Blackstone Addresses SEC Scrutiny Over Fee Practices

In response to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s industry-wide scrutiny of private-equity fee disclosures, Blackstone Group LP has tried to simplify its fee practices for its recent funds by increasing disclosure and getting rid of historical practices such as transaction fees and monitoring fees, said Joseph Baratta, the firm’s global head of private equity, at the WSJ Pro Private Equity Analyst conference in New York.