The attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating BrokerCheck records reports that Broker Anthony Salerno (Salerno), currently employed by Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Salerno’s most recent customer complaint alleges that Salerno recommended unsuitable investments in structured products and makes allegations concerning misconduct relating to the handling of the customer’s accounts.
FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $17,000.00 on May 09, 2022.
The client alleged the advisor purchased structured notes without authorization.
Marketlinked data drives the performance of structured products, which are a type of derivative. A structured product usually derives its market risk exposure from a specific reference source. A source might include a single security, a basket of securities like a market index, commodities, interest rates, or a portfolio of real estate loans. The variety of products that can be structured demonstrates the difficulty in formulating a single unified definition of a structured product.
Compared to traditional debt or equity instruments, structured products generally yield inferior risk/return profiles, as the issuing brokerage firms—primarily large banks—profit from the spread between investor payouts and the earnings from issuing structured notes, after accounting for broker commissions and fees. Most investors may struggle to grasp the benefits of these investments or accurately assess the likelihood of gains and losses due to their complexity. Many brokers misrepresent these investments to clients as fixed income or bond like investments with return of capital. The risk of loss in structured products is significantly higher than in corporate debt and other fixed-income options, making them an unsuitable fixed-income alternative.
Recently, firms have begun selling redeemable structured notes often linked to a single investment or a basket of investments. Several examples of structured products tied to individual securities highlight the extreme risks of these investments without providing significant benefits. Our firm analyzed a structured note linked to the stock of Peloton that promised to investors 1.0625% interest monthly or 12.75% annually and another note linked to the stock of Zillow which promised a 12% annual interest payment paid monthly so long as the respective stock prices stayed above a referenced value. The interest payment would only be completely eliminated if both stocks dropped by approximately 40% in value. In addition, if the stocks lost more than approximately 40% of their value then the investor would also lose their corresponding principal based upon the performance of the stocks and could lose their entire investment. Further, the notes were callable and could be cancelled by the sponsor.
These products are very high risk and low reward propositions because the investor can only profit at most by 12-12.75% over the course of one year. Even if Peloton or Zillow doubled in value all the investor could achieve would be the interest payment as their profit and none of the price appreciation. Meanwhile the maximum loss is 100% of the investment if the stocks fell severely. Accordingly, the investor takes dramatic downside risks associated with the volatile stocks while having no chance to participate in the success of the stock.
According to newsources, a study revealed that 7.3% of financial advisors had a customer complaint on their record when records from 2005 to 2015 were examined. Brokers must publicly disclose reportable events on their BrokerCheck reports that include customer complaints, IRS tax liens, judgments, investigations, terminations, and criminal cases.
Salerno entered the securities industry in 1997. Salerno has been registered as a Broker with Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC since 1998.
Investors who have suffered losses are encouraged to contact us at (800) 810-4262 for consultation. At Gana Weinstein LLP, our attorneys are experienced representing investors who have suffered securities losses due to the mishandling of their accounts. Claims may be brought in securities arbitration before FINRA. Our consultations are free of charge and the firm is only compensated if you recover.