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Thirty federally insured credit unions subject to civil monetary penalties for filing late Call Report for the first quarter of 2016 have agreed to penalties totaling $20,036, according to a release from the NCUA.

The NCUA has published the October 2016 issue of The NCUA Report, in which the regulator’s Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives details what ransomware is and the increasing role it plays in cyberattacks against smaller financial institutions. The article also provides resources that credit unions can use to prevent and respond to these attacks.

A final rule has been issued by HUD to protect the housing of survivors of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, to implement the requirements of the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which applies for all victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, regardless of sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and which must be applied consistent with all nondiscrimination and fair housing requirements. The final rule will be effective 30 days following publication in the Federal Register, with compliance required by 180 days after publication.

The Bureau Blog features an article on how financial coaching can help consumers achieve their financial goals. The CFPB has recently released two briefs about financial coaching and how it can benefit consumers.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has released the outcomes of its Plenary held October 19-21, 2016. Delegates discussed, among other issues, the global response to terrorist financing, the decline of correspondent banking relationships, improving transparency and beneficial ownership, and the mutual evaluation reports of Switzerland and the United States (to be released after reviews for quality and consistency). New FATF Guidance documents were also released — one on Criminalizing Terrorist Financing, which explains the various aspects that the terrorist financing offense must cover in national legal systems; and the other on Correspondent Banking Services, which explains the FATF’s requirements in the context of correspondent banking services to manage, rather than avoid, the money laundering and terrorist financing risks associated with these business relationships.

The Federal Reserve Board has announced it plans to collect data from banks for secondary market transactions in U.S. Treasury securities, and will negotiate with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to potentially act as the Board's collection agent for that information. The Board will seek public comment on its proposal. The Board's data collection would complement the work of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which recently approved a rule change by FINRA to require its broker-dealer members to report secondary market transactions in U.S. Treasury securities.

The National Credit Union Administration has announced its launch of an online new examiner’s guide and the release of a new video highlighting advantages of workplace diversity and inclusion.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has reported that a lawyer who served on the executive committee of the board of directors at Nashville-based Pinnacle Financial Partners, Nashville, Tennessee, has been charged with insider trading based on nonpublic information on an impending merger. A complaint filed by the SEC alleges that James C. Cope obtained more than $56,000 in ill-gotten gains by purchasing securities in Pinnacle’s acquisition target, Avenue Financial Holdings, prior to the banks’ joint public announcement later that month. According to the complaint, Cope learned confidential details about the planned merger during a board executive committee meeting on January 5, 2016, and placed his first order to purchase Avenue Financial stock while that executive committee meeting was still in progress. He allegedly placed four more orders within an hour after the meeting ended.

The Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division issued guidance for human resource (HR) professionals and others who are involved in hiring and compensation decisions. HR professionals are often in the best position to ensure their companies’ hiring practices comply with the law and this guidance will help educate and inform them about how the antitrust laws apply to the employment arena.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has taken action to disrupt the operations, fundraising, and support networks of Hizballah by designating four individuals and one entity pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism. As a result of that action, all property and interests in property of those designated today subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. Additional information is available in BankersOnline's OFAC Update