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When Malaysia's Securities Commission imposed conditions on the activities of SJ Asset Management an unrelated company, SJ Securities, began to get calls from worried clients.

The USA's Securities and Exchange Commission has unanimously voted to approve new rules to significantly curtail "pay to play" practices by investment advisers. Why not call it what it is - corruption?

The USA's Securities and Exchange Commission has issued civil proceedings against Spongetech Inc, and several officers and an affiliate company alleging a market abuse scheme involving fraudulent mistatement and pump and dump. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York has announced a parallel criminal action.

On Friday 15th April 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission was heavily criticised by the Office of the Inspector General. That day the SEC announced "fraud charges" against Goldman Sachs, sending markets reeling but diverting attention from the OIG report. Schapiro appeared before the House Subcommittee the following Monday, in part to rebut the OIG's findings. That the news agenda continued to be taken up with the Goldman's action and paid little or no attention to her appearance before the subcommittee's Appropriations Committee (applying for funding for the SEC) demonstrates the success of the diversionary tactic. Her full testimony is below (unedited)

New Zealand's Securities Commission is to issue civil proceedings against Nuplex Industries Limited and several present and former directors in the SC's first "continuous disclosure" case and papers are being filed at The High Court in Wellington this morning. The company is dual-listed in NZ and Australia.

The UK's Financial Services Authority has fined Credit Suisse, Getco Europe and Instanet Europe for failing to put in place measures to aid the FSA in identifying possible market abuse.

David B. Stocker, a lawyer in Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty on11 March 11, 2009, in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia., for his participation in a stock manipulation conspiracy known as a "pump-and-dump" scheme. On 12 March 2010 (yes, a year later) Stocker has been sentenced.

The UK's Lloyds Banking Group took on a huge loan book when it took over the rapidly imploding HBOS group that included Halifax and Bank of Scotland. Halifax was the UK's largest mortgage lender. And now it's offering a helping hand to those who can afford to pay off their loans more quickly.

In what should have been a surprise, Henry "Hank" Paulson has impressed few with his admissions that he threatened Bank of America that regulators would become interested in the company if it did not take over Merrill Lynch.

Australia's Bendigo Bank is following California State, Singapore Airlines and Malaysian bank CIMB in asking its staff to take unpaid leave to help tide it over the current crisis.

Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission has severely reprimanded Selina & Co Limited and reprimanded a director who, despite having responsibility for compliance matters, paid only nominal attention to those duties. It's the case that created new resolve at the SFC that compliance failures would no longer be dealt with by reprimand only.