Securities America

Florida Retiree Files $500K REIT Arbitration Case Against Securities America

Published on: July 28, 2021 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Broker Alan Douglass Unsuitably Overconcentrated Investor’s Funds in Non-Publicly Traded Products

An investor based in Lutz, Florida has filed a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration claim against Securities America. This investor suffered losses in real estate investment trusts (REITs) and other non-publicly traded investments. The claimant, who is a retiree, suffered up to $500K in investment losses, which he is seeking in damages.

Securities America broker, Alan Duane Douglass, was this claimant’s financial advisor. He not only unsuitably recommended private placements and real estate investment trusts (REITs) to this customer but also, overconcentrated the customer’s portfolio with these risky investments.

Merger Folds KMS Financial, Investacorp, and Securities Services Under Securities America Banner

Published on: April 19, 2021 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Integration Instigated After Advisor Group’s Acquisition of Ladenburg Thalman

Securities America, which is a broker-dealer of the Advisor Group network, has completed integrating brokerage firms Investacorp, KMS Financial Securities, and Securities Services Network into its fold. All four were Ladenburg Thalman broker-dealers until Advisor Group acquired Ladenburg and its firms last year for $1.3B.

Triad Advisors, another former Ladenburg Thalman broker-dealer, will stay a standalone firm. The other Advisor Group broker-dealers include Woodbury Financial Services, FSC Securities, SagePoint Financial, Royal Alliance Associates, and FSC Securities Corporation.

Royal Alliance, Securities America, & Other Firms To Pay $3M for Allegedly Unsuitable iPath S&P 500 VIX Short–Term Futures ETN & Other ETP Sales

Published on: November 23, 2020 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Retail Investors Were Allegedly Told To Hold Exchange-Traded Products for Too Long

In separate settlements reached with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Royal Alliance Associates, Securities America Advisors, Summit Financial Group, Benjamin F. Edwards & Co., and American Portfolio Financial Services / American Portfolio Advisers will pay over $3M in penalties and restitution for their allegedly unsuitable sales of exchange-traded products (ETPs) to customers between January 2016 and April 2020. The firms did not deny or admit to the findings.

All of the respondents recommended and sold iPath S&P 500 VIX Short–Term Futures ETNs (VXX), which utilize short-terms futures contracts https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/080715/etf-analysis-ipath-sp-500-vix-futures-vxx.aspto try tracking the S&P 500 Index’s implied volatility. It also is considered one of the largest and most volatile ETPs and among the worst-performing from last year.

Barred Securities America Broker Jaime Westenbarger Faces Securities Fraud Allegations

Published on: October 5, 2020 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Michigan Stockbroker Was Fired By Securities America

Jaime Michael Westenbarger, a former Securities America registered representative in Michigan, is currently named in three pending customer complaints accusing him of negligence and stockbroker fraud. Westenbarger, who was fired by the broker-dealer last year, has been barred by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

He worked 16 years in the securities industry. Our securities fraud lawyers at SSEK Law Firm are offering free case consultations to former customers of Jaime Westenbarger who’ve suffered significant investment losses. You may have grounds for a FINRA arbitration claim to recover damages.

Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas Investigates Claims Involving Ex-Securities America Broker Ronald Roach

Published on: December 9, 2019 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Ex-Securities America Broker Investigated For Ponzi Scam Involvement

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it has permanently barred ex-Securities America broker, Ronald Roach, in the wake of his involvement in a $909M Ponzi fraud.

Ronald Roach pleaded guilty last month to criminal fraud charges and is facing up to 10 years behind bars. According to InvestmentNews, Securities America fired him the day after he entered his plea. The SEC contends that Roach and Joseph Bayliss, a general building and electrical contractor, operated an alternative energy tax credit Ponzi scam associated with the company DC Solar.

FINRA Bars Additional Bad Brokers from Big Firms

Published on: June 3, 2019 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Former Securities America Broker Is Accused of Unsuitable and Unauthorized Trades

Michael Bastardi, an ex-Securities America broker, is barred by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) after he failed to give the regulator the information it requested for an investigation into his alleged conduct. Bastardi was a registered representative with Securities America from 2014 to 2016.

In 2018, the brokerage firm submitted a Form U5 that disclosed that Bastardi had been named in a customer complaint accusing him of unauthorized trading, unsuitable margin trading, forgery, and fraud while at Securities America and previous to that when he was a registered Dalton Strategic Investment Services broker. His alleged misconduct is said to have resulted in about $250K in damages. The investor fraud claim is still pending.

Family Files $18M Investor Fraud Lawsuit Against Securities America Alleging Broker Fraud

Published on: March 27, 2019 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The Jamieson family has filed a broker-dealer fraud lawsuit against Securities America. They are seeking $18M in damages related to the actions of one of the firm’s former brokers, Hector A. May, who late last year pleaded guilty to operating an $11M Ponzi scheme that went on for years. May now faces 25 years in prison. Securities America fired him last year in the wake of the fraud allegations against him.

Last month, the Jamieson family sued May and Securities America. They claim that they lost $18M from working with May, who had been their adviser since 2001. The family contends that the former Securities America broker and his daughter Vania May Bell stole millions of dollars from them. In addition to working as a Securities America broker, May also was president and CCO of Executive Compensation Planners Inc. (ECP), which is no longer in operation. Bell served as ECP’s controller.

The plaintiffs contend that May and Bell advised them in a manner that made it possible for the two of them to keep defrauding the family. The Jamiesons are accusing Securities America of not performing its duties by:

SEC Says Triad Advisors and Securities America Advisors May Have Charged Clients For Mutual Fund with 12b-1 Fees Even Though There Were Less Costlier Options

Published on: November 10, 2016 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

According to parent firm Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (LTS), the SEC is scrutinizing Securities America Advisors Inc., which is the registered investment adviser arm of independent broker-deal Securities America Inc., and Triad Advisors Inc., over allegations that the firms sold mutual funds that charged clients yearly marketing fees when there were less costly options available. These marketing fees are referred to as 12b-1 fees. It is paid to advisors yearly for continuing education and service.

Ladenburg Thalmann’s disclosed news that its firms were under investigation in its quarterly earnings report. In the report, the firm said that SEC staff gave Securities America Holdings and Triad reports in May and August contending that the two firms had “acted inconsistently” regarding their fiduciary duty when recommending and choosing mutual fund share classes that paid these marketing fees. The SEC pointed out that there had been less costly share classes available in the same funds.

Ladenburg Thalmann said that Securities America Advisors and Triad are looking at the SEC’s assessments and they may have to pay restitution to clients.
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