New Service Touts Mortgage Payments by Credit Card : Housing Wire New Service Touts Mortgage Payments by Credit Card

Investment Executive : MFDA proposes change to dual occupations rule “The objective of this requirement is to assist in ensuring that financial planning conducted by [reps] as an outside business activity is subject to a similar level of regulatory oversight as offered by the MFDA and to provide clients with a similar level of protection,” it explains.

Investment Executive : SEC proposes to boost investor protections by reducing reliance on credit ratings The SEC said its proposal would reduce undue reliance on credit ratings and result in improvements in the analysis that underlies investment decisions.

Investment Executive : Fund managers get more time to find investors affected by market-timing settlements Fund managers get more time to find investors affected by market-timing settlements

Investment Executive : SEC finds shortcomings in credit rating agencies’ disclosure to investors …rating agencies, “struggled significantly with the increase in the number and complexity of subprime residential mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations deals since 2002. The examinations uncovered that none of the rating agencies examined had specific written comprehensive procedures for rating RMBS and CDOs. Furthermore, significant aspects of the rating process were not always disclosed or even documented by the firms, and conflicts of interest were not always managed appropriately.”

Investment Executive : Quebec regulator seeks cash from people in Norbourg case The Autorité des marchés financiers says it is seeking to recover almost $32 million from various people and firms involved with the sales of Norbourg funds.

Investment Executive : Bernanke, Paulson push for U.S. regulatory overhaul …Bernanke addressed three issues: the supervisory oversight of primary dealers; the need to strengthen the financial infrastructure; and the possible need for new tools for facilitating the orderly liquidation of a systemically important securities firm.

Investment Executive : ASC sanctions four men connected with Amber Enterprises …DeVries, Grafke, Bromley and Campbell also raised approximately $600,000 from 12 Alberta investors without being registered with the ASC or having filed a prospectus as required under Alberta securities laws

Bank Lawyer’s Blog: More About Confession …"an unflattering portrait of an industry that claimed to be all about helping people…achieve the American Dream but was really about grabbing loan-origination fees and foisting the dud mortgages on investors."

Canadian Privacy Law Blog: Privacy protections disappear with a judge’s order …a recent federal court ruling ordering the disclosure of YouTube viewership records underscores the reality that even the most benevolent company can only do so much to guard your digital life: All their protections can vanish with one stroke of a judge’s pen.