the public interest that public administrative and cease-and-desist proceedings be, and hereby
Lexion Capital Management LP violated the Investment Advisers Act by failing to file and deliver its Form CRS to retail clients by June–July 2020 deadlines and not posting it on its website until May 2021, resulting in a $10,000 civil penalty, censure, and cease-and-desist order after settling with the SEC without admitting or denying the findings.
Lexion Capital Management LP (LCM), a registered investment adviser with $81M in regulatory assets under management, willfully violated Sections 204 and Rules 204-1 and 204-5 of the Investment Advisers Act by failing to file its Form CRS with the SEC and deliver it to retail clients by the June 30 and July 30, 2020 deadlines. LCM also failed to post the Form CRS on its website until May 2021, after being alerted twice by the SEC’s Division of Examinations. Without admitting or denying the allegations, LCM consented to a cease-and-desist order, a censure, and a $10,000 civil penalty, which it paid within 10 days, and agreed not to seek a penalty offset in related investor litigation.
Lexion Capital Management LP (LCM), a Delaware limited partnership registered with the SEC since 2012 and managing approximately $81 million in assets, violated Sections 204 and Rules 204-1 and 204-5 of the Investment Advisers Act by failing to file its Form CRS with the SEC and deliver it to retail clients by the June 30 and July 30, 2020 deadlines. The Form CRS, mandated by the SEC in 2019, requires advisers to provide retail investors with clear disclosures about services, fees, and conflicts of interest, and must also be posted prominently on the adviser’s website if one exists. LCM did not comply with any of these requirements until May 2021, after being contacted twice by the SEC’s Division of Examinations. The SEC determined LCM’s violations were willful and accepted its offer of settlement without admission or denial of the findings. As part of the settlement, LCM agreed to a cease-and-desist order, a formal censure, and a $10,000 civil penalty, which it paid within 10 days of the order. LCM also committed not to seek a penalty offset in any related investor litigation and agreed to notify the SEC and remit any such offset within 30 days if awarded. The SEC emphasized that timely compliance with Form CRS obligations is critical to protecting retail investors through transparent, standardized disclosures.
Extracted insights
- $81.00M $81M $10M–$100M
- $10K $10,000 $10K–$100K
- agency the securities and exchange commission
- The Securities and Exchange Commission Deems It Appropriate Public Administrative And Cease-And-Desist Proceedings
- Respondent Submitted An Offer Of Settlement
- The Commission Determined To Accept The Offer
- Respondent Consents To The Entry Of This Order
- The Commission Finds That Lcm Failed To File And Deliver Form Crs By Deadlines
- Lcm Violated Advisers Act Section 204 And Rules 204-1 And 204-5
- The Commission Adopted Form Crs And Rules Creating New Requirements
- Rule 204-1(e) Requires Retail Rias To Amend Form Adv By Electronically Filing Form Crs
- Rule 204-5 Requires Retail Rias To Deliver Form Crs To Prospective And New Retail Investor Clients
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Be fore the
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
INVESTMENT ADVISERS ACT OF 1940
Re le ase No. 5898 / October 28, 2021
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDING
File No. 3-20635
In the Matte r of
Le xion Capital Manage me nt LP,
Re s ponde nt.
ORDER INSTITUTING
ADMINISTRATIVE AND CEASE-AND-
DESIST PROCEEDINGS PURSUANT TO
SECTIONS 203(e ) AND 203(k) OF THE
INVESTMENT ADVISERS ACT OF 1940,
MAKING FINDINGS, AND IMPOSING
REMEDIAL SANCTIONS AND A
CEASE-AND-DESIST ORDER
I.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) deems it appropriate and in
the public interest that public administrative and cease-and-desist proceedings be, and hereby
are, instituted pursuant to Sections 203(e) and 203(k) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940
(“Advisers Act”) against Lexion Capital Management LP (“LCM” or “Respondent”).
II.
In anticipation of the institution of these proceedings, Respondent has submitted an Offer
of Settlement (the “Offer”) which the Commission has determined to accept. Solely for the
purpose of these proceedings and any other proceedings brought by or on behalf of the
Commission, or to which the Commission is a party, and without admitting or denying the
findings herein, except as to the Commission’s jurisdiction over it and the subject matter of these
proceedings, which are admitted, Respondent consents to the entry of this Order Instituting
Administrative and Cease-and-Desist Proceedings Pursuant to Sections 203(e) and 203(k) of the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Making Findings, and Imposing Remedial Sanctions and a
Cease-and-Desist Order (“Order”), as set forth below.
