersecurity, vendor oversight, private credit, share-class selection and conflicts of interest.

November 20, 2024

The webinar will highlight results from the latest survey which includes aggregate compensation data received through confidential questionnaires from fund CCOs and other industry executives.

November 19, 2024

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Invesco Advisers for making misleading statements regarding the total percentage of ESG integrated investments held in company-wide assets under management. Additionally, the Commission found that Invesco had no written policies as to what constitutes ESG integration.

November 18, 2024

As part of MFDF's ETF webinar series, Scott will walk the audience through in-kind transactions, custom in-kind baskets, and how ETF portfolio managers leverage these transactions to create the tax efficiencies that distinguish ETFs from their mutual fund counterparts.

November 14, 2024

The risk alert covers areas related to board oversight of advisory and sub-advisory contracts, compliance programs, disclosure documents, and other matters. Regarding compliance policies and procedures, the Commission staff noted weaknesses with enforcing stated policies and procedures, examining the effectiveness of policies and procedures, and CCOs that did not provide the required written annual compliance reports to fund boards.

November 13, 2024

In his speech, Chair Gensler noted retail investors participate in credit markets through registered investment funds, adding that the Commission adopted amendments to require more frequent portfolio disclosure for registered funds because “more frequent disclosure not only gives investors more regular access to how their funds are meeting their investment objectives, but also supports the Commission’s oversight of these funds.”

November 12, 2024

The program will highlight risks associated with generative AI platforms, a framework for using generative AI, and best practices surrounding AI use.