BULLS & BEARS: SEC task force looks into soft-dollar arrangements
Conflicts of interest in the securities business have probably existed ever since the first stocks were traded in 1792 under the buttonwood tree at the tip of Manhattan. With the formation of the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1934, regulators attempted to mitigate conflicts via securities laws and full disclosure requirements. An issue that is receiving attention these days from the SEC, one investors are probably not aware of, are the “soft-dollar” arrangements prevalent in the industry. In May 1975,…