2023-02-21 sec-litreleases litigation_release 67 KB 3,554 chars

SEC v. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC; HITE Hedge LP; HITE Hedge II LP; and HITE Hedge Offshore Ltd., No. LR-25643, District of Massachusetts (Feb. 21, 2023) — Press Release

raw: HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC et al.

HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC et al., No. 1:23-cv-10351 (Feb. 21, 2023)

Caption
Securities & Exchange Commission v. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC
summary

HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC settled SEC charges for violating Rule 105 by short selling stock before participating in a public offering, resulting in a $103,591 penalty.

paragraph

HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC violated Rule 105 of Regulation M by purchasing stock in a public offering after short selling the same security in May 2021. The firm agreed to pay a $103,591 penalty, while three relief defendants—HITE Hedge LP, HITE Hedge II LP, and HITE Hedge Offshore Ltd.—must disgorge approximately $111,000 in profits. The settlement includes cease-and-desist orders and is subject to court approval.

narrative

The SEC charged investment adviser HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC with violating Rule 105 of Regulation M for unlawful trading in May 2021. The firm purchased stock in a public offering after short selling the same security during a prohibited restricted period. To settle the matter, HITE Hedge Asset Management agreed to a $103,591 penalty and a cease-and-desist order. Three relief defendants, HITE Hedge LP, HITE Hedge II LP, and HITE Hedge Offshore Ltd., agreed to disgorge approximately $111,000 in profits plus prejudgment interest. At the time of the violation, the firm lacked formal written policies regarding Rule 105 compliance. Following the SEC investigation, the firm implemented enhanced compliance measures and a formal Rule 105 policy. The settlement was reached without the defendants admitting or denying the allegations.

Enriched metadata

Scheme
market-manipulation (90%)
Court
District of Massachusetts
Case No.
1:23-cv-10351
Outcome
settled
Settlement
$103,591
Disgorgement
$53,417
Civil penalty
$103,591
Victim loss
$111,000
Entity
HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC
CIK
0001568939
Classified market-manipulation(confidence 90%). EDGAR detection: forms SC 13D/G/13F· recall 53% / precision 9%. detection rule →
Parties
Securities & Exchange CommissionHITE Hedge Asset Management LLCHITE Hedge LPHite Hedge II LPHITE Hedge Offshore Ltd.
Keywords
hite hedgehedge assetasset managementhitehedgeassetmanagementdisgorge profitsentry finalfinal orderingsec'ssectradingagreedsecurities exchange

Exhibits & Attached Documents (1)

