WEATHER ALERT

Scotiabank fined US$22.5M by U.S. agencies for use of messaging apps

Advertisement

Advertise with us

TORONTO - Bank of Nova Scotia has been fined US$22.5 million by two U.S. agencies for violations related to employee use of unapproved communication methods including text messages and WhatsApp.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Monthly Digital Subscription

$0 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

Monthly Digital Subscription

$4.75/week*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

No thanks

*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/05/2023 (951 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO – Bank of Nova Scotia has been fined US$22.5 million by two U.S. agencies for violations related to employee use of unapproved communication methods including text messages and WhatsApp.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued a US$15 million penalty related to record-keeping and supervision failures, while the Securities and Exchange Commission levelled a US$7.5 million fine.

The CFTC said it found that Scotiabank affiliates for years failed to stop employees, including senior staff, from communicating through unapproved methods including text messages and WhatsApp, while the SEC said it found “pervasive and long-standing” use of off-channel communications at the bank.

The CFTC says it has issued an order that finds Scotiabank affiliates for years failed to stop employees, including senior staff, from communicating through unapproved methods including text messages and WhatsApp. A pedestrian walks past a Scotiabank branch in downtown Calgary, Alta., Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
The CFTC says it has issued an order that finds Scotiabank affiliates for years failed to stop employees, including senior staff, from communicating through unapproved methods including text messages and WhatsApp. A pedestrian walks past a Scotiabank branch in downtown Calgary, Alta., Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

The agencies said the bank was also required to keep a record of these communications but that they were generally not preserved, violating record-keeping provisions of federal securities laws.

The CFTC said the use of the communication channels violated Scotiabank’s own policies, and that some of those tasked with supervising these policies themselves used non-approved methods of communications.

Scotiabank spokeswoman Heather Armstrong said in a statement that the bank is committed to running its business according to the “most current high standards of business conduct and adhering to all regulatory requirements,” and has agreed to the resolutions with regulators.

In 2020, the CFTC ordered Scotiabank to pay US$127.4 million for manipulation of futures contracts, false statements, compliance and supervision violations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2023.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BNS)

Report Error Submit a Tip

Business

LOAD MORE