2
III.
On the basis of this Order and Respondent’s Offer, the Commission finds that:
Summary
1. This matter involves LCM’s failure to file with the Commission and to deliver to
retail investor clients its Form CRS. LCM was required to file its initial Form CRS with the
Commission as Part 3 of its Form ADV and to begin delivering its Form CRS to prospective and
new retail investor clients, as applicable, by June 30, 2020. LCM was further required to deliver
its Form CRS to existing retail investor clients by July 30, 2020. The firm failed to file and
deliver Form CRS by these deadlines, not becoming compliant until May 2021. As a result,
LCM violated Advisers Act Section 204 and Rules 204-1 and 204-5 thereunder.
Re s ponde nt
2. LCM is a Delaware limited partnership with its principal place of business in New
York, New York as reported in public disclosure documents. LCM has been registered with the
Commission as an investment adviser since January 11, 2012. On its Form ADV dated July 6,
2021, LCM reported that it had approximately $81M in regulatory assets under management and 76
individual clients.
Facts
3. On June 5, 2019, the Commission adopted Form CRS and rules creating new
requirements—the Form CRS Filing Requirement and the Form CRS Delivery Requirement
(collectively, the “Requirements”)—for Commission-registered investment advisers offering
services to a retail investor.
1
See Form CRS Relationship Summary; Amendments to Form ADV,
Release Nos. 34-86032 & IA-5247 (June 5, 2019) (effective September 10, 2019) (“Form CRS
Adopting Release”).
4. The Form CRS Filing Requirement. First, Rule 204-1(e) under the Advisers Act
requires all Commission-registered investment advisers offering services to a retail investor
(“Retail RIAs”) to amend their Form ADV by electronically filing on the Investment Adviser
Registration Database (“IARD”) an initial Form CRS satisfying the requirements of Part 3 of
Form ADV no later than June 30, 2020.
5. The Form CRS Delivery Requirement. Second, Rule 204-5 under the Advisers
Act requires Retail RIAs to deliver their current Form CRS to each retail investor client.
Specifically, under Rule 204-5(b) under the Advisers Act, the Retail RIA must deliver: (1) to
each retail investor client its current Form CRS before or at the time the firm enters into an
1
For purposes of Form CRS, the term “retail investor” means “a natural person, or the
legal representative of such natural person, who seeks to receive or receives services primarily
for personal, family or household purposes.” Rule 204-5(d)(2) under the Advisers Act.
3
investment advisory contract with that client; and (2) to each retail investor client who is an
existing client the Retail RIA’s current Form CRS before or at the time the firm:
opens a new account that is different from the retail investor client’s
existing account(s);
recommends that the retail investor client roll over assets from a
retirement account into a new or existing account or investment; or
recommends or provides a new investment advisory service or investment
that does not necessarily involve the opening of a new account and would
not be held in an existing account.
See Rule 204-5(b)(1) & (b)(2). Rule 204-5(b)(3) also requires Retail RIAs to post their current
Form CRS prominently on their website, if they have one, in a location and format that is easily
accessible to retail investors. The deadline for Retail RIAs to begin complying with the Form
CRS Delivery Requirement was June 30, 2020 for prospective and new retail investor clients and
July 30, 2020 for the initial delivery to existing retail investor clients. See Rule 204-5(e)(1) &
(e)(2); Form CRS Adopting Release at 239, 242, 406-407; Form ADV, Part 3: Instructions to
Form CRS, General Instruction 7.C (Sept. 2019).
6. LCM failed to comply with the Requirements by its regulatory deadlines, and
began complying only after the Division of Examinations (“EXAMS”) contacted the firm
regarding the failure to file its Form CRS. Specifically, EXAMS contacted LCM’s Chief
Compliance Officer by email on October 14, 2020 to alert her that the firm had failed to file
Form CRS. LCM, however, still did not file its Form CRS. On May 10, 2021, EXAMS again
contacted LCM but this time to announce an examination relating to the firm’s failure to file
Form CRS. LCM finally filed Form CRS with the Commission on May 13, 2021, and the firm
did not deliver Form CRS to its existing retail investor clients until May 2021. In addition, LCM
failed to post Form CRS on its website until May 2021.
Violations
7. As a result of the conduct described above, LCM willfully
2
violated Section 204
of the Advisers Act and Rules 204-1 and 204-5 thereunder.
