The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. (FINRA) released its 2013 regulatory and examination priorities letter. The annual letter alerts the broker-dealer community to what Finra examiners will be looking for in the coming year. FINRA will continue to watch yield-oriented products this year but FINRA also will be focusing on business development companies (BDCs), exchange-traded […]

The Securities and Exchange Commission, also known as the 'SEC,' has filed 734 enforcement actions the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2012. That is one less than last year’s record of 735. The SEC’s report should remind investors that investment fraud is still a threat to investors. The SEC filed 147 enforcement actions in […]

FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority levied a total of $68 million in civil fines during 2012, according to statistics released by FINRA on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. This was slightly less than $71.9 million imposed by FINRA in 2011. The high-profile cases against large brokerages accounted for about one-third of total fines in 2012. […]

In an effort to protect investors over the sale of private placements, the new Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Rule 5123, was effective on December 3, 2012. Under the new FINRA Rule 5123, FINRA member firms that sell an issuer’s securities in a private placement will be required, subject to certain exemptions (which include private […]

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 […]

FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is investigating independent broker-dealers that sold variable annuities with subaccounts invested in hedge funds that resulted in $18 million in client losses during the credit crisis writes Bruce Kelly in a recent article for InvestmentNews.com. FINRA has been investigating the sale of a variable annuity issued by Sun Life […]

Straccia v. Focus Capital, FINRA ID # 11-02737 (Manchester, NH, 11/27/2012) - A FINRA Arbitration Panel awarded $1.8 million in compensatory damages, interest, attorney fees and costs to a group of customers who complained about various trading strategies. Securities Lawyer, Lars Soreide, of Soreide Law Group, represents clients nationwide before FINRA. If you or a […]

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 […]

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, also known as FINRA, has been enforcing all types of annuity transaction misdeeds nationwide according to recent enforcement reports from the agency, writes Elizabeth Festa in a recent article for LifeHealthPro.com. FINRA recently censured a firm and fined it $40,000 to settle allegations that the firm failed to maintain required […]