Report · SEC · 9 Dec 2016
Waterside Enterprises, LLC submits its first annual report to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as the Independent Compliance Consultant, confirming that JPMCB's policies and procedures for Rule 506 of Regulation D were reasonably designed to achieve compliance during the 2015 review period. The report details the review of private equity, hedge fund, and structured note transactions, noting that all tested transactions contained valid accredited investor attestations and that marketing materials complied with anti-fraud prohibitions. Waterside identified specific areas for improvement, including document version tracking, jurisdictional consistency, and clarity on subscriber documentation requirements, all of which JPMCB management accepted and implemented. The consultant certifies that the entities met their obligations under the SEC's waiver order and will conduct the next annual review on 2016 transactions.
Waterside Enterprises, LLC
Report to
JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.
December 9, 2016
Respectfully Submitted:
Paul V. Bruce
Beth E. Weimer
Waterside Enterprises, LLC Page 2
Report to JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.
December 9, 2016
On December 18, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) granted a waiver of disqualification under Rule 506(d)(2)(ii) of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”) at the request of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“JPMCB” or “Bank”). 1 The waiver of disqualification was requested because on the same date, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) instituted proceedings pursuant to Sections 6(c) and (d) of the Commodity Exchange Act making findings and imposing remedial sanctions as a result of JPMCB’s failure to adequately disclose certain conflicts of interest to clients.2 Because of the CFTC proceedings, JPMCB requested and received a waiver of disqualification pursuant to Rule 506(d) of Regulation D by the SEC for JPMCB and its subsidiaries (the “Rule 506 Entities”). 3 Rule 506(d)(2)(ii) of Regulation D provides that disqualification from certain regulated activities, in this instance, participation in private placements of select unregistered offerings, “shall not apply…upon a showing of good cause and without prejudice to any other action by the Commission, if the Commission determines that it is necessary under the circumstances that an exemption be denied.” In granting the waiver, the Commission determined that as part of the Rule 506(d)(2)(ii) showing of good cause, JPMCB would retain a qualified independent compliance consultant (“ICC” or “Consultant”) not unacceptable to Commission staff,4 to conduct a comprehensive review of the policies and procedures relating to compliance with Rule 506 of Regulation D. The ICC is charged with reviewing policies and procedures by the Rule 506 Entities including but not limited to, activities as investment manager and placement agent to private funds relying on Rule 506 of Regulation D. The ICC is required to complete its review and submit a written report to JPMCB on an annual basis for a period of five years following the Order. JPMCB must require the ICC to test the Rule 506 Entities’ policies and procedures relating to compliance with Rule 506 of Regulation D by conducting a statistically valid random sampling of transactions conducted in reliance on Rule 506 of Regulation D. If the Consultant finds that Rule 506 Entities’ policies and procedures have been reasonably designed to achieve compliance with their obligations under Rule 506 of Regulation D then the ICC shall certify annually to that finding. 1 Securities Act of 1933, Release No. 9993, December 18, 2015 (“Order”). 2 CFTC Docket No. 16-05, December 18, 2015. 3 Together with JPMCB, the Rule 506 Entities include JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Singapore Branch, Hong Kong Branch and Paris Branch; J.P. Morgan International Bank, Ltd., and J.P. Morgan (Suisse) SA. 4 In addition, the Order requires the Consultant to enter into an agreement that provides that for the period of the engagement and for a period of two years from completion of the agreement, the ICC shall not enter into any other
professional relationship with the Rule 506 Entities.
