A California life insurance agent will face a preliminary hearing Friday as he contends with grand-theft and identity theft charges. This month, Kerry Urban Hunter, an agent in Inglewood, Calif., was charged with a felony count of identity theft and a felony count of grand theft, following an investigation by the California Department of Insurance. Mr.


 
 Investment advisers, state regulators and consumer advocates were astonished by the easy adoption of a key addition to the Investor Protection Act that would give Finra power to oversee any adviser associated with a registered broker-dealer , including about 500 dually registered Finra members. That amendment, which the House Financial Services Committee approved last Wednesday by a voice vote, would give the Securities and Exchange Commission the authority to allow the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc.

The Center for Responsive Politics examines the all-too-common road from Capitol Hill to K Street — of the 44 lawmakers to leave Congress midterm, 16 became lobbyists. The group’s analysis showed that of the 16, three are former senators and 10 are Republicans. Florida Sen.

The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) should clarify its position regarding the legality of Microsoft’s offering its instant messenger service within Iran. As a result of ambiguities within OFAC’s guidelines on Iran sanctions, Microsoft Corporation voluntarily withdrew its Windows Live Messenger program from Iran in late 2008

Unconscious Capitalism…we’ve witnessed that. Even Drunk Capitalism may sound more accurate than Conscious Capitalism.


 
 There have already been more than three times the number of target date fund liquidations so far this year than there were in all of 2008. Moreover, experts predict that trend to increase as smaller fund managers are finding it nearly impossible to gain traction in the market. Year-to-date, there have been 26 target date fund liquidations, compared with eight for all of 2008, according to Morningstar.


 
 With the economy in recovery mode, Tim Palmer, a senior portfolio manager with First American Funds, has zeroed in on the financial sector’s high-grade bonds. “The economic recovery won’t be all-inclusive and rapidly expanding from this point,” said Mr. Palmer, who manages $15 billion in fixed-income portfolios.