By Jay Novak | Alex Meyerguz | Houlihan Lokey Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce the sale of Genysis Brand Solutions (Genysis) to Nellson Nutraceutical, LLC (Nellson), a portfolio company of Kohlberg & Company, LLC (Kohlberg). The transaction closed on December 4, 2017. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, Genysis is a premier producer of powdered nutritional supplements in North America. Genysis offers its customers a diverse base of products and is recognized in the industry for exceptional...

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By Mason Hayes & Curran The Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) has found that organisations should be more open, honest and transparent in their online privacy notices on how they use personal data. According to GPEN, privacy communications and notices should be less vague and more specific in terms of how personal data is used and shared. A review of over 400 websites and apps formed the basis of these results and recommendations. We identify the key insights from the findings. Background GPEN...

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By Richard P. Eckman | Mark T. Dabertin | Scott D. Samlin | Avinoam D. Erdfarb | Pepper Hamilton LLP This client alert has been updated from its original form to address the GAO opinion issued on Dec. 5, 2017. On December 5, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) essentially invalidated the CFPB’s auto lending guidance by finding that it constitutes a “rule” for purposes of the Congressional Review Act (CRA). As a rule, the guidance was required to be submitted to...

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By Trepp LLC The weakness in US equities that began on Monday afternoon spilled over into Tuesday, as all the major US indexes fell yesterday. The Dow slid 109 points (0.45%) on Tuesday, while the S&P 500 lost 0.37% and the Nasdaq slipped 0.19%. Data published yesterday revealed that the US trade deficit spiked in October, while the Institute of Supply Management's index of service providers slipped. Yields on long-dated Treasuries fell slightly, with the yield on the 10-year ending down one...

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On 5 December 2017, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) determined a list of 17 non-cooperative jurisdictions, i.e. the EU black list. This list was established based on three (screening) criteria: tax transparency, fair taxation (no harmful tax regimes) and implementation of BEPS minimum standards. The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland are not included in this black list. The ECOFIN recommends that (but does not oblige) the Member States apply tax sanctions towards the listed jurisdictions. The EU may...

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By Tommaso Foco | Ginevra Sforza |Portolano Cavalo Studio Legale Following the approval by the Parliament of Law No. 155/2017 setting forth the principles for a thorough reform of bankruptcy law, the Italian Government is now working on the delegated law that is bound to replace the more than 70-years old Bankruptcy Act (1942). The new law will consolidate in one single act the various changes to the Bankruptcy Act that have been made since 2005 and will provide a...

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By Onno Bouwmeister | Malcolm Pobjoy | VISTRA If 2017 serves as a window into projections for the year ahead, then next year promises to be one of sustained growth for the private equity community. Mega deals were the order of the day in the first half of this year, and industry experts note that 2018 will likely be more of the same. According to PitchBook Q3 2017 US PE Breakdown, US-based funds raised $62.4 billion in commitments for just 58 vehicles...

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