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Waterside Enterprises, LLC (“Waterside”)5 was engaged as the Independent Compliance Consultant in March 2016 and according to the terms of the Order, conducted a comprehensive review of the policies and procedures in place in 2015 applicable to compliance with Rule 506 of Regulation D by the Rule 506 Entities. Background Under the federal securities laws, a company or private fund may not offer or sell securities unless the transaction has been registered with the SEC or an exemption from registration is available. Rule 506 of Regulation D is considered a "safe harbor" for the private offering exemption of Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Companies relying on the Rule 506 exemption can raise an unlimited amount of money and under Rule 506(b), a company can be assured it is within the Section 4(a)(2) exemption by satisfying the following five standards:
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Business processes: Waterside developed a review and testing methodology that, using process schematics provided by JPMCB, identified processes and control points in pre-offering approval, marketing and subscription processes to examine whether policies and procedures related to compliance with Rule 506 of Regulation D were reasonably designed and being followed. Private placement offerings relying on the Rule 506 of Regulation D exemption from registering subject to the Order include: private equity funds, hedge funds (including the Global Access Program or “GAP” funds) and structured notes. As discussed above, requirements of Rule 506 of Regulation D relevant to this review briefly include:
Waterside Enterprises, LLC Page 6 funds offered in 2015 within the scope of the Order were developed by hedge fund managers and offered by Rule 506 Entities as placement agent. During 2015, the Rule 506 Entities had seven hedge fund offerings that were made in reliance on Rule 506 of Regulation D in which 43 client transactions closed. Due to the small number of transactions, Waterside deemed it impractical to develop a statistically valid random sample; rather we reviewed information for each of the 43 transaction files, which were in both brokerage accounts and in managed or discretionary accounts. Written policies, procedures and paperwork differ with regard to brokerage and discretionary accounts. Global Access Program funds – This Rule 506 private placement offering consists of a variety of hedge funds or funds of funds designed to meet broad investment criteria for accredited investors depending on their investment risk tolerance. In 2015, there were 239 transactions that closed for the Global Access funds. For these offerings, JPMCB served as Investment Manager, so these offerings are in scope for the review of selected policies and procedures such as marketing guidelines. However, these offerings were made either to U.S. persons residing in the U.S. via J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, an entity outside the scope of the Order, or to non U.S. persons outside the U.S. under Regulation S, so no client transaction files were in scope for this review. Structured Notes – Generally, structured bank notes are securities whose returns are based on, among other things, an index or indices based on the market performance of a basket of equity securities, interest rates, commodities, and/or foreign currencies. The investment’s return is “linked” to the performance of a reference asset or index. Structured notes have a fixed maturity and include two components – a bond component and an embedded derivative.17 During 2015, the Rule 506 Entities issued 119 structured notes under Rule 506 of Regulation D that typically did not guarantee any interest or principal at maturity. For each of the 2015 structured products JPMCB served as issuer. All of these structured products were marketed and distributed by placement agents that were outside the scope of the Order. Since none of the Rule 506 Entities served as placement agent for the structured notes, we did no review of client transaction files. Findings/Conclusions/Recommendations For private equity offerings, the Rule 506 Entities served as placement agent and Waterside reviewed 397 client transaction files of the 1263 transactions that closed in 2015. We reviewed offering memoranda and other documents describing the private equities for compliance with the anti-fraud prohibitions of the Securities Act and we were satisfied that marketing, onboarding and offering policies, procedures and guidelines were designed to ensure compliance with Rule 506 of Regulation D. All private equity client transactions were done
in brokerage accounts and in the file review process, we determined that for all transactions in scope there was a valid Subscriber Information 17 SEC Investor Bulletin: Structured Notes, published by the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (January 12, 2015).
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Form (“SIF”)18 in place that identified the client and included attestations of their accredited investor status. We also reviewed the Subscriber Agreements submitted by brokerage clients for private equity offerings that included language referencing accredited investor status, and frequently included attestation language that stated that the client had not been made aware of the offering through a general solicitation. In all but 17 instances, Waterside determined that the required signatures on the Subscriber Agreement were visible and legible. We asked for and received additional information (such as more legible copies of signatures or written procedures documenting signature verification processes) on each of the 17 files, so that we were satisfied that written procedures were being followed in each instance for which we had questions.19 For hedge fund client transactions in scope, Waterside reviewed all 43 hedge fund transactions in brokerage as well as managed or discretionary accounts. We reviewed offering memoranda and other documents describing the hedge funds for compliance with the anti-fraud prohibitions of the Securities Act and we were satisfied that marketing, onboarding and offering policies, procedures and guidelines were designed to ensure compliance with Rule 506 of Regulation D. The requirements for hedge fund transactions in brokerage accounts are similar to those for private equity – there must be a SIF as well as a Subscriber Agreement (or an Instruction to Subscribe document in EMEA [Europe, Middle East, Africa] including Switzerland) on file with attestations as to the accredited investor status of the client. We found all brokerage files to contain appropriate documentation. With regard to hedge fund transactions in managed or discretionary accounts, the requirements are that each client must meet certain accredited investor and client suitability standards and must enter into a Investment Adviser agreement with the Rule 506 Entity to open a discretionary or managed account. Once a client has agreed to the terms of the fiduciary account, individual transactions in hedge funds are entered into at the direction and discretion of the Portfolio Manager. Waterside reviewed all discretionary account transactions in hedge funds that closed 18 The SIF is used to determine whether a client who is a prospective investor for an interest in a hedge fund, private equity fund or other private investment company is an accredited investor and is otherwise eligible to invest in a fund. By signing the SIF form, a subscriber is warranting that the information in the form is accurate and complete as of the date of the signature and that the subscriber will notify the Rule 506 Entity promptly of any change in information. Each SIF form is valid for one 12-month period beginning the first of the month following the client’s signature, and a single signed SIF will suffice for each subscription made within the 12-month period. Part A of the
SIF requires certain subscriber information (i.e., name, contact information, ownership type and tax information); Part B defines accredited investor status and requires subscribers to attest whether they meet the qualification requirements for natural persons or for entities. The SIF includes a signature page that represents, warrants and covenants that the information contained in the form is accurate and complete. An individual is required to print the name of the subscriber, any joint subscriber and sign and date the form. An entity representative must print the name of the subscriber, sign and date the form as an authorized signatory, and print the name of the authorized signatory 19 As noted supra, note 15, for two private equity offerings, clients were directed to send subscription documents to the fund administrator rather than to the Rule 506 Entity; accordingly, Waterside reviewed SIF forms for those clients in our sample, but did not review subscription documents.
