Posts belonging to Category Common Securities Broker Abuses



Former LPL Broker Jason Parker Leaves Trail Of Complaints

 

By law, a broker has to recommend suitable investments. To be considered suitable, an investment should align with the client’s investment objectives. Dumping all client funds into a single foreign stock, despite the client’s low tolerance for risk, could be considered unsuitable. As indicated by the complaints reported in FINRA’s BrokerCheck, a former broker at […]

FINRA’s BrokerCheck Full Of Holes

 

FINRA’s system for revealing red flags about brokers may not disclose all the information that it is supposed to, according to a Wall Street Journal article by Jean Eaglesham and Rob Barry (March 7, 2014).  A report by FINRA’s BrokerCheck should include information about felony charges and convictions, personal bankruptcy petitions filed within 10 years, […]

Wells Fargo Settles Medical Capital Class Action for $105 Million

 

InvestmentNews reports that Wells Fargo & Co. has agreed to pay $105 million in a class action lawsuit brought by investors who purchased Medical Capital notes.  The notes turned out to be a fraudulent medical receivables scheme. The note holders alleged that Well Fargo, one of two trustee banks in the scheme, failed to protect […]

Front-End Bonus Payments May Need To Be Disclosed

 

If your broker or financial adviser told you he was moving to another brokerage firm and asked you to move your account there, would you want to know if he was being paid thousands or millions of dollars to make the move?  The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) thinks so, and is proposing a new […]

Brokerage Firm ‘Shoots First and Asks Questions Later’

 

When a securities brokerage firm sues to collect the balance due under a promissory note from one of its brokers, the securities industry often views the case as close as one can get to a “slam dunk” case for the firm.  When UBS Financial Services sued former brokers James Kirwin and Joanne Meninger for amounts […]

Alternative Investments – Big Problems

 

According to financial advisers, do not be fooled by the recent market in stocks into believing that we are in for a continuing period of sustained low volatility.  Those advisers want you to expect lots of volatility and market corrections and to invest accordingly. In light of the foregoing, investors should adopt alternative investment strategies […]

Promissory Note Award Hits Broker-Dealer Hard

 

A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Arbitration Panel has ordered MML Investors Services LLC to pay $1,137,923 to a California investor in connection with the sale of an unregistered security (a promissory note) issued by Diversity Lending Group, Inc. (“DLG”).  The award includes compensatory damages plus reimbursement for expert witness fees, deposition costs, and the […]

More Risks Ahead for Muni Investors

 

Stockton, California, the most recent U.S. city to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection, has presented serious issues about whether municipal bondholders will be forced to take a “haircut” while Stockton pensioners do not. With 300,000 residents, Stockton is the largest U.S. city in history to file bankruptcy.  Stockton has total outstanding debt of over […]

Most of the Yield from Muni Bonds is Illusory

 

Allan S. Roth prefers low-cost diversified bond funds for investors seeking the best interest yields on their investments. Mr. Roth, the noted financial planner and Wall Street Journal contributor, periodically reviews clients’ portfolios and makes recommendations.  Sometimes the only thing a client wants to keep is the municipal bond manager who seems to be producing […]

OppenheimerFunds Pays $35 Million to Settle Charges

 

OppenheimerFunds  Inc. has agreed to pay more than $35 million to settle SEC charges that it  made misleading statements about two of its mutual funds during the credit crisis in late 2008.  The payments include a penalty of $24 million, disgorgement of $9,879,706, and prejudgment interest of $1,487,190. According to the SEC, Oppenheimer used total […]