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Oct 14 2011 ∞

COMPLY: SEC wants CEOs to talk compliance


* Discussions with CEOs can empower compliance officers* Strategy makes CEOs more accountable for proceduresOct 14 (Reuters) - Chief executives and top managers will be seen more on the front lines when Securities and Exchange Commission representatives show up in brokerage offices for exams and tests.The Securities and Exchange Commission say they are involving the higher ups as a way to get more respect for chief compliance officers.To start with, the agency is changing the way it handles its routine compliance exams by requiring the involvement of securities firm executives so they cannot leave the details entirely to compliance officers.Top managers recently began meeting with SEC examiners to answer questions during regular onsite visits, Kevin Goodman, associate regional director of examinations in the SEC’s Denver office, told Reuters. Those meetings will continue to be a regular part of exams, he said.This is a departure from past practice, when chief compliance officers were typically the agency’s main contact points during examinations. It was the role of compliance officers to field any questions and arrange meetings with higher-ups when needed.For other executives, preparing to speak with regulators about these issues should help reinforce a firm’s compliance culture at the highest level of management, Goodman said.”The process encourages executives to really listen to what the CCO needs to carry out an effective risk and compliance program,” Goodman said. Agency examiners will also ask executives about risk management practices, he said.The change could help bolster the role of compliance officers. Compliance experts say that in some firms, the head of compliance has the executive title, but not the authority or support from top executives to carry out the many policies and procedures that regulators require.In the worst cases, top executives might ignore or even fire the compliance officer for alerting them to a problem the firm needs to address, compliance professionals say. Among the thornier issues compliance professionals say could lead to retaliation against a CCO are reporting that an executive is running a lucrative outside business without the firm’s permission, or recommending termination of a top-producing broker who routinely sells unsuitable investments to clients.Requiring chief executives to participate in routine SEC examinations “makes them more accountable,” says Guy Talarico, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Alaric Compliance Services LLC, a New York-based consulting firm. “You don’t want the entire burden falling on the shoulders of the CCO.”Routine SEC examinations don’t happen frequently. Examiners visit each of the nearly 11,000 investment advisers registered with the agency about once every 11 years, according to a recent SEC study. But that doesn’t diminish the seriousness of the process when examiners actually do arrive.In the past, the SEC could talk to a chief executive, but often did not unless they had a special reason — clarifying something a CEO said for example — ostensibly sending the message that CEOs weren’t on the hook for a firm’s compliance culture.Preparing for the questions examiners may ask helps engage senior management in a firm’s overall compliance process, says Lori Richards, former director of the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations. Prepping for a broad question about how the firm meets its fiduciary obligations could help focus an executive on a firm’s potential conflicts of interest and how they’re disclosed to investors, she said.Richards, based on her experiences, doesn’t expect the meetings to resemble a hard-core investigation or drag on all day. A 90-minute conversation is probably what executives can expect, said Richards, now a principal at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC in Washington, D.C.And simply speaking in broad terms about compliance won’t be enough to satisfy examiners, she said. An effective compliance program “will have to exist in reality,” for examiners to walk away satisfied, she said.The new emphasis on executive input doesn’t mean the agency is out to get executives, said Goodman.”Executives are not expected to know every detail, but examiners will be considering whether they’re actively involved in compliance and risk management,” said Goodman.

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Oct 13 2011 ∞

UPDATE 2-Northrop pulls out of Farnborough air show


By Andrea Shalal-EsaWASHINGTON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Northrop Grumman Corp on Thursday pulled out of the 2012 international air show in Farnborough, England, a dramatic move underscoring the company’s drive to cut costs as it prepares for leaner times in the global defense market.Northrop has participated in the air shows — which alternate between Paris and Farnborough — each year, without interruption, since it merged with Grumman in 1994, said spokesman Randy Belote.Belote said the company had already been reducing its footprint at the international air shows in recent years, but pulling out completely would save millions of dollars.He said it did not diminish the company’s commitment to Britain or other international customers.”Northrop Grumman continues to focus its international business development activities and resources in areas that better support its customers’ needs,” he said.Virginia-based defense consultant Loren Thompson said it would be the first time in decades that the company — one of the five largest U.S. defense contractors — was not present at the big international showcase of commercial and military aircraft.”This is just the latest indication of how determined Chairman Wes Bush is to cut costs,” Thompson told Reuters. “They’re going to break the mold in terms of what is expected in terms of industry leaders.”Bush has realigned the company around four business areas focused on cybersecurity, logistics, communications and intelligence, and unmanned systems, and recently spun off the company’s shipbuilding business.The company, which moved its headquarters to the Virginia from Los Angeles this year to be closer to key government customers, has also cut headcount and reduced its exposure to lower-margin work. Northrop derives more than 90 percent of its revenue from the U.S. government.Belote said Northrop was reevaluating its participation in other international air shows as well, but was only prepared to announce its decision about Farnborough at this point.Northrop and other arms companies have been scaling back the lavish parties, free-flowing alcohol and luxurious company “chalets” at the Paris and Farnborough air shows in recent years, concerned that too ostentatious of a presence could undermine their promises to improve affordability.Lockheed Martin Corp decided in 2010 to halve its corporate presence at that year’s Farnborough air show, and stopped sending top executives like Chief Executive Robert Stevens. The company had no immediate comment on its plans for the 2012 air show.Boeing Co and Airbus, part of Europe’s EADS , have grown weary of the ever-growing number of air shows in recent years, according to industry insiders, who say the companies would be happy to scale back.

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UPDATE 2-Northrop pulls out of Farnborough air show


By Andrea Shalal-EsaWASHINGTON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Northrop Grumman Corp on Thursday pulled out of the 2012 international air show in Farnborough, England, a dramatic move underscoring the company’s drive to cut costs as it prepares for leaner times in the global defense market.Northrop has participated in the air shows — which alternate between Paris and Farnborough — each year, without interruption, since it merged with Grumman in 1994, said spokesman Randy Belote.Belote said the company had already been reducing its footprint at the international air shows in recent years, but pulling out completely would save millions of dollars.He said it did not diminish the company’s commitment to Britain or other international customers.”Northrop Grumman continues to focus its international business development activities and resources in areas that better support its customers’ needs,” he said.Virginia-based defense consultant Loren Thompson said it would be the fi

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