Category Archives: News and Events

Describes new books, articles, and upcoming speeches.

“The very first thing” is to remove incentives.

Wells Fargo Head of community banking  on the bank’s plan to restore trust.  Do you think so?  Where was Ms. Mack, during her 32 years at the bank, when the incentives were put in place? Also, she may have to adjust … Continue reading

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“. . . it was like lions hunting zebras.”

Former Wells Fargo employee on how he and others worked to target the least resistant, i.e, college students with their first accounts, the elderly who could not remember, Mexican immigrants who could speak little English, and small business owners with … Continue reading

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Jay Fishman, former CEO of Travelers, RIP

Mr. Fishman passed away — Lou Gehrig’s disease.  Mr. Fishman eschewed mortgage-backed securities as an investment vehicle for Travelers. His quote, “You just weren’t being paid enough to take that risk.” Travelers escaped the crunch as well as the AIG … Continue reading

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The Unmanageable Conflict of Interest: Access is the Quid for the Quo

The Clinton Foundation is a fascinating study in conflicts of interest.  A conflict of interest is defined as a situation in which an individual is torn between two loyalties.  Let’s say an individual is secretary of state of, say, the … Continue reading

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In the integrity department . . . Adele turns down the NFL

Adele, a singer so famous she has only one name (take that Taylor Swift), was asked by the NFL to be the half-time show at the Super Bowl.  She turned the NFL down, explaining at her Los Angeles concert, “Come … Continue reading

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When the Adults Steal From Kids’ Sports

Because they trust. Parents involved in youth sports tend to have social interaction as well.  Thereby, they commit the error of having no internal controls.  One person controls the funds, one person pays the bills, one person writes the checks, … Continue reading

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The New York Senate’s Ethics Committee Has Not Met Since 2009: Chair Convicted

The New York State Senate’s Ethics Committee has been lying dormant since 2009. No meeting record exists since 2009.  The chair of the Committee, John L. Sampson, was convicted of embezzlement and obstruction of justice, with the prosecutor asking for … Continue reading

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The U.S. Senate Declares Itself Ethically Clean

The Senate Ethics Committee reports the following: For the ninth straight year, it has not imposed any disciplinary sanctions Since 2007, the Committee has reviewed 613 allegations of wrongdoing and dismissed 90% of those allegations Only 75 of the 613 … Continue reading

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Chipotle: First E.coli and Now a Cocaine Indictment for Its Marketing VP

You can’t make this stuff up.  Mark Crumpacker, Chipotle’s chief creative and development officer, was one of 18 alleged buyers indicted in a cocaine drug ring.  The charges are a misdemeanor offense, and Mr. Crumpacker has been put on leave.  … Continue reading

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Former Mine CEO Sentenced to One Year in Prison

His conviction was the first time a high-ranking executive was convicted of a safety violation crime.  Now, Donald L. Blankenship, former CEO of Massey Energy Company, has received a one-year sentence for his conviction on a conspiracy-to-violate-safety-standards charge.  Mr. Blankenship … Continue reading

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Companies with large gaps between GAAP and pro forma numbers underperform

Do you think so? New research confirms the obvious once again. (Evercore ISI) Companies with great pro formas are focused on numbers and managing numbers. Those in the exec ranks are no longer managing the business; they are fretting over … Continue reading

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In the “The first whale to the surface always gets harpooned” department: Turing’s lawyer

When former Turning CEO Martin Shkreli proposed increasing the price of Daraprim by 5,000%, Turing’s now former vice president and general counsel joined with other managers to tell Shkreli that the move “would have a severely negative impact on Turing’s … Continue reading

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The Dewey & LeBoeuf Mess

Who knows what happened at the once 1,300-lawyer firm? Well, post-2008, the law firm was not doing as well as it would have liked. Revenue was not what it needed to be, particularly if the firm was to meet the … Continue reading

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Former New York Speaker Sheldon Silver Convicted on Corruption Charges

Mr. Silver faces up to 20 years in prison. However, a few classic lines indicate that New York’s reforms will take more than one measly conviction of the state’s most powerful political figure for the last 20 years. Mr. Silver’s … Continue reading

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