Investment attorneys are investigating potential claims on behalf of investors against Merrill Lynch and the Phil Scott Team. Over the last seven months, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has awarded defrauded investors, in two separate securities arbitration proceedings, around $2 million. The $2 million awarded includes compensatory damages, attorney’s fees, forum fees, costs and interest.…
Continue reading ›A recent study published in Accounting Review explored whether firms that use “overly optimistic” language in their disclosures are more likely to be sued by investors. While it is unreasonable to expect a firm to deliberately use language that will cost them business, disclosures should always be grounded in reality — and there is a…
Continue reading ›On December 27, 2011, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced its securities arbitration decision to fine USA-based Credit Suisse Securities LLC $1.75 million. The fine is a result of Credit Suisse’s failure to properly mark sale orders and supervise short sales. These violations resulted in millions of short sales orders that were conducted “without…
Continue reading ›One troublesome form of stock broker misconduct involves the use of celebrity status in order to gain the trust and secure the business of investors. One major problem with this type of scam is that many investors don’t want to admit that they made an investment decision based on the celebrity status of the spokesperson.…
Continue reading ›December 15, 2011, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced its decision to fine Wells Fargo Investments LLC for “unsuitable sales of reverse convertible securities through one broker to 21 customers, and for failing to provide sales charge discounts on Unit Investment Trust (UIT) transactions to eligible customers.” The fine totals $2 million; in addition,…
Continue reading ›A common form of investment fraud is the selling of unregistered securities. In many cases, investors can recover their losses in securities arbitration. In short, unregistered securities are securities that have not been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Before a stock, bond or note can be sold to the public, it must…
Continue reading ›There are many types of selling away schemes, and these schemes can result in significant — and sometimes complete —investor losses. However, with the help of an investment attorney, investor losses can be recovered through securities arbitration. Selling away occurs when a broker or investment adviser sells an investment to a client that is not…
Continue reading ›Unauthorized trading, a form of broker misconduct that occurs when a broker makes a trade without the investor’s consent, can be a valid claim for securities arbitration. However, there is more than one way for unauthorized trading to be committed. In one way, the broker may believe that the transaction is suitable for their client…
Continue reading ›In August 2008, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) provided the Securities and Exchange Commission with staff meeting minutes that had been altered, making the documents inaccurate and incomplete. FINRA’s Kansas City office was responsible for the tampering of the documents. FINRA officials know the agency must maintain its integrity in order to be a…
Continue reading ›Investor education is an important part of avoiding broker misconduct, so it is critical that investors have a general idea of how trades work. The following is a short summary of what occurs when a stockbroker executes a buy or sell order. Brokers usually have a choice of markets in which they can execute a…
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