Waterside Enterprises, LLC Page 8 in 2015 and saw evidence of the portfolio manager’s accredited investor attestation on behalf of the client or evidence that the clients otherwise met the accredited investor standard.20 As noted above, the Rule 506 Entities did not act as placement agent for any Global Access fund or structured notes that closed in 2015 that were issued under Rule 506 of Regulation D. Accordingly, Waterside did not review any client transaction data outside the scope of the Order. Waterside did review selected offering memoranda, Master Distribution Agreements and a sample of Private Placement Memoranda to determine that applicable policies and procedures, such as marketing guidelines were reasonably designed to achieve compliance with their stated purposes. During the course of our review of written policies and procedures applicable to compliance with Rule 506 of Regulation D for transactions that closed within 2015, Waterside reviewed policies, procedures, guidelines, training materials, subscriber forms as well as “FAQ” documents that were in place in 2015. Additionally we reviewed amendments and updates to documents that were made in 2015 and 2016. We submitted numerous questions and comments on the written policies and procedures to Compliance and discussed proposed modifications and amendments that addressed our comments. Waterside made the following recommendations for changes to existing policies and procedures:
Waterside Enterprises, LLC Page 9 this review. In our next annual review, we will conduct testing of client transactions that closed in 2016 and review those transactions against the 2016 policies and procedures.
For this first Annual Report, Waterside conducted a comprehensive review of the policies and procedures relating to compliance with Rule 506 of Regulation D by the Rule 506 Entities, including but not limited to, policies and procedures relating to the Rule 506 Entities’ activities as investment manager and placement agent to private funds relying on Rule 506 of Regulation D. In this first Annual Report, Waterside states that we have tested the Rule 506 Entities policies and procedures relating to Rule 506 of Regulation D by conducting a statistically valid random sampling of transactions conducted in reliance on Rule 506 of Regulation D that closed in calendar year 2015. Waterside hereby certifies that:
“JPMCB’s policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by the Rule 506 Entities with their obligations under Rule 506 of Regulation D are reasonably designed to achieve their stated purpose.”
Waterside Enterprises, LLC
Report to JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.
December 9, 2016
Appendix A
Statistical Sampling Methodology for
2015 Private Equity Funds Transactions
Waterside Enterprises, LLC Page 2
Report to JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.
December 9, 2016
Appendix A
Statistical Sampling Methodology for 2015 Private Equity Funds Transactions Language in the Order states “JPMCB shall require that the Consultant test the Rule 506 Entities policies and procedures relating to Rule 506 of Regulation D by conducting a statistically valid random sampling of transactions conducted in reliance on Rule 506 of Regulation D.” As discussed in the Report, JPMCB prepared for Waterside a list of all private placement offerings in 2015. That list was further refined to reflect the offerings for which the Rule 506 Entities acted as placement agent for private equity funds relying on Rule 506 of Regulation D. From the client transactions that closed in 2015, Waterside applied the following statistical review approach. The generally accepted purpose of utilizing a statistically valid random sampling process is to be able to review an abbreviated subset of a population and use the results of that review to draw conclusions about the entire population. To comply with the statistically valid random sampling requirements of the Order, Waterside used a methodology that was intended to optimize the sample size while maintaining statistical integrity.1 The approach we chose is based on a normal approximation to a binomial distribution and the Central Limit Theorem, adjusted for a finite population. For any given population, a Central Limit Theorem approach states that regardless of the distribution of the underlying population, any set of sufficiently large samples reviewed will follow an approximately normal distribution. Even if we do not know the distribution of the underlying population, this approach should routinely produce a valid sample. The method used allows us to determine a sample size for a given population based on three key criteria:
Waterside Enterprises, LLC Page 3 proportions, a 95% confidence level means that 95% of confidence intervals constructed from samples of a given size (n), will contain the true population proportion parameter. This implies that only 5% of confidence intervals constructed with the specified criteria will not contain the true population proportion. This also equates to an assumption that the population parameter being tested falls within two standard deviations of the predicted value of the parameter. Population Proportion:
