FINRA Sanctions & Allegations of Misconduct

FINRA fined Merrill Lynch Fenner & Smith Incorporated (CRD #7691) of New York, NY for failing to supervise UTMA and UGMA accounts.

According to FINRA, the firm permitted customers to open UTMA and UGMA accounts, yet failed to establish, maintain, and enforce reasonable supervisory systems and procedures to track or monitor whether custodians timely transferred control over custodial property to UTMA and UGMA account beneficiaries. As a result, UTMA Account custodians authorized transactions in UTMA Accounts months, or even years, after the beneficiaries reached the age of majority and after the custodians had become obligated to transfer the custodial property.

Investors Have the Right to Recover Their Losses

When investments are sold by brokerage firms licensed by FINRA, they are subject to the laws that FINRA enforces. The brokerage firms are responsible for ensuring that their brokers are trading fairly, ethically and in the best interest of their clients. Ideally, they would accomplish this through careful supervision. Unfortunately, too often this supervision has been inadequate to fully protect investors. If you purchased any investments through a representative of a registered brokerage firm and suffered losses through negligence or fraud, it immediately puts the brokerage firm at fault for failing to supervise their broker. FINRA law then dictates that you can hold the firm legally liable to recover your damages.

Can I recover my investment losses?

If you lost a substantial portion of your retirement savings or other assets as a result of investments purchased through Merrill Lynch, please contact us immediately. Our investment fraud lawyers have recovered millions of dollars from the largest banks, insurance companies, and brokerage firms in the world on behalf of investment fraud victims. You may have certain legal rights that require your immediate attention. Time is of the essence in these claims. The sooner you act, the greater your chances of recovering your investment losses. Don't wait. Contact us TODAY for a FREE Consultation and case evaluation. We will tell you if you have a viable claim worth pursuing.