Supervisory Failures Allegedly Resulted in Unsuitable Trades and Rollovers Wells Fargo Clearing Services and Wells Fargo Advisors have arrived at a settlement with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). The two broker-dealers will pay $3.1M for purportedly not setting up and maintaining a supervisory system that complied with the self-regulatory…
Over 3,000 Customers May Have Been Charged More Than $8.4M in Excessive Sales Fees The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced that Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith will pay approximately $8.4M in restitution and an over $3.2M fine to settle charges alleging supervisory failures involving unit investment trust (UIT)…
FINRA Suspends Texas Broker For Three Months Kurt Jason Gunter, a Wells Fargo Clearing Services (WRET) registered representative in Bee Cave, Texas, was recently sanctioned by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). The self-regulatory organization (SRO) contends that he allegedly made unsuitable unit investment trust (UIT) sales to customers. In…
Guggenheim Defined Portfolio Trust is Too Risky for Many Retail Investors If you suffered losses after investing in the Guggenheim Defined Portfolio’s BDC Scorecard Portfolio Series 18 (CBDRX), our broker negligence and investment fraud attorneys at Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas would like to talk to you. Unfortunately, this investment…
FINRA Says SagePoint Financial Brokers Unsuitably Recommended Early UIT Rollovers The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is ordering SagePoint Financial to pay over $1.6M in fines and restitution after it executed over $895 million in unit investment trust (UIT) transactions that resulted in more than $17.2 million in sales charges. …
Ex-Raymond James Broker Named In $500K UIT Investment Fraud Claim Our stockbroker fraud lawyers are investigating claims involving Ameriprise (AMP) and former Raymond James broker, E. Kyle Davis. Contact Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas (SSEK Law Firm) today if you believe that you may have fallen victim to investment fraud. …
FINRA Orders Oppenheimer To Pay $3.8M Oppenheimer & Co. (OPY) must pay over $3.8M in restitution to customers who may have had to pay excess sales fees for the early rollovers of their United Investment Trusts (UITs). The order comes from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and includes an…
Three Raymond James entities — Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc., and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. (RJF) — have agreed to pay $15M to settle US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charges accusing the brokerage firm of charging excess commissions to customers that invested…
A Cetera Financial Group network brokerage firm will pay $1.1M in fines and restitution related to its sale of unit investment trusts. The broker-dealer is Investors Capital Corp. According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, in 74 clients’ accounts, certain advisers recommended steepener notes, as well as short-term trading…
Brokerage Firms to Pay $1.2M for Not Applying UIT Discounts The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has charged Next Financial Group Inc., Stephens Inc., and Key Investment Services with failing to grant sales charge discounts when certain customers that were buying unit investment trusts were eligible for the reduced rates. The…