Ameriprise Representative Bart Ellis Barred for Unauthorized Trades and Falsifications
Bart Ellis of Chicago, Illinois was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for making trades without a customer’s permission, falsifying customer documents and for failing to provide testimony by the Department of Enforcement of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). After entering the securities industry in 2001, Ellis was a representative for Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. from November 2007 until his termination in October 2012 for violating company policy. FINRA alleged that Ellis completed several trades in a customer’s account without discussing he trades prior to their execution. Specifically between 2009 and August 2012 Ellis allegedly made routine trades in the clients’ accounts without ever discussing the activities. While the customer allowed him access to his accounts due to trust, she never put in writing that Ellis could freely make trades in her account without any notice. FINRA found that these actions did not demonstrate high standards of commercial honor and were therefore in violation of NASD Rule 2510 and FINRA Rule 2010.
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