Tag Archive | "1 million"

Whistleblowers Get Cash Incentives thru US SEC’s New Rules


The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday adopted final rules that will govern a whistleblower program to offer incentives or cash rewards to those who will provide high-quality tips to the agency for effective enforcement actions.

The new rules, which were voted 3-2 by the SEC on Wednesday, could compel whistleblowers, including other industry insiders, to come more often and warn the agency about various securities violations.

Two Republican commissioners voted against the adoption of the new program that was authorized by a financial revamp law ratified last year. It was also opposed by large U.S. companies, saying whistleblowers should first tell their companies of any misconduct and offer them a chance to fix the errors before heading immediately to the SEC.

However, the new rules discourage employees to avoid the compliance programs posted by their companies. Employees who reported any potential misconduct to their company would be officially considered by the SEC as whistleblowers, and would be potentially entitled of rewards.

According to the SEC, the goal of the whistleblower program, which was mandated by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, is to reward individuals who expose violations and provide remarkable evidence to help the regulator achieve successful cases.

The new program awards individuals based on the timeliness and quality of the information provided. It must lead to successful actions with at least $1 million sanction.

The new SEC rules will take effect in 60 days. Also, whistleblowers that have provided tips to the agency since July 2010, when the financial overhaul law was ratified, would also be entitled to receive incentives.

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Is Skype Really Better With Facebook than Google?


As two of the biggest networks battle to gain collaboration with Skype, Facebook is more aggressive than Google. Analysts, however, say that the world’s biggest social network may actually be a better fit.

On Wednesday, Reuters reported that both Google and Facebook are trying to win partnership with Skype separately. Skype is currently the leading web video telephone services used by millions all over the world for cheap online communication.

Two undisclosed sources told Reuters that discussions about partnership are still in the preliminary phase however any deal that will stem out from this assures a joint venture partnership. One of the sources said that any partnership with Skype right now is valued at $3 to $4 billion.

Technology analysts and enthusiasts are rooting on Facebook, saying that the well-loved networking site that will complement Skype by giving it great features it currently lack.

Rory Maher, an analyst from Hudson Square Research, said that there is no doubt that Google will benefit from this partnership, but it is a bit sketchy compared to Facebook. He added that Google already has video and chat capabilities that Skype offers.

Moreover, Maher said that communication is very vital to Facebook and what its users do. It would be very interesting if Skype features will be enjoyed by Facebook users.

Skype was founded on 2003 and just last year, they boast a 124 million clientele. However, only 8.1 million of their total customers pay for their services to make traditional phone calls.

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Wall Street Journal is Largest Daily Newspaper in U.S.


A new report says The Wall Street Journal is the largest daily newspaper in the United States. The Journal, which is owned by News Corporation, has an average daily circulation of more than 2.1 million published in New York City.

The national American newspaper, USA Today, ranks second with a total of 1.8 million average daily circulations based on the recent report released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. It has the largest increase in total average circulation since March 2008.

The New York Times ranks first in the Sunday newspaper category. It has an average circulation of 1.4 million while Los Angeles Times has 948,889, and ranks second.

The total average circulation is a new method that measures the publication’s paid and verified print, as well as digital editions. Paid and verified branded editions are also included in the total average circulation.

Previously, total average circulation is compared to previous periods. However, ABC advised not to make direct comparisons to earlier periods. A report from ABC says the top-line metric followed by the newspaper industry no longer exists. Thus, comparisons to earlier periods are not anymore significant because of the certain changes in the rule.

Meanwhile, Dayton Daily News has an average daily circulation of 94,709 and a Sunday average circulation of 144,226 Sunday. Middletown Journal, of Butler County, has a total weekday average circulation of 13, 794 while it has a Sunday average circulation of 16,252.

Clark County’s Springfield News-Sun has a Sunday average circulation of 26,273 and average weekday average of 19,634.

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