Boca Raton Florida Brokerage Firm Misconduct Attorney - Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce

Sep 12, 2016

WFG Fined for Supervisory Failures

WFG Investments, Inc. of Dallas, Texas submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent to the Department of Enforcement of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for allegedly failing to apply sales charge discounts to curtain customers’ eligible purchases of Unit investment Trusts (UITs). WFG was subject to a similar FINRA complaint in December 2014 which alleged the firm failed to supervise a representative in connection with false statements received by clients. A UIT is a type of Investment Company that issues securities, typically called “units,” representing undivided interests in a fixed portfolio of securities. UIT units are redeemable securities that are issued for a specific term, and entitle an investor to receive his or her proportionate share of the UIT’s net assets on redemption or at termination. One way to reduce the sales fee charged on a UIT purchase is through “breakpoints” which reduce client fees based on the amount they invested.

Sep 2, 2016

Boca Raton Firm Shearson Financial Services Fined By FINRA

Shearson Financial Services, LLC (SFS) of Boca Raton, Florida submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC) to the Department of Enforcement of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for allegedly maintaining inaccurate books and records. FINRA investigators found between June 10,2013 through October 6,2015, SFS maintained inaccurate books and records reflecting that 1,873 transactions were unsolicited, when in fact, the transactions were solicited, in violation of FINRA Rules 451 1(a), 2010, and Section 17(a) and SEC Rule 17a-3 of the Securities Exchange Act. In addition, during this period, SFS, acting through 15 registered representatives, exercised discretion in 231 transactions in 56 customer accounts, without written authorization from the account holders, in violation of NASD Rule 2510(b) and FINRA Rule 2010.

Jun 27, 2016

Miami Brokerage Firm CP Capital Securities Fined for Illegitimate Private Placement Offering

CP Capital Securities, Inc. (CP) of Miami, Florida submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC) to the Department of Enforcement of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for allegedly failing to maintain proper supervisory procedures in connection with private placement offerings. FINRA noted that CP had participated in several minimum contingency private placement offerings without “adequate supervisory procedures.” A private placement is generally an offering between only a select few investors in order to raise capital without registration. Private placement offerings must satisfy certain conditions to avoid registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). CP’s failure to supervise those offerings put the exemptions in jeopardy.

Sep 7, 2015

LPL Financial Fined for Trade Order and Execution Violations

The Department of Market Regulation of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) received a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC) from LPL Financial LLC (LPL Financial) for allegedly failing to execute several trade orders fully and promptly, reporting improper data and failing to properly supervise. The Department of Market Regulation conducted two reviews of LPL Financial in 2012 to examine its trading and reporting methods. During its Trading and Market Making Surveillance (TMMS) review, FINRA found that in four instances, LPL Financial failed to execute orders fully and promptly. During the review, FINRA also found that LPL Financial transmitted to OATS eights reports that contained inaccurate, incomplete, or improperly formatted data. Additionally, the TMMS review found that LPL Financial failed to transmit two Reportable Order Events to OATS and failed to show the correct order receipt time on the memorandum of ten brokerage firms.

Sep 4, 2015

LPL Financial Fined for Failing to Comply with MSRB and TRACE Requirements

The Department of Market Regulation of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) received a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC) from LPL Financial LLC (LPL Financial) for allegedly failing to report securities transactions and failing to show the correct time of execution of several brokerage orders. The Department of Market Regulation conducted two reviews on LPL Financial in 2010 regarding the firm’s compliance with Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) and Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine (TRACE) requirements.