Finra warned investors that if the interest rates rise - as most pros expect - bond investors could be slammed by long duration, writes Dan Jamieson in a Feb. 14th., 2013 article for InvestmentNews.com FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. in an investor alert, told investors that in the event of rising interest rates, […]

Nicholas Rowe and his firm, Focus Capital Wealth Management, Inc. of Bedford, New Hampshire, were found liable in a case alleging negligence, civil fraud, and other misdeeds, involving the sale of risky ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) to nine investors, according to a ruling by a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel. Some of these […]

Last week LPL Financial Holdings agreed to pay $2.5 million in fines and restitution for improperly supervising brokers who sold non-traded real estate investment trusts. (Please note that LPL neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing.) These non-traded REITs are high-yielding and very popular. These non-traded REITs have jumped about 50% since 2009, to $65 billion. They […]

In an article, Feb. 7, 2013, in the New York Post, it was reported that (broker-dealer owner), Anastasios “Tommy” Belesis' firm, John Thomas Financial, is being investigated by the FBI, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. (FINRA). Mr. Belesis has made many media appearances on cable business/financial shows. […]

On Feb. 6th., 2013, LPL Financial, LLC, was ordered by Massachusetts Security Division to pay restitution of more than $2 million to investors who bought shares of nontraded real estate investment trusts (REITs) and a $500,000 administrative fine, which involved investors who bought shares of several different nontraded REITs in violation of state limitations, and […]

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today, January 29th., 2013, on it's website announced that it has charged a former managing director of Jefferies & Co., Inc. (Jefferies), a New York-based broker-dealer, with making misrepresentations and engaging in misleading conduct while he sold mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in the wake of the financial crisis. The SEC […]

The following information is from FINRA’s website under “Disciplinary and Other FINRA Actions, January, 2013.” Alison Marie Janke (CRD #4409155, Registered Representative, Port Richey, Florida) was fined $11,600, which includes the disgorgement of financial benefit received of $6,600, and suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for three months. Without admitting or […]

The following information is from FINRA’s website under “Disciplinary and Other FINRA Actions, January, 2013.” Kenneth Andrew Mauchin (CRD #2366345, Registered Principal, Sanford, Florida) was named a respondent in a FINRA complaint alleging that he misappropriated $23,750 from elderly customers’ accounts by converting their funds to cashier’s checks and depositing those checks into a bank […]

The following information is from FINRA’s website under “Disciplinary and Other FINRA Actions, January, 2013.” David Scott Isolano (CRD #2504880, Registered Principal, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity. Without admitting or denying the findings, Isolano consented to the described sanction and to the entry of findings that he […]