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 9
  • $111K $111,000 $100K–$1M
  • $104K $103,591 $100K–$1M
  • $104K $103,591 $100K–$1M
  • $53K $53,417 $10K–$100K
  • $40K $39,975 $10K–$100K
  • $18K $18,236 $10K–$100K
  • $2K $2,362 <$10K
  • $2K $1,768 <$10K
  • $806 $806 <$10K
Entities 11
  • person Anne Hancock
  • company hite hedge asset management llc
  • organization Hite Hedge Asset Management LLC
  • company HITE Hedge II LP
  • organization HITE Hedge II LP
  • company HITE Hedge LP
  • organization HITE Hedge LP
  • company HITE Hedge Offshore Ltd.
  • organization HITE Hedge Offshore Ltd.
  • agency Securities and Exchange Commission
  • organization Securities and Exchange Commission
Triples 11
  • Securities And Exchange Commission Charges Hite Hedge Asset Management Llc
  • Hite Hedge Asset Management Llc Violated Sec Rule
  • Securities And Exchange Commission Filed Settled Complaint
  • Hite Hedge Asset Management Llc Agreed To Pay $103,591 Penalty
  • Hite Hedge Lp Agreed To Disgorge $18,236 Profits
  • Hite Hedge Ii Lp Agreed To Disgorge $39,975 Profits
  • Hite Hedge Offshore Ltd. Agreed To Disgorge $53,417 Profits
  • Securities And Exchange Commission Alleges Hite Hedge Asset Management Llc Violated Rule 105
  • Hite Hedge Asset Management Llc Implemented Written Rule 105 Policy
  • Anne Hancock Conducted Investigation
  • Securities And Exchange Commission Ordered Hite Hedge Asset Management Llc To Pay $103,591
PDF (from attached: complaint)
Text layers
Extracted body text (3,554c)
SEC Charges Investment Adviser Hite Hedge Asset Management LLC with Violating a Trading Rule Litigation Release No. 25643 / February 21, 2023 Securities and Exchange Commission v. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC et al., No. 1:23-cv-10351 (D. Mass. filed Feb. 17, 2023) The Securities and Exchange Commission on February 17, 2023 filed a settled complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts against investment advisory firm HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC for violating an SEC Rule by purchasing stock in a public offering for five private fund clients after selling short the same stock, during a period when the SEC Rule prohibited those purchases. The complaint also names the three private funds that ultimately received the profits from HITE Hedge Asset Management's unlawful trading, HITE Hedge LP, HITE Hedge II LP, and HITE Hedge Offshore Ltd., as relief defendants. HITE Hedge Asset Management has agreed to pay a $103,591 penalty to settle the charges. The three funds have agreed to disgorge the profits received from HITE Hedge Asset Management's unlawful trading, totaling approximately $111,000, plus prejudgment interest. The settlement is subject to court approval. The SEC's complaint alleges that in May 2021 HITE Hedge Asset Management violated Rule 105, which prohibits short selling an equity security during a restricted period (generally five business days before a covered public offering) and then purchasing the same security in the covered offering, absent an exception. The Rule applies regardless of the trader's intent, and is designed to prevent potentially manipulative short selling before the pricing of covered offerings. According to the SEC's complaint, at the time of its unlawful trading, HITE Hedge Asset Management did not have any formal written policies relating to Rule 105. The SEC's complaint alleges that it was not until after the SEC began its investigation into the illegal trading that HITE Hedge Asset Management implemented a written Rule 105 policy, conducted a review of its trading history to determine if other Rule 105 violations had occurred, and otherwise enhanced its compliance measures. The SEC's complaint charges HITE Hedge Asset Management with violating Rule 105 of Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Without admitting or denying the allegations in the SEC's complaint, HITE Hedge Asset Management consented to the entry of a final judgment ordering it to pay a penalty of $103,591. Without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, HITE Hedge LP has consented to the entry of a final judgment ordering it to disgorge profits of $18,236 and pay interest of $806, HITE Hedge II LP has agreed to the entry of a final judgment ordering it to disgorge profits of $39,975 and pay interest of $1,768, and HITE Hedge Offshore Ltd. has agreed to the entry of a final judgment ordering it to disgorge profits of $53,417 and pay interest of $2,362. HITE Hedge Asset Management has also agreed to the entry of a related order in SEC administrative proceedings finding that it violated Rule 105, based on the same facts as alleged in the complaint. Without admitting or denying the SEC's findings in the order, HITE Hedge Asset Management agreed to cease and desist from committing or causing violations of Rule 105. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Anne Hancock, Dawn Edick, Chip Harper, and Amy Gwiazda of the Boston Regional Office, with assistance from Wendy Kong of the Office of Investigative and Market Analytics. SEC Complaint
OCR text (3,554c · html-text · 99% conf)
SEC Charges Investment Adviser Hite Hedge Asset Management LLC with Violating a Trading Rule Litigation Release No. 25643 / February 21, 2023 Securities and Exchange Commission v. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC et al., No. 1:23-cv-10351 (D. Mass. filed Feb. 17, 2023) The Securities and Exchange Commission on February 17, 2023 filed a settled complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts against investment advisory firm HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC for violating an SEC Rule by purchasing stock in a public offering for five private fund clients after selling short the same stock, during a period when the SEC Rule prohibited those purchases. The complaint also names the three private funds that ultimately received the profits from HITE Hedge Asset Management's unlawful trading, HITE Hedge LP, HITE Hedge II LP, and HITE Hedge Offshore Ltd., as relief defendants. HITE Hedge Asset Management has agreed to pay a $103,591 penalty to settle the charges. The three funds have agreed to disgorge the profits received from HITE Hedge Asset Management's unlawful trading, totaling approximately $111,000, plus prejudgment interest. The settlement is subject to court approval. The SEC's complaint alleges that in May 2021 HITE Hedge Asset Management violated Rule 105, which prohibits short selling an equity security during a restricted period (generally five business days before a covered public offering) and then purchasing the same security in the covered offering, absent an exception. The Rule applies regardless of the trader's intent, and is designed to prevent potentially manipulative short selling before the pricing of covered offerings. According to the SEC's complaint, at the time of its unlawful trading, HITE Hedge Asset Management did not have any formal written policies relating to Rule 105. The SEC's complaint alleges that it was not until after the SEC began its investigation into the illegal trading that HITE Hedge Asset Management implemented a written Rule 105 policy, conducted a review of its trading history to determine if other Rule 105 violations had occurred, and otherwise enhanced its compliance measures. The SEC's complaint charges HITE Hedge Asset Management with violating Rule 105 of Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Without admitting or denying the allegations in the SEC's complaint, HITE Hedge Asset Management consented to the entry of a final judgment ordering it to pay a penalty of $103,591. Without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, HITE Hedge LP has consented to the entry of a final judgment ordering it to disgorge profits of $18,236 and pay interest of $806, HITE Hedge II LP has agreed to the entry of a final judgment ordering it to disgorge profits of $39,975 and pay interest of $1,768, and HITE Hedge Offshore Ltd. has agreed to the entry of a final judgment ordering it to disgorge profits of $53,417 and pay interest of $2,362. HITE Hedge Asset Management has also agreed to the entry of a related order in SEC administrative proceedings finding that it violated Rule 105, based on the same facts as alleged in the complaint. Without admitting or denying the SEC's findings in the order, HITE Hedge Asset Management agreed to cease and desist from committing or causing violations of Rule 105. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Anne Hancock, Dawn Edick, Chip Harper, and Amy Gwiazda of the Boston Regional Office, with assistance from Wendy Kong of the Office of Investigative and Market Analytics. SEC Complaint