The Texas Securities Commissioner recently entered into a consent order with an investment adviser representative (also referred to as an “IAR”) related to his performance fee arrangement and trading practices.
Category Archives: Texas Investment Advisor
Texas Securities Board Amends Rules to Harmonize with SEC’s New Accredited Investor Definition
March 29, 2021
On March 21, 2021, the Texas Securities Board adopted several amendments to its rules and regulations for registered investment advisers and other financial institutions, intended to harmonize the state’s rules with the amended definitions of accredited investor and qualified institutional buyer implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in December 2020. Concurrently, the Texas Securities Board adopted additional amendments which affect broker dealers and other financial institutions other than registered investment advisers. A summary of the most recent changes adopted by the Texas Securities Board is available here.
Texas State Securities Board – Temporary Office and Work Location Filing Relief Extended
July 27, 2020
The Texas State Securities Board has announced extended relief from certain filing obligations for securities professionals regulated by Texas, including state registered investment advisers and investment adviser representatives. Filers that would otherwise be required to update a filing solely to report a change in the office of employment address of an employee, agent, or representative, or any newly opened temporary branch or office location between March 13, 2020 and September 30, 2020 will not be penalized or sanctioned for not updating a filing to reflect a temporary branch or work location or space-sharing arrangement. When first announced in March 2020, the waiver ended on June 30, 2020.
Nebraska Private Fund Adviser Exemption
May 17, 2016
On May 11, 2016, the Securities Bureau of the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance (NDBF) adopted a new administrative rule that excludes investment advisers to private funds from the definition of “investment adviser”. This means that an investment adviser who solely advises private funds will not be subject to Nebraska’s investment adviser books and records requirements among other requirements for state registered investment advisers.
State Registered Investment Advisors Can Choose to Notice File or Register with the Texas State Securities Board
September 12, 2012
State registered investment advisors located outside of Texas but conducting business with at least one client residing in Texas and less than six Texas residents can choose whether they would rather notice file or register with the Texas State Securities Board, the state securities regulator in Texas. The fee to notice file or register is the same, but if the state registered investment advisor chooses to notice file, there is less paperwork and the process is completed more quickly.
Certain State Securities Regulators Require Branch Registration for Investment Advisers
August 24, 2012
Fifteen states require investment advisers to register their branch offices with the state securities regulator. Currently, the Alabama Securities Commission, the Arkansas Securities Department, the Connecticut Department of Banking, Securities and Business Investments Division, Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation , Hawaii’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Idaho’s Department of Finance, the Illinois Securities Department, Maine’s Office of Securities, the New Hampshire Bureau of Securities, the New Mexico Securities Division, the Ohio Department of Commerce, the Texas State Securities Board, Vermont’s Department of Financial Regulation, the West Virginia Securities Commission, and Wisconsin’s Department of Financial Institutions require investment adviser branch offices to register with state securities regulators. Some of these 15 state securities regulators require an investment adviser branch office registration fee while other states only require registration of each investment adviser branch located in their state. For state securities regulators that do charge branch office registration fees, the charges range from $20 (by the Illinois Securities Department) to $300 (by the New Mexico Securities Division). For further information on the investment adviser registration requirements in each state, refer to the North American Securities Administrators Association (“NASAA”) website.
