The NASD imposed a $200,000 fine against EKN Financial Services Inc. and levied sanctions against the firm’s CEO, President, Head Trader and Financial and Operations Principal for improper short selling in connection with three unregistered PIPE securities offerings. As part of the settlement, EKN was also suspended for six months…
A recent study conducted by the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association indicates that securities arbitrators frequently agree to erase past settlements that were paid to investors from brokers’ records. Removing brokers’ settlement payments from their histories could cause future investors to not find out about the brokers’ past misconduct. The…
The National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) recently absorbed the regulatory unit of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and changed its name to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Yet nothing has really changed. The primary regulator of securities brokerage firms industry is run solely by … brokerage firms.…
A former broker and branch manager of a Michigan office of GunnAllen Financial, Inc. are accused of selling fraudulent investments. His clients, many of whom are retirees, recently learned that the partnership investments may have been part of a Ponzi scheme. According to reports, a mastermind of the scheme stated…
Last week, a securities law journal published a study illustrating how securities regulators went “soft” last year. According to the study, NYSE and NASD fined securities companies and individuals $111 million in 2006, which was lower than the $184 million in collective fines that their two regulatory units issued in…
The Florida Office of Financial Regulation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are investigating Michael O. Traynor and his son, Matthew O. Traynor, former brokers at InterSecurities, Inc. Complaints from at least a dozen investors allege that the Traynors defrauded clients out of approximately $8 million. In addition to…
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice have separately filed charges against a number of people for their alleged involvement in a $12 million stock-loan fraud scam. The criminal case involves charges filed for securities fraud conspiracy and other charges against stock-loan traders at Janney Montgomery Scott…
Callan & Associates has settled charges made by the SEC that the pension consultant firm incompletely disclosed a conflict of interest in an investment adviser registration form. The firm has agreed to obey the SEC’s cease and desist order. According to the SEC, Callan told clients that BNY Brokerage Inc.…
Morgan Stanley says it will pay $12.5 million as part of a settlement to resolve charges that the company neglected to produce e-mails that had been lost during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced the settlement on Thursday. Morgan Stanley…
Former Goldman Sachs & Co. Associate Eugene Plotnik has pled guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, in addition to eight counts of insider trading. The charges carry a maximum of 165 years in prison. Plotnik had been charged with running a “multi-faceted,” multi-million dollar scam that used inside information…