The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have fined three firms, two in the same group for ‘widespread and longstanding’ failures by the firms and their employees to maintain and preserve electronic communications. To settle the SEC charges, both firms acknowledged that their conduct violated recordkeeping provisions and agreed to pay penalties of $15 million and $7.5m, respectively. In related actions, the CFTC brought cases against two firms in the same group for failing to maintain, preserve, or produce records, and failing to diligently supervise matters related to their businesses. The firms were fined $15 million. The CFTC also fined a firm $30 million regarding recordkeeping and supervision failures for the widespread use of unapproved communication methods.
