Massachusetts securities regulators sued LPL Financial, LLC, in December over sales practices of brokers regarding the REITs. Secretary of the Commonwealth, William Galvin, charged LPL Financial with a failure to supervise registered reps who sold the nontraded REITs in violation of both state limitations and the company's rules. The Securities Division also charged LPL Financial […]

The following article appeared in the "Tewksbury Advocate:" "Tewksbury scam victims win $155,250 settlement By Steve Adams GateHouse News Service Tewksbury — A Tewksbury couple who lost $255,000 to a Quincy financial adviser’s investment scam have won a $155,250 settlement. An arbitrator ruled last week that Harvest Financial LLC must repay a Tewksbury couple because […]

Securities Lawyer, Lars Soreide, of Soreide Law Group, is currently investigating Gramercy Securities, Inc. This brokerage has been alleged to have placed unsophisticated investors' money into unsuitable investments. There have been claims, for example, of a recent widow losing her entire net worth by investing in risky private placements. Some of these risky private placements […]

The following information is from FINRA’s website under “Disciplinary and Other FINRA Actions, December, 2012.” Shari Robin Frimer (CRD #2503895, Registered Representative, Eastport, New York) and Thomas Joseph Heaphy Jr. (CRD #2540325, Registered Representative, Boynton Beach, Florida) submitted an Offer of Settlement in which Frimer was fined $32,407.50, which includes disgorgement of financial benefits of […]

Recently, Morgan Keegan entered into a settlement with FINRA for conduct surrounding non traditional etfs sold to retail customers. The following is information from FINRA's website. Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. (CRD #4161, Memphis, Tennessee) submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent in which the firm was censured and fined $365,000. The firm consented […]

iPath Dow Jones - Issuer- UBS Commodity Index TR Barclays – ticker- DJP US JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index Issuer - Issuer- JPMorgan – ticker- AMJ US – ticker- US iPAT H S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures Issuer -Barclays – ticker- VXX US Elements Rogers International Commodity Index TR - Issuer- SEK – ticker- RJI US […]

Securities Lawyer, Lars Soreide, of Soreide Law Group, is investigating the following investments. If your stock broker/financial advisor recommended the following investments you may be able to pursue a claim through a FINRA arbitration. Many of the brokerage firms that sold these investments carry errors and omissions insurance which may offer some level of redress […]

On the SEC's (Securities and Exchange Commission) website, it was announced they filed an injunctive action in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against David L. Rothman of Richboro, PA, a registered representative, Vice President, and minority owner of Rothman Securities, Inc., a registered broker-dealer, for conducting a fraud by […]

The following information is from FINRA’s website under “Disciplinary and Other FINRA Actions, November, 2012.” Brennan R. Lollar (CRD #5287737, Registered Representative, St. Petersburg, Florida) was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity. The sanction was based on findings that Lollar misappropriated funds from a bank where he worked as a branch […]