LPL Financial Ordered to Pay $100K for Lack of Adequate Oversight that Resulted in Unsuitable Investments for Clients

LPL Financial must pay $100K for its improper supervision of a broker. The Oregon Division of Financial and Corporate Securities, which fined the financial firm, reports that LPL Financial has put in place better oversight procedures since the violation was discovered. LPL Financial is a LPL Investment Holdings Inc. division.

According to the state’s securities division, Jack Kleck, an LPL Financial branch manager, sold risky gas and oil partnership-related investments to almost 36 residents. A lot of these clients were elderly seniors for whom these investments were unsuitable (considering their investment goals and age). Some even lacked the mental capacity to make such investment choices.

LPL Financial is accused of committing securities law violations, including not making sure that company procedures and policy were enforced and inadequately supervising Kleck, whose securities license was taken away in 2007. He was ordered to pay a $30,000 fine.

Among the steps that LPL has taken to set up better supervisory and compliance practices are having more employees focus on these responsibilities, improving branch office exams, and increasing the pre-sale evaluation of transactions.

Our securities fraud lawyers are talking to people who sustained losses because of Kleck or another LPL Financial representative. Contact Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas LLP today.

Unfortunately, elderly seniors and persons who are mentally impaired are easy targets for securities fraud. These investors may not fully understand what they are getting into and they can place their trust in the wrong registered representative. Often, the risks resulting from stockbroker fraud are too much for these clients, who may want to be conservative about their investment goals in order to ensure that they have enough money to support themselves. At this point in their lives, they cannot afford any huge losses.

It is the responsibility of financial firms to properly supervise their employees so that securities fraud doesn’t take place. They must also have the proper supervisory and compliance procedures in place so that employees can execute them.

Our senior investor fraud lawyers know how devastating it can be to find out the nest egg you’ve spent your whole life growing is now gone because someone made investments on your behalf that were inappropriate.

Examples of Financial Scams that Commonly Target Seniors:
• Investment scams • Reverse mortgage schemes • Ponzi scams • Internet fraud
Ways to Avoid Financial Fraud:
• Don’t sign up right way. Take the time to think about the investment and whether it would benefit you.
• Do research on the broker and the financial firm to make they are legitimate. Have they been accused of securities fraud before?
• Consult with a family member or a friend about the investment.
• Make sure you know what you are getting involved in. If you don’t understand any details, ask and make sure you get answers.

Oregon fines LPL Financial $100,000 for failing to properly supervise rural broker-dealer, Oregon Live, November 22, 2011
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas Investigates Claims Against LPL Financial in Light of $100k Fine for Supervisory Oversight, Globe Newswire, November 30, 2011

More Blog Posts:
LPL Financial Management and Private Equity Backers TPG and Hellman & Friedman Could Make Over $450M from IPO, Stockbroker Fraud Blog, November 19, 2010
Linsco Private Ledger Clients File FINRA Arbitration Claims Accusing Former Financial Adviser Raymond Londo of Running Multi-Million Dollar Ponzi Scam, Stockbroker Fraud Blog, April 13, 2011
Wells Investment Securities Agrees to $300,000 Fine by FINRA for Alleged Use of Misleading Marketing Materials for REIT Offerings, Institutional Investor Securities Blog, November 23, 2011