A  Whistleblower  Whistleblower A whistleblower is an individual who manages to provide information or activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, unethical, or not correct. In many countries, including the United States, whistleblowers are protected by law and in some cases can even recoup rewards if their information leads to successful prosecution.In the context of the financial services industry, whistleblowers play a large role in oversight, helping unmask several episodes of illicit behavior each year. Whistleblowers are a necessary force in the fight against corruption, scams, fraud, and other forms of manipulation that can affect all levels of financial systems.The methods by which whistleblowers may bring allegations to light vary. This includes contacting a third-party outside of an accused organization such as the media, government, law enforcement, or those who are concerned. Whistleblowers assume a large amount of risk with such disclosures, often facing stiff reprisal and retaliation from those who are accused or alleged of wrongdoing.Whistleblower AwardsIn order to safeguard the identity and well-being of whistleblowers, the United States’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has installed an entire division towards these individuals.As of May 2020, the SEC has awarded over $396 million to 77 individuals since issuing its first award in 2012. All payments have been made out of an investor protection fund established by the US Congress that is financed entirely through monetary sanctions paid to the SEC by securities law violators. Whistleblowers may be eligible for an award when they voluntarily provide the SEC with original, timely, and credible information that leads to a successful enforcement action. Whistleblower awards can range from 10 percent to 30 percent of the money collected when the monetary sanctions exceed $1 million. A whistleblower is an individual who manages to provide information or activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, unethical, or not correct. In many countries, including the United States, whistleblowers are protected by law and in some cases can even recoup rewards if their information leads to successful prosecution.In the context of the financial services industry, whistleblowers play a large role in oversight, helping unmask several episodes of illicit behavior each year. Whistleblowers are a necessary force in the fight against corruption, scams, fraud, and other forms of manipulation that can affect all levels of financial systems.The methods by which whistleblowers may bring allegations to light vary. This includes contacting a third-party outside of an accused organization such as the media, government, law enforcement, or those who are concerned. Whistleblowers assume a large amount of risk with such disclosures, often facing stiff reprisal and retaliation from those who are accused or alleged of wrongdoing.Whistleblower AwardsIn order to safeguard the identity and well-being of whistleblowers, the United States’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has installed an entire division towards these individuals.As of May 2020, the SEC has awarded over $396 million to 77 individuals since issuing its first award in 2012. All payments have been made out of an investor protection fund established by the US Congress that is financed entirely through monetary sanctions paid to the SEC by securities law violators. Whistleblowers may be eligible for an award when they voluntarily provide the SEC with original, timely, and credible information that leads to a successful enforcement action. Whistleblower awards can range from 10 percent to 30 percent of the money collected when the monetary sanctions exceed $1 million. Read this Term has been awarded $17 million by the US top regulator, the second largest award this year and the seventh-largest payout ever since the inception of the SEC’s whistleblower program in 2011.

The whistleblower alerted the US Securities and Exchange Commission about misconduct, then provided investigative  Leads  Leads Leads or lead generation are an essential component of marketing and powerful tool by brokers. In its simplest form, leads can be defined as the outreach of customer interest or enquiry into products or services, most often associated with brokerages.These can be created for purposes such as list building, e-newsletter list acquisition, or for sales leads. Amongst marketers, such lists are one of their most important assets and instrumental to sales.There are a variety of methods for generating leads that traditionally fall under the mantle of advertising. However, this may also include non-paid sources such as organic search engine results or referrals from existing customersHow Are Leads Generated?In the FX space, nearly every brokerage has their own list of leads. How exactly these are generated varies to some extent. Most come from a composite of sources or activities.Specific parameters on the Internet such as personal referrals, telephone calls, or even conference attendance either by the company or telemarketers, through advertisements are the most common examples of this.Indeed, content marketing, search engine, and events are all effective ways in bolstering leads over time and account for the highest concentration of lead generation.Leads are also a powerful took by marketers to pursue new clients. This can involve customer relationship management (CRM) technology or follow ups in the form of contacting.The goal of these contacts is the conversion into a client. Simply obtaining a list of leads does not always correlate to business. This is where sales, follow ups, or other methods come into play. Leads or lead generation are an essential component of marketing and powerful tool by brokers. In its simplest form, leads can be defined as the outreach of customer interest or enquiry into products or services, most often associated with brokerages.These can be created for purposes such as list building, e-newsletter list acquisition, or for sales leads. Amongst marketers, such lists are one of their most important assets and instrumental to sales.There are a variety of methods for generating leads that traditionally fall under the mantle of advertising. However, this may also include non-paid sources such as organic search engine results or referrals from existing customersHow Are Leads Generated?In the FX space, nearly every brokerage has their own list of leads. How exactly these are generated varies to some extent. Most come from a composite of sources or activities.Specific parameters on the Internet such as personal referrals, telephone calls, or even conference attendance either by the company or telemarketers, through advertisements are the most common examples of this.Indeed, content marketing, search engine, and events are all effective ways in bolstering leads over time and account for the highest concentration of lead generation.Leads are also a powerful took by marketers to pursue new clients. This can involve customer relationship management (CRM) technology or follow ups in the form of contacting.The goal of these contacts is the conversion into a client. Simply obtaining a list of leads does not always correlate to business. This is where sales, follow ups, or other methods come into play. Read this Term and significant information that that resulted in an important enforcement action, according to the agency’s news release.

In explaining the reason for its award determination, Jane Norberg, Chief of the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower, noted that “Because of this whistleblower’s actions, harmed investors were able to recover millions of dollars in losses. This whistleblower stepped forward and helped the agency better protect Main Street investors.”

As long as a whistleblower’s internal disclosure prompted a company investigation, they can benefit from all the information discovered in that investigation. However, they should also report to the SEC within 120 days of the internal disclosure. Then the SEC uses the date of the internal report in determining whether the whistleblower provided original information.

The decision-making process, however, takes some time as the agency has sorted through a flood of requests for awards and tips on potential corporate wrongdoing.

Committed to protecting the anonymity of informants, few details are available regarding the nature of the underlying facts or enforcement action or the identity of the whistleblower.

The SEC has now awarded approximately $448 million to 81 individuals since issuing its first award in 2012. Rewards are typically 10 to 30 percent of money paid by companies in cases where their information led to a successful enforcement action of $1 million or more.

The SEC’s biggest whistleblower award was $50 million, shared by two former Merrill Lynch employees in March 2018. A third former Merrill Lynch employee was awarded $33 million in the same case.

The recent rewards come as the regulator tries to recover from a dip in whistleblower performance throughout the previous year. In 2019, the number of whistleblower tips fielded to the country’s top markets regulator dropped for the first time since the program’s inception in 2011. The drop was partially attributed to SEC’s thinking about introducing caps on awards and giving the SEC staff more discretion to reduce certain payouts.

The SEC chief, however, took a step back following a backlash from the program advocates who claimed the changes would deter insiders from coming forward with tip-offs on fraud and other violations.