IV.
2
“Willfully,” for purposes of imposing relief under Section 203(e) of the Advisers Act
“‘means no more than that the person charged with the duty knows what he is doing.’”
Wonsover v. SEC, 205 F.3d 408, 414 (D.C. Cir. 2000) (quoting Hughes v. SEC, 174 F.2d 969,
977 (D.C. Cir. 1949)). There is no requirement that the actor “also be aware that he is violating
one of the Rules or Acts.” Tager v. SEC, 344 F.2d 5, 8 (2d Cir. 1965). The decision in The
Robare Group, Ltd. v. SEC, which construed the term “willfully” for purposes of a differently
structured statutory provision, does not alter that standard. 922 F.3d 468, 478-79 (D.C. Cir.
2019) (setting forth the showing required to establish that a person has “willfully omit[ted]”
material information from a required disclosure in violation of Section 207 of the Advisers Act).
4
In view of the foregoing, the Commission deems it appropriate and in the public interest
to impose the sanctions agreed to in Respondent LCM’s Offer.
Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 203(e) and 203(k) of the Advisers Act, it is hereby
ORDERED that:
A. Respondent cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any
future violations of Advisers Act Section 204 and Rules 204-1 and 204-5 thereunder.
B. Respondent is censured.
C. Respondent shall, within 10 days of the entry of this Order, pay a civil money
penalty in the amount of $10,000 to the Securities and Exchange Commission for transfer to the
general fund of the United States Treasury, subject to Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Section
21F(g)(3). If timely payment is not made, additional interest shall accrue pursuant to 31 U.S.C.
§ 3717.
Payment must be made in one of the following ways:
(1) Respondent may transmit payment electronically to the Commission,
which will provide detailed ACH transfer/Fedwire instructions upon
request;
(2) Respondent may make direct payment from a bank account via Pay.gov
through the SEC website at ht t p://www.sec.gov/about /offices/ofm.ht m; or
(3) Respondent may pay by certified check, bank cashier’s check, or United
States postal money order, made payable to the Securities and Exchange
Commission and hand-delivered or mailed to:
Enterprise Services Center
Accounts Receivable Branch
HQ Bldg., Room 181, AMZ-341
6500 South MacArthur Boulevard
Oklahoma City, OK 73169
Payments by check or money order must be accompanied by a cover letter identifying
LCM as a Respondent in these proceedings, and the file number of these proceedings; a copy of
the cover letter and check or money order must be sent to Lara Mehraban, Associate Regional
Director, New York Regional Office, Securities and Exchange Commission, Brookfield Place,
200 Vesey Street, Suite 400, New York, NY 10281.
D. Amounts ordered to be paid as civil money penalties pursuant to this Order shall
be treated as penalties paid to the government for all purposes, including all tax purposes. To
preserve the deterrent effect of the civil penalty, Respondent agrees that in any Related Investor
Action, it shall not argue that it is entitled to, nor shall it benefit by, offset or reduction of any
5
award of compensatory damages by the amount of any part of Respondent’s payment of a civil
penalty in this action (“Penalty Offset”). If the court in any Related Investor Action grants such
a Penalty Offset, Respondent agrees that it shall, within 30 days after entry of a final order
granting the Penalty Offset, notify the Commission’s counsel in this action and pay the amount
of the Penalty Offset to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such a payment shall not be
deemed an additional civil penalty and shall not be deemed to change the amount of the civil
penalty imposed in this proceeding. For purposes of this paragraph, a “Related Investor Action”
means a private damages action brought against Respondent by or on behalf of one or more
investors based on substantially the same facts as alleged in the Order instituted by the
Commission in this proceeding.
By the Commission.
Vanessa A. Countryman
Secretary UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Before the
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
INVESTMENT ADVISERS ACT OF 1940
Release No. 5898 / October 28, 2021
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDING
File No. 3-20635
In the Matter of
Lexion Capital Management LP,
Respondent.
ORDER INSTITUTING
ADMINISTRATIVE AND CEASE-AND-
DESIST PROCEEDINGS PURSUANT TO
SECTIONS 203(e) AND 203(k) OF THE
INVESTMENT ADVISERS ACT OF 1940,
MAKING FINDINGS, AND IMPOSING
REMEDIAL SANCTIONS AND A
CEASE-AND-DESIST ORDER
I.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) deems it appropriate and in
the public interest that public administrative and cease-and-desist proceedings be, and hereby
are, instituted pursuant to Sections 203(e) and 203(k) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940
(“Advisers Act”) against Lexion Capital Management LP (“LCM” or “Respondent”).
