1st Discount Brokerage Fined by FINRA for ETF Supervisory Failures
1st Discount Brokerage, Inc., of Lake Worth, Florida, submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC) to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for failing to supervise the sales of non-traditional exchange-traded funds (ETFs). 1st Discount Brokerage was subject to similar FINRA disciplinary actions in 2012 and 2015 for the firm’s failure to supervise a registered representative who operated a Ponzi scheme and for failure to supervise its compliance with Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933, respectively. Registered with FINRA since 1995, 1st Discount Brokerage currently has approximately 27 registered representatives and 20 branch offices. FINRA found that 1st Discount Brokerage failed to establish, maintain, and enforce a supervisory system regarding non-traditional ETFs. Further, FINRA found that 1st Discount Brokerage failed to provide its registered representatives with adequate training and guidance on suitability considerations for these complex, speculative investment products.
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