News & Events – Bates News

Bates is pleased to announce the return of Chris Riper as Managing Director for complex litigation and regulatory matters.

The summer has flown by, and now back-to-school (and back-to-office) is here again. We’ve compiled some items you might have missed and some upcoming events to look forward to this fall

Bates Consulting and Testifying Clay Grumke was recently interviewed by CNBC for a short video documentary on Insider Trading. Watch now!

Patrick Cox, Bates Consulting and Testifying Expert, was recently interviewed by Financial Advisor IQ reporter Brianna Monsanto concerning the Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent July 26, 2023 proposal around mitigating conflicts of interest relating to predictive data analytics and the implications, including with Reg BI.

Bates Regulatory and Internal Investigations Managing Consultant Lindsey Dean, CPA, CFE to speak at the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation’s Enforcement Division Staff Conference, Wednesday, May 10, 2023 in San Diego, CA.

Bates is proud to announce the appointment of Benjamin R. Pappas as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Previously, Pappas was Bates Group’s President, where he was responsible for driving the firm’s overall growth strategy. Pappas succeeds former CEO Jennifer Stout, who will be taking up new roles as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors and Senior Executive Advisor to the firm.

Bates Group welcomes our newest consulting and testifying experts:

Nicholas Bowman, CFP®, CEP®, MSPFP

James A. Kamradt

Bridget McNamara-Fenesy, JD

David M. Minnick

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) engages in rigorous examinations of financial institutions to ensure that they follow all applicable laws and regulations, have effective compliance management systems in place, and provide meaningful consumer protections. Bates Group offers independent consumer compliance reviews to help protect your business and customers.

Publications including ThinkAdvisor, Law360, SIFMA SmartBrief, and Politico have all recently mentioned Ira D. Hammerman's new role as Bates Group Managing Director.

We are proud to announce that Ira D. Hammerman has joined Bates Group as Managing Director. 

Bates Group AML Compliance and Virtual Assets Managing Director Brandi Reynolds, CAMS-Audit, will appear at the upcoming SWIFS Lunch and Learn "Fireside Chat: Crypto in the News" - Tuesday, February 14, 2023.

Meet Bates Group's Testifying experts specializing in Blockchain and Digital Assets, including Crypto and Virtual Currencies.

Bates Group consultants Brandi Reynolds and John Ashley have combined their expertise with other AML, cryptoasset and law enforcement professionals to create an innovative new certification for financial crimes in the crypto space -- the “Certified Cryptoasset AFC Specialist" (CCAS) Certification from ACAMS.

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Financial institutions play a critical role in helping to fight human smuggling and human trafficking by identifying suspicious behavior and sharing crucial intelligence with law enforcement officials.

Bates Managing Director Brandi Reynolds, BSA/AML Compliance, MSBs, FinTech, and Virtual Assets, is featured in the latest issue of CrossTech Magazine. Read online now!

FINRA has remained focused on ensuring that eligible customers received Rights of Reinstatement (“ROR”) benefits where appropriate. Just recently, we were retained by another large firm looking to leverage the depth of our experience gained through many engagements assisting our clients with Rights of Reinstatement issues since the targeted examination announcement in 2020. Contact Bates today if you are facing a FINRA inquiry or other action or need to update your policies and procedures.