Articles Posted in FINRA

The New Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has fine Morgan Stanley $1.5 million and ordered restitution of $4.6 million for overcharging clients on bonds.

FINRA is the former NASD, plus the NYSE regulatory unit, and is the primary regulator of the securities industry. FINRA discovered that Morgan Stanley’s retail unit had overcharged clients on 2,800 purchases totaling $59 million. The securities in question are notes issued by Kemper Lumbermen’s Mutual Casualty Co.

The value of bonds is often difficult to determine and unwary clients can often easily become victims of overcharges. A rule of thumb is that securities should not be marked up more than 5%, except in extraordinary situations. However, markups on debt instruments, including bonds and notes, should be even lower because such markups greatly alter the investor’s return.