WHITE COLLAR CRIME Definition

WHITE COLLAR CRIME is a number of miscellaneous nonviolent crimes lumped together as white collar crimes. There is no fixed definition of white collar crime, although it usually includes bribery, embezzlement, fraud, forgery, and violations of trust committed by corporations or individuals engaged in commerce. Historically, in the U.S. many white collar crimes have received lenient punishment from a criminal justice system that considered white collar crimes to be less serious than more violent crimes. Today, the trend is for stricter punishment of white collar crimes in recognition of the financial damage they inflict on society.

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EQUITY is, normally, ownership or percentage of ownership in a company or items of value.

SETTLEMENT, in securities, is the conclusion of a securities transaction; a broker/dealer buying securities pays for them; a selling broker delivers the securities to the buyer's broker.

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