James “Jeb” Bashaw, the former star financial adviser at LPL Financial (LPLA) from Texas is now registered with International Assets Advisory, a small brokerage firm. LPL Financial fired Bashaw last month over allegations involving selling away. Then, for a while this month, he was with Wunderlich Securities Inc.
Selling away typically involves engaging in private securities transactions sans the required written disclosure or brokerage firm approval. It can also include borrowing from a client, as well as engaging in a transaction that is a potential conflict interest, again without the required disclosure in writing or firm approval.
Responding to the selling away allegations, Bashaw noted that he was “home supervised” and underwent more than a dozen perfect audits while affiliated with LPL. After his firing, Wunderlich took steps to hire Bashaw but there was a delay in transferring his license to the firm. In the end, the broker-dealer and Bashaw reportedly decided not to pursue a working relationship.
In 2011, Bashaw was ranked the number one financial adviser in Texas. He founded a dually registered firm in Houston, which was one of the biggest affiliated LPL practices. He reportedly managed assets of $3.8 billion.
In other LPL Financial news, this week Mark Casady, its chief executive, apologized to shareholders for the time it has taken to resolve the company’s compliance issues. The problems have cost the brokerage firm millions of dollars in settlements, restitution payments, and fines.
Casady’s statement comes a week after parent company LPL Financial Holdings Inc. announced that the broker-dealer expected to incur some $23 million in charges to settle undisclosed regulatory issues. That’s $18 million more than what had been anticipated. Following the announcement, LPL shares dropped 7%.
LPL said the regulatory matters primarily involve LPL Financial’s policies, systems, and procedures. Without going into detail, Casady said that the nature of the issues made it hard to identify or evaluate the “timing or magnitude of their resolution.”
For the last two years, LPL Financial has been contending with regulators over different issues. Earlier this month, regulators in Massachusetts announced that LPL had consented to pay back senior investors $541K for surrender charges from switching variable annuities. In June, LPL Financial was told to pay $820K in restitution and a $2 million fine to Illinois regulators for not properly mantaining books and records that documented 1035 exchanges.
Last year, FINRA fined LPL $7.5 million for close to three dozen system failures involving emails. The firm paid investors in Massachusetts $4.8 million in restitution related to their purchase of nontraded real estate investment trusts.
Our Texas broker fraud lawyers represent investors who wish to recoup their losses. Contact Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas, LTD LLP today.
Ex-LPL Adviser’s Talks With Wunderlich Scuttled, The Wall Street Journal, October 14, 2014
CEO Mark Casady apologizes to LPL Financial shareholders for compliance missteps, Investment News, October 30, 2014
More Blog Posts:
LPL Financial Fires Texas Branch Manager Over Selling Away Claims, Settles with Senior Investors in Massachusetts for $541,000 Over Faulty Variable Annuity Switches, Stockbroker Fraud Blog, October 15, 2014
Former LPL Financial Broker Must Pay Almost $2 Million For Bilking Clients, Including Elderly Investors, Stockbroker Fraud Blog, August 29, 2014
LPL Financial Ordered to Pay $7.5M FINRA Fine Over E-Mail Failures, Institutional Investor Securities Blog, May 22, 2013