California Corporate & Securities Law

The California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation recently posted its 2023 Annual Report to the Legislature regarding its broker-dealer and investment adviser programs. The report's title is a bit of a misnomer as most of the data in...

Readers may recall that last December, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, HR 2617. This legislation included a statutory exemption for mergers and acquisition brokers. 15 U.S.C. § 78(o)(b)(13). That exemption took...

Those who made it to page 1,080 of H.R. 2617 (the "Consolidated Appropriations Act") will know that Congress has amended Section 15(b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 to exempt "M&A Brokers" from the requirement to register as brokers...

AThe Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, aka FINRA, is a non-profit Delaware corporation. It was formed in 2007 by the combination of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and the regulatory arm of the New York Stock Exchange,...

In Yokell v. Draper, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117427, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley wrote that "California Code of Civil Procedure section 1029.8 provides a private right of action for persons harmed by "[unlicensed persons who cause...

Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved Regulation Best Interest.  According to the SEC's announcement, this new regulation will require brokers "to act in the best interest of a retail customer when making a recommendation of any...

Recently, I wrote about the Nevada Secretary of State's proposal to adopt regulations implementing legislation that imposes a fiduciary standard on brokers.  See Nevada Secretary Of State Unveils Proposed Broker-Dealer Fiduciary Rules. This rule...

Last month, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed to established a standard of conduct for broker-dealers when making a recommendation of any securities transaction or investment strategy involving securities to a retail customer. If...

Today's post picks up where I left of more than seven years ago with the question of whether a licensed real estate broker must be licensed as a broker-dealer under the California Corporate Securities Law of 1968.  See Does George Babbitt Need a...