Recovery options for investors following FBI Raid of United Development Funding (UDF) offices in Dallas, Texas

Recovery options for investors following FBI Raid of United Development Funding (UDF) offices in Dallas, Texas

The Furgison Law Group securities lawyers are also investigating a number of brokerage firms’ sales practices involving recommendations for investors to invest in United Development Funding I, United Development Funding III, United Development Funding IV, United Development Funding V, or other investment programs sponsored by UDF. According to offering materials, all UDF REITs were sold by brokerage firms. Those firms include, but are not limited to IMS Securities Inc., Berthel Fisher & Co., Financial Services Inc., Centaurus Financial Inc., VSR Financial Services, Inc., Geneos Wealth Management, and Realty Capital Securities, LLC. Brokerage firms, like those listed above, reportedly sold over $1 billion of UDF REITs to individual investors.

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FINRA Sanctions Santander Securities LLC $6.4 Million for Supervisory Failures Related to Sales of Puerto Rican Bonds

FINRA Sanctions Santander Securities LLC $6.4 Million for Supervisory Failures Related to Sales of Puerto Rican Bonds

FINRA ordered Santander Securities LLC to pay approximately $4.3 million in restitution to certain customers who were solicited to purchase Puerto Rican Municipal Bonds (PRMBs). Additionally, the firm will pay restitution of $121,000 and make offers of rescission to buy back the securities sold to certain customers impacted by the firm's failure to supervise employee trading. FINRA also censured and fined Santander $2 million for supervisory failures.

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FINRA Fines Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. $7.3 Million for Selling Billions of Unregistered Microcap Shares

FINRA Fines Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. $7.3 Million for Selling Billions of Unregistered Microcap Shares

FINRA has fined Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. $6 million and ordered disgorgement of nearly $1.3 million in commissions, plus interest, for selling billions of unregistered microcap shares in violation of federal law and failing to have adequate supervisory or anti-money laundering (AML) programs tailored to detect "red flags".

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FINRA Sanctions LPL Financial LLC $11.7 Million for Widespread Supervisory Failures Related to Complex Products Sales, Trade Surveillance and Trade Confirmations Delivery

 

LPL Ordered to Pay Approximately $1.7 Million in Restitution to Customers

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FINRA has censured LPL Financial LLC and fined it $10 million for broad supervisory failures in a number of key areas, including the sales of non-traditional exchange-traded funds (ETFs), certain variable annuity contracts, non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) and other complex products, as well as its failure to monitor and report trades and deliver to customers more than 14 million trade confirmations. In addition to the fine, FINRA ordered LPL to pay approximately $1.7 million in restitution to certain customers who purchased non-traditional ETFs. The firm may pay additional compensation to ETF purchasers pending a review of its ETF systems and procedures.

FINRA found that, at various times spanning multiple years, LPL failed to supervise sales of certain complex structured products, including ETFs, variable annuities and non-traded REITs. With regard to non-traditional ETFs, the firm did not have a system to monitor the length of time that customers held these securities in their accounts, did not enforce its limits on the concentration of those products in customer accounts, and failed to ensure that all of its registered representatives were adequately trained on the risks of the products. Also, LPL failed to supervise its sales of variable annuities, in some instances permitting sales without disclosing surrender fees, and in connection with certain mutual fund "switch" transactions, it used an automated surveillance system that excluded these trades from supervisory review. Additionally, LPL failed to supervise non-traded REITs by, among other things, failing to identify accounts eligible for volume sales charge discounts.

FINRA also found that LPL's systems to review trading activity in customer accounts were plagued by multiple deficiencies. For example, LPL used a surveillance system that failed to generate alerts for certain high-risk activity, including low-priced equity transactions, actively traded securities and potential employee front-running. The firm used a separate, but flawed, automated system to review its trade blotter that failed to provide trading activity past due for supervisory review. LPL failed to deliver over 14 million confirmations for trades in 67,000 customer accounts. In addition, due to coding defects that remained undetected for nearly six weeks, LPL's anti-money laundering surveillance system failed to generate alerts for excessive ATM withdrawals and ATM withdrawals in foreign jurisdictions. FINRA also found that LPL failed to report certain trades to FINRA and the MSRB, and failed to ensure it provided complete and accurate information to FINRA and to federal and state regulators concerning certain variable annuity transactions.

FINRA further found that LPL failed to reasonably supervise its advertising and other communications, including its registered representatives' use of consolidated reports. LPL did not monitor the creation or use of consolidated reports, and failed to ensure that these reports reflected complete and accurate information.

If you lost money after investing with LPL, or any other related financial adviser, you may be able to recover your losses through securities arbitration. Our securities fraud law firm is here to help our clients recover their losses. 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. Contact us TODAY for a FREE Consultation and case evaluation.