II.
In anticipation of the institution of these proceedings, Respondent has submitted an Offer
of Settlement (the “Offer”) which the Commission has determined to accept. Solely for the
purpose of these proceedings and any other proceedings brought by or on behalf of the
Commission, or to which the Commission is a party, and without admitting or denying the
findings herein, except as to the Commission’s jurisdiction over it and the subject matter of these
proceedings, which are admitted, Respondent consents to the entry of this Order Instituting
Administrative and Cease-and-Desist Proceedings Pursuant to Sections 203(e) and 203(k) of the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Making Findings, and Imposing Remedial Sanctions and a
Cease-and-Desist Order (“Order”), as set forth below.
2
III.
On the basis of this Order and Respondent’s Offer, the Commission finds that:
Summary
1. This matter involves LCM’s failure to file with the Commission and to deliver to
retail investor clients its Form CRS. LCM was required to file its initial Form CRS with the
Commission as Part 3 of its Form ADV and to begin delivering its Form CRS to prospective and
new retail investor clients, as applicable, by June 30, 2020. LCM was further required to deliver
its Form CRS to existing retail investor clients by July 30, 2020. The firm failed to file and
deliver Form CRS by these deadlines, not becoming compliant until May 2021. As a result,
LCM violated Advisers Act Section 204 and Rules 204-1 and 204-5 thereunder.
Respondent
2. LCM is a Delaware limited partnership with its principal place of business in New
York, New York as reported in public disclosure documents. LCM has been registered with the
Commission as an investment adviser since January 11, 2012. On its Form ADV dated July 6,
2021, LCM reported that it had approximately $81M in regulatory assets under management and 76
individual clients.
Facts
3. On June 5, 2019, the Commission adopted Form CRS and rules creating new
requirements—the Form CRS Filing Requirement and the Form CRS Delivery Requirement
(collectively, the “Requirements”)—for Commission-registered investment advisers offering
services to a retail investor.1 See Form CRS Relationship Summary; Amendments to Form ADV,
Release Nos. 34-86032 & IA-5247 (June 5, 2019) (effective September 10, 2019) (“Form CRS
Adopting Release”).
4. The Form CRS Filing Requirement. First, Rule 204-1(e) under the Advisers Act
requires all Commission-registered investment advisers offering services to a retail investor
(“Retail RIAs”) to amend their Form ADV by electronically filing on the Investment Adviser
Registration Database (“IARD”) an initial Form CRS satisfying the requirements of Part 3 of
Form ADV no later than June 30, 2020.
5. The Form CRS Delivery Requirement. Second, Rule 204-5 under the Advisers
Act requires Retail RIAs to deliver their current Form CRS to each retail investor client.
Specifically, under Rule 204-5(b) under the Advisers Act, the Retail RIA must deliver: (1) to
each retail investor client its current Form CRS before or at the time the firm enters into an
1 For purposes of Form CRS, the term “retail investor” means “a natural person, or the
legal representative of such natural person, who seeks to receive or receives services primarily
for personal, family or household purposes.” Rule 204-5(d)(2) under the Advisers Act.
3
investment advisory contract with that client; and (2) to each retail investor client who is an
existing client the Retail RIA’s current Form CRS before or at the time the firm:
opens a new account that is different from the retail investor client’s
existing account(s);
recommends that the retail investor client roll over assets from a
retirement account into a new or existing account or investment; or
recommends or provides a new investment advisory service or investment
that does not necessarily involve the opening of a new account and would
not be held in an existing account.
See Rule 204-5(b)(1) & (b)(2). Rule 204-5(b)(3) also requires Retail RIAs to post their current
Form CRS prominently on their website, if they have one, in a location and format that is easily
accessible to retail investors. The deadline for Retail RIAs to begin complying with the Form
CRS Delivery Requirement was June 30, 2020 for prospective and new retail investor clients and
July 30, 2020 for the initial delivery to existing retail investor clients. See Rule 204-5(e)(1) &
(e)(2); Form CRS Adopting Release at 239, 242, 406-407; Form ADV, Part 3: Instructions to
Form CRS, General Instruction 7.C (Sept. 2019).
