Articles Posted in Securities Fraud

A recent New York Times article spotlights a renewed approach and increased legislative response to financial elder abuse. Featured in the article are personal accounts of real people whose family members and close friends have been affected by elder financial abuse. Investment fraud and financial abuse directed towards seniors and the elderly has been a…

Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) amended standing rules regarding broker-dealer securities transaction settlement cycles. The new rules shorten the amount of time between when an investment transaction is placed and when it is actually processed. Previously, the transaction settlement cycle was set as “T+3”. This refers to the time, in days, that…

Customer Advisory Centers vs. Call Centers Although they sound similar, customer advisory centers differ from call centers in several important ways. Securities firms and investment broker-dealers typically rely on call centers to handle basic customer service issues and administrative functions. They do not provide investment or trading advice, nor do they earn commissions on trades…

Many passive investors are happy just leaving their investments at the hands of their brokerage firms. Many investors opt review brokerage activity via a monthly overview statement rather than from a hands-on approach. Broker-dealers handling investment accounts are free to make most decisions on quantity and frequency of investment securities. Although ostensibly broker-dealers must have…

The Financial Industry Regulation Authority (FINRA) announced fines against 12 securities firms for their failure to accurately protect consumer records. FINRA carried out fines, totaling $14.4 million, against 12 securities brokerage firms, including some of the largest-backed firms in the country. FINRA found that these firms storing broker-dealer and consumer records without precautions in place…

Ever wonder about how customer disputes are resolved between investors and broker-dealers? Is a lawsuit necessary? Do you need to hire a lawyer? Settling Customer Disputes Usually, disputes over securities brokerage/trading are settled through arbitration as opposed to traditional litigation. Though arbitration is the primary form of dispute resolution, mediation may also be used as…

Reverse Mortgage Companies See Reversal of Fortunes This week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced charges against three top reverse mortgage companies with false claims and deceptive advertising. These companies lured consumers into reverse mortgage contracts under the claim that they would not stand a chance of losing their homes, among other promises. American…

We’ve talked a lot about investment scams in the past. Fraudsters are always finding new ways to take advantage of unwitting investors. However, there are several top investment scams that fraudsters favor and which serve as the basis for many new types of investment fraud. Investors should recognize most of these, but being able to…

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that investors should be on the lookout for fraudulent claims using Forms 4. A Form 4 is filed when investment insiders (officers, directors and anyone holding 10% or more in company securities) execute transactions. A Form 4, which must be filed within two days following a transaction,…

Anytime you decide to invest, you always do background research on the asset or security, right? It is important to know the why and how of an asset or security’s performance before deciding to invest. Shouldn’t this be the same for your investment broker? Whatever security in which you invest, it is important to know…