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SEC Settles with Private Equity Fund Adviser over Alleged Conflicts of Interest

By Anthony Drenzek & Michael R. Hackett
April 26, 2018
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As a sign that the SEC is continuing to actively pursue private equity fund advisers, on April 24, 2018, the SEC announced a settlement with private equity fund adviser WCAS Management Corporation (WCAS) related to allegations of undisclosed conflicts of interest. The specific conflicts resulted from an allegedly undisclosed contractual arrangement whereby a portion of fees received by a group purchasing organization (GPO) for services it provided to WCAS funds’ portfolio companies would be paid to WCAS. In settlement of the allegations, WCAS agreed to disgorgement of $688,819.78 and a civil monetary penalty of $90,000, as well as a cease and desist and censure.

Arrangement with the GPO

According to the SEC’s Order, the GPO was an organization that aggregated certain items of vendor spending, such as office supplies and car rentals, in order to provide group purchasing discounts to participating companies.  At issue were the arrangements entered into between the GPO and WCAS with respect to services rendered to portfolio companies of two WCAS-managed funds formed in 2005 and 2008.

In early 2011, the GPO and a WCAS employee began negotiating a services agreement, whereby WCAS would receive a fee equal to 25% of the net revenue the GPO received from vendors based on the purchasing activity of the portfolio companies owned (and in some cases previously owned) by the WCAS funds. From September 2012 through December 2016, WCAS allegedly received $623,035 pursuant to the WCAS services agreement.  The SEC alleged that WCAS did not disclose its right to receive, or actual receipt of, the GPO fees in its PPM, LPAs, management agreements.

Moreover, while the organizational documents for the two WCAS funds provided that a group of limited partners unaffiliated with WCAS was to approve in advance “any transactions that give rise to potential conflicts of interest,” WCAS allegedly did not seek that prior approval in breach of its fiduciary obligations. The SEC further alleged that WCAS had an undisclosed incentive to recommend the GPO’s services to the funds’ portfolio companies because WCAS stood to receive a share of revenue generated for the GPO.

Takeaways

In response to this latest settlement, advisers should take note of several key points:

  • First, despite its expressed retrenchment with respect to the protection of retail investors, the SEC remains focused on areas of disclosure and potential conflicts of interest in the private fund space.
  • Second, private fund advisers must remain vigilant to any activities or arrangements which could be perceived as creating potential conflicts of interest between a management company and its affiliates, and the funds that are advised.
  • Third, where such potential conflicts exist, advisers must review their funds’ organizational and governance documents to determine whether:
    • the potential conflict has been adequately disclosed prior to investors’ commitment of capital to the funds;
    • notice of the potential conflict must be provided to the fund and its beneficial owners;
    • consent to engage in the arrangement or activity at issue must be obtained from an advisory board, or the applicable agreement should be amended with the requisite limited partner consent; or
    • the potential conflict is of such a nature that abstention is the most prudent course.

As always, the best way to avoid conflict of interest and related disclosure issues is to adopt and implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to identify, analyze and address potential conflicts of interest as soon as they arise.

Photo of Anthony Drenzek Anthony Drenzek

Tony is special regulatory counsel in the Corporate Department and a member of the Private Investment Funds Group and the Private Equity & Hedge Fund Litigation team. His practice focuses on advising U.S. and offshore private fund managers on all aspects of federal…

Tony is special regulatory counsel in the Corporate Department and a member of the Private Investment Funds Group and the Private Equity & Hedge Fund Litigation team. His practice focuses on advising U.S. and offshore private fund managers on all aspects of federal, state and SRO organizational and operational compliance, with a specific emphasis on the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

Tony assists U.S. and offshore private fund clients in registering with the SEC as investment advisers, or reporting as exempt reporting advisers, and complying with CFTC and various U.S. state registration and notice-filing requirements. He also assists on structuring fundraising transactions to comply with the U.S. offering exemptions available under Regulation D and Regulation S.

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Photo of Michael R. Hackett Michael R. Hackett

Michael R. Hackett is a partner in the Litigation Department and a member of the Asset Management Litigation practice. Mike is an experienced litigator and trial lawyer focused on sophisticated business disputes.

A significant portion of Mike’s practice concerns disputes and regulation involving…

Michael R. Hackett is a partner in the Litigation Department and a member of the Asset Management Litigation practice. Mike is an experienced litigator and trial lawyer focused on sophisticated business disputes.

A significant portion of Mike’s practice concerns disputes and regulation involving private funds, including private equity, venture capital, hedge, real estate and private credit funds, as well as other limited partnerships, where he regularly advises funds, fund sponsors, investment advisers and institutional and individual investors.

Mike’s experience representing private fund clients runs the gamut, from control contests within advisers, to disputes between limited partners and general partners, to representation of investment advisers in connection with regulatory examinations, investigations and enforcement matters. Mike also routinely represents fund sponsors and their portfolio companies, including in significant post-closing disputes.

In addition to his private funds practice, Mike represents public and private companies in a variety of complex commercial and securities litigation matters, including in the areas of corporate governance, fiduciary obligations, capital markets, financial services, and bankruptcy and insolvency.

Mike has been named a “Rising Star” by Massachusetts Super Lawyers, and was identified as an “associate to watch” by Chambers USA in 2017 and 2018.

During law school, Mike served as an intern judicial clerk to the Honorable William G. Young of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

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  • Posted in:
    Financial
  • Blog:
    The Capital Commitment
  • Organization:
    Proskauer Rose LLP
  • Article: View Original Source

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