6. LCM failed to comply with the Requirements by its regulatory deadlines, and
began complying only after the Division of Examinations (“EXAMS”) contacted the firm
regarding the failure to file its Form CRS. Specifically, EXAMS contacted LCM’s Chief
Compliance Officer by email on October 14, 2020 to alert her that the firm had failed to file
Form CRS. LCM, however, still did not file its Form CRS. On May 10, 2021, EXAMS again
contacted LCM but this time to announce an examination relating to the firm’s failure to file
Form CRS. LCM finally filed Form CRS with the Commission on May 13, 2021, and the firm
did not deliver Form CRS to its existing retail investor clients until May 2021. In addition, LCM
failed to post Form CRS on its website until May 2021.
Violations
7. As a result of the conduct described above, LCM willfully2 violated Section 204
of the Advisers Act and Rules 204-1 and 204-5 thereunder.
IV.
2 “Willfully,” for purposes of imposing relief under Section 203(e) of the Advisers Act
“‘means no more than that the person charged with the duty knows what he is doing.’”
Wonsover v. SEC, 205 F.3d 408, 414 (D.C. Cir. 2000) (quoting Hughes v. SEC, 174 F.2d 969,
977 (D.C. Cir. 1949)). There is no requirement that the actor “also be aware that he is violating
one of the Rules or Acts.” Tager v. SEC, 344 F.2d 5, 8 (2d Cir. 1965). The decision in The
Robare Group, Ltd. v. SEC, which construed the term “willfully” for purposes of a differently
structured statutory provision, does not alter that standard. 922 F.3d 468, 478-79 (D.C. Cir.
2019) (setting forth the showing required to establish that a person has “willfully omit[ted]”
material information from a required disclosure in violation of Section 207 of the Advisers Act).
4
In view of the foregoing, the Commission deems it appropriate and in the public interest
to impose the sanctions agreed to in Respondent LCM’s Offer.
Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 203(e) and 203(k) of the Advisers Act, it is hereby
ORDERED that:
A. Respondent cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any
future violations of Advisers Act Section 204 and Rules 204-1 and 204-5 thereunder.
B. Respondent is censured.
C. Respondent shall, within 10 days of the entry of this Order, pay a civil money
penalty in the amount of $10,000 to the Securities and Exchange Commission for transfer to the
general fund of the United States Treasury, subject to Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Section
21F(g)(3). If timely payment is not made, additional interest shall accrue pursuant to 31 U.S.C.
§ 3717.
Payment must be made in one of the following ways:
(1) Respondent may transmit payment electronically to the Commission,
which will provide detailed ACH transfer/Fedwire instructions upon
request;
(2) Respondent may make direct payment from a bank account via Pay.gov
through the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov/about/offices/ofm.htm; or
(3) Respondent may pay by certified check, bank cashier’s check, or United
States postal money order, made payable to the Securities and Exchange
Commission and hand-delivered or mailed to:
Enterprise Services Center
Accounts Receivable Branch
HQ Bldg., Room 181, AMZ-341
6500 South MacArthur Boulevard
Oklahoma City, OK 73169
Payments by check or money order must be accompanied by a cover letter identifying
LCM as a Respondent in these proceedings, and the file number of these proceedings; a copy of
the cover letter and check or money order must be sent to Lara Mehraban, Associate Regional
Director, New York Regional Office, Securities and Exchange Commission, Brookfield Place,
200 Vesey Street, Suite 400, New York, NY 10281.
D. Amounts ordered to be paid as civil money penalties pursuant to this Order shall
be treated as penalties paid to the government for all purposes, including all tax purposes. To
preserve the deterrent effect of the civil penalty, Respondent agrees that in any Related Investor
Action, it shall not argue that it is entitled to, nor shall it benefit by, offset or reduction of any
http://www.sec.gov/about/offices/ofm.htm
5
award of compensatory damages by the amount of any part of Respondent’s payment of a civil
penalty in this action (“Penalty Offset”). If the court in any Related Investor Action grants such
a Penalty Offset, Respondent agrees that it shall, within 30 days after entry of a final order
granting the Penalty Offset, notify the Commission’s counsel in this action and pay the amount
of the Penalty Offset to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such a payment shall not be
deemed an additional civil penalty and shall not be deemed to change the amount of the civil
penalty imposed in this proceeding. For purposes of this paragraph, a “Related Investor Action”
means a private damages action brought against Respondent by or on behalf of one or more
investors based on substantially the same facts as alleged in the Order instituted by the
Commission in this proceeding.
By the Commission.
Vanessa A. Countryman
Secretary