Articles Tagged with broker fraud

Broker Fraud Along With The Coronavirus May Be Causing Investment Losses 

Becoming the victim of securities fraud is a serious matter. With stocks plummeting and the markets fluctuating all over the place in the wake of COVID-19, investors may not realize that it’s not just the economic reverberations of the coronavirus that’s plaguing their portfolio. 

They also may be losing money because their stockbrokers or investment advisor were fraudulent or negligent when handling their investments and placed them in an even more precarious financial situation with more losses than they would now be sustaining otherwise. 

Former LPL Financial Broker Borrowed $1.3M From Customer Without Notifying Firm

Mark Lamkin, an ex-LPL Financial representative, has been suspended by the FINRA for three months. Lamkin, who is now a Calton & Associates broker, is accused of borrowing $1.3M in total from an LPL Financial Services customer between 2011 and 2017 without getting written approval from or notifying the broker-dealer. This is not the first time he is accused of broker misconduct. 

Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas (SSEK Law Firm) is investigating claims involving Mark Lamkin, who has been a registered representative for 28 years. Contact our stockbroker fraud attorneys today. 

Investment Losses During the Coronavirus Has Investors Scrambling for Answers

If you are like many Americans with investments, you may be struggling to grapple with the massive losses affecting your portfolio as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to wreak havoc on the economy, the markets, the job industry, and people’s lives. 

What you may not realize is that your investment losses may also be a result of broker fraud or negligence on your stockbroker or investment adviser’s part, which is where our investor attorneys at Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas (SSEK Law Firm) can help you.

Risks Tied To CYES Strategy Investments Cause More Losses During The Coronavirus

For the past year, our CYES Strategy fraud lawyers at Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas (SSEK Law Firm) have been working with investors who suffered losses from Collateral Yield Enhancement Strategy (CYES) Investments that were issued by Harvest Volatility Management but were sold by brokers from Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and other broker-dealers. 

Now, with all the market turbulence causing investments to drop in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this Yield Enhancement Strategy is experiencing even more losses. 

Watch Out for Brokers Looking to Make High Commissions During COVID-19

With the market crashing in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), many investors are suffering from massive losses in their portfolio and are looking to their brokers for investment advice.

Unfortunately, not all stockbrokers work with their customers’ best interests at heart, breaching their fiduciary duty in the process. There are also unscrupulous registered representatives who may even seek to take advantage of these hard times and try to persuade investors to buy into risky investments that charge high commissions. Such fraudulent and negligent behavior will lead to even more investment losses and ultimately, acts of stockbroker misconduct. 

Investment Losses During Recent Market Crisis May Be Recoverable 

Investors throughout the United States are grappling with financial investment losses as markets continue to remain volatile in the wake of Coronavirus (COVID-19). The recent oil price drops, the rise in unemployment as businesses are forced to shutter and lay off employees, and a flailing economy has done nothing to assuage growing concerns.

Already, Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas (SSEK Law Firm) has spoken to a number of these investors to see how we might help. 

Investment Losses During COVID-19 Pandemic May Have Been Caused By Fraud Or Negligence

According to experts, George Friedman and Rick Ryder, fears about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the resulting market turbulence will lead to a rise in investor fraud claims and FINRA arbitration cases. Friedman is the Securities Arbitration Alert editor-in-chief and Ryder is the Securities Arbitration Commentator president and founder. 

In a recent blog post, What’s Past is Prologue, they spoke about how customers will wonder whether their stockbrokers and investment advisors properly handled their accounts, which are now being negatively affected by the ongoing market volatility. 

Ex-Commonwealth Capital Broker Was Accused Of Misusing Investors’ Money 

If you or someone you know lost money while working with former Commonwealth Capital broker, Kimberly Springsteen-Abbott, please contact our stockbroker fraud lawyers at Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas so we can determine whether you have grounds for a claim. 

In 2013, Springsteen-Abbott was accused by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) of misusing about $345K of investor funds to pay for her own expenses. These included home renovations, meals, travel, and other items. 

Stockbroker Accused Of Improperly Borrowing From Older Customer 

If you suffered investment losses while First Western Securities broker, Kerry Dean Wills was your financial representative, contact Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas (SSEK Law Firm). 

Kerry Dean Wills, who is also a registered investment advisor, was recently suspended for six months by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and ordered to pay a $10K fine over allegations of elder investment fraud. 

SagePoint Financial Broker Named In Customer Disputes 

Our investor fraud lawyers at Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas (SSEK Law Firm) are looking into claims involving SagePoint Financial broker, Timothy Vanlohuizen. With 37 years in the industry, Vanlohuizen, who is based in Idaho, has been named in six customer disputes. 

Allegations Currently Made Against Timothy Vanlohuizen

Contact Information