If we know nothing about the underlying population vis-a-vis the criteria for which we are sampling, we need to use a population proportion estimate, (“P”) of .5. This is a common approach for situations such as election sampling where we anticipate about a 50/50 response for each of two candidates. This P of .5 leads to the largest sample size, since for every sample data element selected we are unable to predict whether we will get a positive or negative result. If, however, we know or believe the population is skewed in one direction or another, in other words, we expect the clear majority of the items in the sample will be either positive or negative, we can select a more informed estimate of P and reduce the sample size while maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the sampling process. In other words, the better we can predict the population parameter for which we are testing, the smaller the required sample size. For our purposes and to meet the terms of the Order, we reviewed the firm’s policies and procedures, conducted interviews and observed control points applicable to the private equity private placement business of Rule 506 Entities relying on Rule 506 of Regulation D within the scope of our review. We also applied our experience in brokerage and other client focused businesses in which we see that if policies and procedures are reasonably designed to achieve their stated purposes, we generally find files containing the appropriate documents and signatures well in excess of 90% of the time. Based on our review of the Rule 506 Entities policies, procedures and control points, including documents, interviews and observation, we concluded that those policies, procedures and processes would lead to similarly accurate and complete client files. Using these inputs, we set our estimated sampling population proportion at 0.9. The ultimate test of that assumption is whether our sampling results demonstrated that at least 90% of the sampled files met the population parameter we were testing, i.e., do the transaction files show that the Rule 506 of Regulation D requirements are being met. If not, it could indicate that our population proportion assumption may be flawed. Since ultimately 100% of the files showed appropriate documentation, our assumption was supported. Margin of Error:
The next key sampling criteria is Margin of Error. In other words, how predictive are our results? To refer again to election polling type sampling, we often see a result that is noted to be accurate within “plus or minus” 2% or 3%. This is the Margin of Error for that poll. We decided to use a margin of error of 2.5%, which is more conservative than the 3% frequently utilized in
Waterside Enterprises, LLC Page 4 practice. Thus, a result of 95% of files in good order in a sample would be indicative of an assumed population accuracy rate within the interval 92.5% to 97.5%. Using these criteria to set a sample size:
Accordingly, for the purpose of this review, to test compliance with written policies and procedures as they pertain to the requirements of Rule 506 of Regulation D, we predicted (based on experience in the industry) that the required paperwork for at least 90% (Population Proportion) of the client transactions reviewed will be “in good order” (defined here as signed and dated by an appropriately authorized party and containing assertions that the client is an accredited investor). Additionally, we selected a Confidence Level for the population of “in good order” transactions of 95% with a 2.5% Margin of Error. In summary, setting the Confidence Level at 95%, the Population Proportion estimate at .9, and the Margin of Error at 2.5%, we determined that an appropriate sample size from the population of 1250 private equity transactions originally provided to Waterside would be 384 (see table below). Illustration of required minimum sample sizes based on: (1) Confidence Level (2) Population Proportion estimate and (3) Margin of Error:
These tables clearly illustrate that it is for very large population sizes that we see the most optimum leveraging abilities of statistical sampling. However, a population of 1250 still provides a benefit to sampling. To select which 384 transactions out of the population of 1,250 that would be included in our sample to test, we divided 1,250 by 384 to get 3.2552. We would thus need to review one out of every 3.2552 client files in the population to meet a minimum sample size under our statistical testing criteria. We numbered the 1,250 private equity transaction files from 1 to 1,250 and to start the sample selection process, utilized a random number generator to select a number between 0 and 3.2552. The result of that selection was the number 2.7. To ensure we requested an adequate sample to 90% 50% Confidence Level = 95% 95% Margin of Error, E = Margin of Error, E = Population Size N = 3.0% 2.5% 1.0% 3.0% 2.5% 1.0% 100 80 85 98 92 94 99 500 218 263 437 341 378 476 1,000 278 357 776 517 607 906 1,250 295 384 919 576 690 1,107 10,000 370 525 2,570 965 1,333 4,900 25,000 379 542 3,038 1,024 1,448 6,939 100,000 383 551 3,342 1,056 1,514 8,763 1,000,000 384 553 3,446 1,066 1,535 9,513 Very Large 385 554 3,458 1,068 1,537 9,604 Estimated Population Proportion, 𝑷" =
Waterside Enterprises, LLC Page 5 test, we added 3.2 (slightly less than 3.2552) to that starting point repeatedly, and in each case, rounded the result to the nearest integer. Accordingly, we selected file numbers (using standard rules of rounding):
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