Category: General

Catching Up with Two Recent Compliance Studies: LRN and Ethisphere

With the growth of the compliance profession and the importance of compliance functions as part of corporate governance, there has been a significant increase in the quantity and quality of compliance studies and surveys.  It takes time to keep up with all the compliance information being developed and released. Here is a quick summary with links to some important new publications in this area: LRN’s...

Third-Party Risk Management: Managing the Information Flow

We are living in rapidly changing times.  I know it sounds trite but it is amazing when you witness rapid innovation and change.  Even in our narrow corner of life involving ethics and compliance, we can see change occurring right before our eyes. When you review due diligence and third-party risk management, there has certainly been significant advances in capabilities to identify risks, uncover relevant...

Corporate Culture and “Benign” Indifference

All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure. Mark Twain People are good at convincing themselves that everything is okay, despite troubling indications.  Sometimes it is easier to ignore warning signs than to face the harsh reality.  It is really a part of the human condition – we fail to intervene or take action unless required to do...

What Happens When Managers Misbehave?

Company managers are the lynchpin of a corporate compliance program.  Without belaboring the Tinkers to Evers to Chance baseball analogy, a corporate culture of compliance requires an important information and accountability flow (or cascade) from leadership to senior managers to on-the-ground managers.  It is at this level that the compliance message requires effective communications and conduct by managers directly to employees.  This is where the...

Watch Bureau Van Dijk Webinar Replay — “Is Power and Control the New Beneficial Ownership?”

On May 16, 2019, I participated in a live webinar sponsored by Bureau Van Dijk, “Is Power and Control the New Beneficial Ownership?” The panel discussion was interesting and insightful. Ted Datta, Director, Governance, Risk and Compliance Solutions, Bureau van Dijk, Bill Hauserman, Senior Director, Compliance Solutions, Bureau van Dijk, and myself. The replay is available HERE. (Replay begins at 14:00) The discussion covered a...

The Positive and Negative Mix of Corporate Compliance Trends

We all like to believe in straight-forward and consistent trends and developments.  For example, compliance programs are improving, budgets are increasing, and CCOs are embracing new technologies.  Everything is just rosy when it comes to compliance.  But reality is far from consistent and far from simple trend lines and straight-forward explanations. Please do not get me wrong – over the last ten years, the rise...

Report from SEC Conference: Compliance, Cooperation and Culture

Jessica Sanderson, Senior Counsel at The Volkov Law Group, recently attended the Rocky Mountain Securities Conference in Denver, Colorado.  Jessica’s posting summarizes the major compliance themes from the conference.  Jessica can be reached at [email protected]. On Friday May 3, 2019, I attended the Rocky Mountain Securities Conference in Denver and heard from a number of regulators and industry experts, including SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce. SEC...

OFAC Framework for Sanctions Compliance Programs – Review of Lessons Learned from Enforcement Actions (Part IV of IV)

The Volkov Law Group has scheduled a free webinar to review OFAC’s new Framework for Sanctions Compliance Programs for May 22, 2019, at 12 Noon EST. Sign Up Here. OFAC’s new compliance framework includes a valuable section on common root causes of OFAC violations.  OFAC has included this discussion to assist companies in designing, updating and amending their respective Sanctions Compliance Programs (SCPs).  The discussion...

OFAC Framework for Sanctions Compliance Programs – Testing and Auditing and Training (Part III of IV)

The Volkov Law Group has scheduled a free webinar to review OFAC’s new Framework for Sanctions Compliance Programs for May 22, 2019, at 12 Noon EST. Sign Up Here. OFAC’s new Framework for Sanctions Compliance Programs incorporates a number of important principles from Justice Department and US Sentencing Guideline requirements for effective compliance programs.  Today, I am going to review the requirements relating to Testing...

OFAC Framework for Sanctions Compliance Programs – Risk Assessment and Internal Controls (Part II of IV)

The Volkov Law Group has scheduled a free webinar to review OFAC’s new Framework for Sanctions Compliance Programs for May 22, 2019, at 12 Noon EST. Sign Up Here. OFAC’s Framework for Sanctions Controls Program is a heightening of the importance of ethics and compliance program and reflects significant expectations for implementing effective compliance strategies.  Risk Assessment In Risk Assessment, OFAC recommends that organizations conduct...