Articles Tagged with Unauthorized Trading

Merrill terminated 38-year Birmingham, Alabama based Advisor after settling a customer claim for $4.25 million, according to Advisor Hub and FINRA Brokercheck.

Merrill fired the advisor for “conduct including making an unsuitable investment strategy recommendation and misrepresentation to a client” tied to an options investment and also for failing “to follow Firm standards related to business communications,” according to BrokerCheck.

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The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority hired an “independent” law firm to conduct a review of its arbitrator selection procedures after a Judge rebukes FIRNA in an order vacating a Wells Fargo award in a controversial case, according to FINRA.

Finra, whom denied any flaw in its process, hired the law firm of Lowenstein Sandler after a scathing order to vacate a Wells Fargo award.  The Judge had said Finra and Wells Fargo’s lawyer appeared to have a secret agreement to strike potential arbitrators from a neutral list and questioned the fairness of the process.

The concerns were reiterated by the Public Investors Advocate Bar Association, which called for “an immediate investigation” by the Securities and Exchange Commission and hearings in Congress, and by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) in a February 10 letter.

According to Advisor Hub, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has censured and imposed a $950,000 fine on Merrill Lynch Wealth Management for allegations that they engaged in ignoring flaws in its fraud detection systems allowed for two of their brokers to steal $6 million from clients.

“Merrill’s systems did not properly screen Automated Clearing House transfers from customers’ accounts to detect when one of its registered representatives was the beneficiary of those transfers,” FINRA said. Merrill’s internal fraud-detection system was only “designed to detect fraud by third parties” or “persons other than its own brokers,” it continued.

cropped-High-Res-TA-2018-2019-284x300According to Advisor Hub and FINRA Website, in a decision overturning an arbitration award, a Georgia state court judge vacated an Arbitration decision in which Wells Fargo successfully beat an investor’s $1.7 million damage claims over investment losses.

According to the Order, Judge Belinda E. Edwards based her ruling in part on grounds that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority administrators had allowed Wells Fargo and an outside lawyer to “manipulate” the arbitrator selection process. The article in Advisor Hub notes that “A Finra dispute resolution director improperly granted Wells Fargo’s request to strike two arbitrators, including one from a computer-generated “neutral” list, as part of an unwritten side agreement between the regulator and Wells’ lawyer.”

“Permitting one lawyer to secretly red line the neutral list makes the list anything but neutral, and calls into question the entire fairness of the arbitral forum,” Judge Edwards wrote in the January 25 ruling.

Miller Stern Lawyers is currently investigating claims against J.P. Morgan. According to Advisor Hub and industry records, J.P. Morgan Advisors was ordered to pay $4 million in damages to a former client in their San Francisco office.

Industry records confirms that Lacey Winston Keath alleged unsuitability in filings against J.P. Morgan’s traditional brokerage unit in high-risk equities and junk bonds–without authorization, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority award.

A J.P. Morgan spokeswoman declined to comment on the arbitration outcome or underlying dispute.

Bull BearMiller Stern Lawyers – 410-Law-Firm is currently investigating for clients of former Morgan Stanley broker Barry F. Connell and all firms and broker dealers who may be victims of, and suffered damages and losses, due to abuses such fraud, mutual fund abuses, unsuitable mutual fund investments and failure to supervise, breach of fiduciary duty, overcharging , and unauthorized trading.

Securities and Exchange Commission closed its case against a former Morgan Stanley broker who served prison time, barring him from the securities industry after ensuring that he has repaid more than $5.1 million stolen from customers, according to FINRA.

Connell pled guilty in December 2018 to stealing the money between 2015 and 2016, spending the $5 million to support his “lavish lifestyle,” according to the SEC. He perpetrated the fraud by moving funds among client accounts and using falsified wire transfer forms and checks.

Bull BearMiller Stern Lawyers – 410-Law-Firm is currently investigating clients of  Ex Ameriprise Broker Angel Bardeche CRD4698117 and all firms and broker dealers who may be victims of, and suffered damages and losses, due to abuses such as flipping “A” Shares, mutual fund abuses, unsuitable mutual fund investments and failure to supervise, breach of fiduciary duty, overcharging , and unauthorized trading.

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has fined and suspended a former Ameriprise Financial broker in Cincinnati, Ohio, who allegedly generated $450,000 in commissions from unsuitable mutual fund switches over two years, according to FINRA and Advisor Hub.  Ms. Bardeche agreed to a nine-month suspension and $10,000 fine as well as $5,000 in disgorgement to resolve Finra’s allegations of costly mutual fund trading, according to a letter of settlement.

Between January 2017 and March 2019, Bardeche recommended 112 short-term ‘switches’ of Class A mutual funds in 32 customer accounts, Finra said. Class A funds carry large up-front sales charges and “are generally only suitable as long-term investments.”

Bull BearMiller Stern Lawyers – 410-Law-Firm is currently investigating clients of Transamerica and all firms and broker dealers who may be victims of, and suffered damages and losses, due to abuses such as failure to supervise, breach of fiduciary duty, overcharging , and unauthorized trading.

As posted from FINRA.ORG

“Firm Ordered to Pay $4.4 Million in Restitution to Approximately 2,400 Affected Customers

Bull BearFINRA’s ongoing campaign to rein in alleged sales abuses involving short-term trading of unit investment trusts in customer accounts has led a 23-year veteran advisor to accept a $10,000 fine and three-month suspension.

Miller Stern Lawyers – 410-Law-Firm is currently investigating clients of Stifel Nicolaus and all firms and broker dealers who may be victims of, and suffered damages and losses, due to abuses such as short-term trading of unit investment trusts, breach of fiduciary duty, overcharging , and unauthorized trading.

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