Tag Archive for: Mitch Atkins Speaker

Mitchell C. Atkins to Present at 21st Annual Spring Life Settlement Conference

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mitchell c. atkins

Mitchell C. Atkins, FirstMark’s founder and FINRA broker-dealer consultant will present on the fiduciary duty of agents and advisors at the 21st Annual Spring Life Settlement Conference in Boston on May 5, 2015. He will discuss the obligations of registered persons related to life settlement options when a variable policy is lapsing or is surrendered. Some states require disclosure of life settlements as an option, but this is not universal. Many customers who lapse or surrender a life insurance policy receive less money than if they considered a life settlement. The panel will address where there is an obligation under a fiduciary standard or FINRA Suitability Rules, and how recent DOL proposals regarding the fiduciary standard might impact life settlements. Mitchell C. Atkins has extensive experience in variable insurance products, including variable life settlements and the obligations of representatives and broker-dealers selling these products. While he was employed with FINRA (previously NASD), Atkins was designated as a national regulatory expert in mutual funds and variable insurance products by FINRA. Atkins worked at FINRA (previously NASD) for 20 years and has presented at numerous industry conferences on the topic of variable insurance. For more information about the conference, please visit the Life Settlement Association (LISA) internet site.

LISA is the nation’s oldest and largest organization representing participants in the Settlement Industry with a current membership of over 85 Companies, doing business in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  LISA’s membership consists of Brokers, Providers, Financing Entities, and Service Providers to the industry.

FirstMark Regulatory Solutions was founded by Mitchell C. Atkins in December of 2013 and is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  FirstMark offers a broad range of broker-dealer compliance consulting services, including AML independent testing, FINRA membership applications, internal controls testing, SRO relationship management, strategic advisory, and litigation support.

Mitch Atkins to Discuss CCO Liability at ACFCS Financial Crime Conference in New York City

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Mitch Atkins, founder of FirstMark Regulatory Solutions, is presenting at the Association for Certified Financial Crime Specialists (AFCFS) 2015 Financial Crime Conference on Tuesday, April 21, 2015.  Atkins will participate as a panelist on the Financial Crime Landscape for the Securities Industry panel and will discuss recent trends in chief compliance officer (CCO) and anti-money laundering compliance officer (AMLCO) liability.  As part of the discussion, Atkins will cover recent regulatory guidance for CCOs and AMLCOs.  There will be a panel discussion on FINRA’s recent action against an AMLCO which has raised concern among those with AML compliance responsibilities.  After the discussion on CCO liability, Atkins will discuss FINRA’s continued focus on complex products as was discussed in their Annual Examination Priorities Letter. Complex products present numerous opportunities for financial crimes, particularly when the product lacks transparency and liquidity. Atkins will discuss recent FINRA cases and examination trends involving complex products, including one related to a fraudulent private placement that resulted in the bar of a broker-dealer principal and the expulsion of his firm.

Click below for a link to the conference registration site:

mitch atkins

Click here to visit Mitch Atkins‘ bio. The Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS) is a worldwide organization for private and public sector professionals who work in diverse financial crime disciplines. Its membership includes compliance officers, law enforcement agents, regulators, attorneys, technology providers, and others who work to detect and prevent financial crime in all its forms – money laundering, tax evasion, corruption, fraud, cyber crime, terrorist financing, and more. FirstMark Regulatory Solutions was founded by Mitch Atkins in December of 2013 and is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Mitch Atkins is a FINRA broker-dealer Consultant. FirstMark offers a broad range of compliance consulting services, including AML independent testing, internal controls testing, FINRA membership applications, SRO relationship management, strategic advisory, and litigation support.

Mitch Atkins Presents at FINRA South Region Compliance Seminar

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Mitch Atkins, founder and principal of FirstMark Regulatory Solutions, will present at the FINRA South Region Compliance Seminar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on November 20, 2014.  Atkins will present as a panelist on FINRA’s Suitability panel. The panel will discuss the FINRA Suitability Rule (Rule 2111), and in particular, the suitability of variable annuity L-shares and non-traded REITs.

While he was employed with FINRA (formerly NASD), Atkins was designated as a national regulatory expert in the areas of mutual funds and variable annuities. He founded FirstMark Regulatory Solutions in December of 2013 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. FirstMark offers a broad range of compliance consulting services, including AML independent testing, Rule 3120 supervisory controls testing, SRO relationship management, FINRA membership applications, training, and more.

To register, please visit www.finra.org/conferences/southregion

For more information and to view the seminar brochure and agenda, simply click the image below.

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FirstMark founder Mitch Atkins – Panelist at the 3rd Annual Life Equity Roundtable

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FirstMark Regulatory Solutions founder and principal, Mitch Atkins, will participate as a panelist at the 3rd Annual Life Equity Roundtable in Aurora, Ohio on July 16, 2014.  The session, titled Variable Transactions Panel, covers various aspects of variable life settlements and the regulatory requirements for transactions involving these products.  The Roundtable will be attended by representatives from every aspect of the life settlement business, including investors, actuaries, brokers and marketers.  The discussion will include legal updates within the life settlement space, including FINRA requirements for the products.