What Some BDs are Doing Wrong in Cybersecurity June 28, 2017 | by Rita Raagas De Ramos | Financial Advisor IQ Finra has found six common cybersecurity weaknesses it has observed from examinations of its member-firms. And the failings read as a to-do list of things broker-dealers should do to ensure their cybersecurity is up to scratch. These…

Yellen: Banks 'very much stronger'; another financial crisis not likely 'in our lifetime' June 27, 2017 | by Jeff Cox | CNBC Fed Chair Janet Yellen said Tuesday that banks are "very much stronger" and another financial crisis is unlikely anytime soon. Speaking during an exchange in London with British Academy President Lord Nicholas Stern, the central bank chief said the…

Labor's Alexander Acosta and SEC's Jay Clayton tell lawmakers they will work together on fiduciary rule In separate appearances before Senate panels, the regulators stressed the cooperation that Republican legislators and opponents of the DOL fiduciary rule are demanding June 27, 2017 | by Mark Schoeff Jr. | InvestmentNews Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta and Securities and Exchange…

U.S. apartment vacancy rate edges up in second quarter: Reis June 27, 2017 | Reuters The U.S. apartment vacancy rate increased in the second quarter and rents were higher, according to a report from Reis Inc (REIS.O). The national vacancy rate rose slightly to 4.4 percent in the second quarter from 4.3 percent in the…

Real estate investors watching Washington to glean sector impacts June 21, 2017 | by ARLEEN JACOBIUS | Pensions & Investments  Unlike some asset classes, commercial real estate did not participate in the so-called Trump bump. But real estate growth in coming years could, in part, be affected by which of the administration’s policies becomes reality, according to…

SEC Moving Forward on Fiduciary Rule, Clayton Says The SEC chairman tells Congress that he will coordinate the agency’s fiduciary rule with Labor’s version June 27, 2017 | by Melanie Waddell | ThinkAdvisor Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton on Tuesday signaled that the agency is moving ahead on a coordinated fiduciary rule with the Department…

Broker-Dealers Call for End to Regulation by Enforcement June 26, 2017 | by Rita Raagas De Ramos | Financial Advisor IQ Executives at broker-dealer firms speaking at a compliance trends panel during Finra’s annual conference last month were united in calling for an end to regulation by enforcement. In its place they want succinct, clear, tell-it-as-it-is guidelines. “We’d…

Brian Block denies cooking the books at Schorsch REIT Former CFO claims everything he did was 'appropriate' and 'correct' June 27, 2017 | by Bruce Kelly | InvestmentNews Fighting to prove his innocence from federal securities fraud charges, Brian Block, the former CFO of a giant REIT formerly controlled by Nicholas Schorsch, took the stand in federal…

Elevated Demand for Apts. Expected to Remain Due to Household Formation and Lack of Affordable Housing Options As One of Multifamily Sector's Largest Industry Gatherings Winds Down in Atlanta, Researchers Sound Need for Millions of New Units June 22, 2017 | by Randyl Drummer | CoStar Separate studies issued this week share the same conclusion that…