Three news to start your week: October 23
Albanian prosecutors charge former Prime Minister Sali Berisha in corruption probe
(Reuters)
On Sunday, Investigators reported that Albanian prosecutors charged former prime minister Sali Berisha and his son-in-law with corruption related to a land deal involving a sports club's grounds.
The special prosecution office against organized crime and corruption, known as SPAK, indicted Berisha on charges that he exploited his position as premier between 2005 and 2009 to urge "for the conclusion of the privatization procedures in favor of others including his daughter's husband."
Although Berisha's son-in-law was taken into custody late on Saturday, the politician enjoys immunity from prosecution. However, he has been told to report to the police and not to leave the nation.
HSBC Blocks Staff From Texting on Their Work Phones
(Bloomberg)
In the most recent reaction to regulatory investigations into the industry's use of unapproved communication methods, HSBC Holdings Plc has banned employees from texting on company phones.
According to people with knowledge of the situation, the corporation is turning off the text messaging feature on employees' company-issued phones, so they won't be able to send or receive texts. The people, who wished to remain anonymous due to the confidentiality of the information, stated that the SMS ban is in effect throughout the bank.
According to the people, HSBC has previously prohibited employees from using WhatsApp on company phones.
ACI Worldwide Settles With States, Financial Regulators Over Inadvertent Mortgage Payment Withdrawals
(Wall Street Journal)
To resolve claims that a 2021 computer testing error caused it to unintentionally remove more than $2 billion from mortgage holders' accounts, payment processor ACI Worldwide has agreed to pay $20 million.
The New York attorney general's office, which joined the attorneys general of 48 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in a $10 million settlement, said that a multistate investigation had found that "significant defects in ACI's privacy and data security procedures and technical infrastructure," were the cause of the unauthorized withdrawals made using ACI's Speedpay payment-processing technology.
In a settlement with 44 state regulators, including those from Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, and Texas, ACI is also paying an extra $10 million. The Conference of State Bank Supervisors, the national association of bank regulators, claims that the company's ACI Payments unit is a money-services enterprise with licenses in almost every state.
