Articles Posted in Churning (Excessive Trading)

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker Richard Watson (Watson), previously associated with Cambridge Investment Research, INC., has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. Several of those complaints against Watson  concern allegations of high frequency trading activity also referred to as churning or excessive trading among other securities laws violations.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint on February 22, 2024.

Statement of Claim alleges an investment recommendation was made for the purpose of generating high commissions and fees and that Claimants were deprived of the ability to generate reasonable returns that would have been received in a diversified portfolio.

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker Dale Anderson (Anderson), previously associated with Cambridge Investment Research, INC., has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. Several of those complaints against Anderson  concern allegations of high frequency trading activity also referred to as churning or excessive trading among other securities laws violations.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint on February 22, 2024.

Statement of Claim alleges an investment recommendation was made for the purpose of generating high commissions and fees and that Claimants were deprived of the ability to generate reasonable returns that would have been received in a diversified portfolio.

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker Phillip Sherrill (Sherrill), currently associated with Cambridge Investment Research, INC., has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. Several of those complaints against Sherrill  concern allegations of high frequency trading activity also referred to as churning or excessive trading among other securities laws violations.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint on February 22, 2024.

Statement of Claim alleges an investment recommendation was made for the purpose of generating high commissions and fees and that Claimants were deprived of the ability to generate reasonable returns that would have been received in a diversified portfolio.

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker Jonathan Bourgeois (Bourgeois), currently associated with Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. Several of those complaints against Bourgeois  concern allegations of high frequency trading activity also referred to as churning or excessive trading among other securities laws violations.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $4,159,826.04 on March 19, 2024.

Claimant alleges excessive trading and churning from 2020 through 2023.

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker Scott Hechler (Hechler), currently associated with Spartan Capital Securities, LLC, has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. Several of those complaints against Hechler  concern allegations of high frequency trading activity also referred to as churning or excessive trading among other securities laws violations.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint on March 25, 2024.

Time Frame: Not specified. Alleged Allegations: Statement of Claim (SOC) filed by 36 Different (Individuals) Claimants. All stating the same allegations of unsuitability, excessive trading/commissions, unauthorized trading negligence.

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker Anselmo Contreras (Contreras), previously associated with Ifs Securities, has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. Several of those complaints against Contreras  concern allegations of high frequency trading activity also referred to as churning or excessive trading among other securities laws violations.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint on March 26, 2024.

Statement of Claim alleges an investment recommendation was made for the purpose of generating high commissions and fees and that Claimants were deprived of the ability to generate reasonable returns that would have been received in a diversified portfolio.

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker Jerome Messana (Messana), currently associated with Aegis Capital Corp., has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. Several of those complaints against Messana  concern allegations of high frequency trading activity also referred to as churning or excessive trading among other securities laws violations.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $300,000.00 on July 19, 2024.

From approximately 1/2009 – 10/2021 customer claims suitability, churning, unauthorized trading, failure to supervise, fraud & misrepresentation (Violations of Securities Law), unjust enrichment, lost opportunity damages, punitive damages and unsuitable use of margin. Note that the customer does not specify any trade dates or products so the dates the account was opened was provided along with the general type of securities purchased and sold.

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker Stewart Ginn (Ginn), currently associated with Independent Financial Group, LLC, has been subject to at least 5 disclosable events. These events include 3 customer complaints, 2 regulatory events. Several of those complaints against Ginn  concern allegations of high frequency trading activity also referred to as churning or excessive trading among other securities laws violations.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on January 23, 2025.

On August 29, 2024, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (‘FINRA’) issued an Order Accepting Offer of Settlement accepting Ginn’s Offer of Settlement wherein, without admitting or denying the allegations, Ginn consented to the entry of findings and violations alleging that, among other things, from July 2020 and December 2022, Ginn violated the Best Interest Obligation under Rule 151-1(a) of the Exchange Act and violated FINRA Rule 2010 by excessively trading five customers’ accounts, including three customers who were retired seniors; engaging in frequent in-and-out trades in the customers’ accounts while charging high commissions on both buys and sells, resulting in the customers incurring realized losses of more than $2.22 million and Ginn and his firm generating more than $2.24 million in commissions; and improperly trading at least four of the customers’ accounts on discretion and frequently buying and selling securities in the accounts without obtaining customer authorization for each transaction; and\<char_lb_r>\, WHEREAS, pursuant to the Order Accepting Offer of Settlement, Ginn was suspended from association with any FINRA member firm in any capacity for a period of eighteen (18) months, fined $50,000, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $115,000 plus interest.

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker Jordan Meadow (Meadow), previously associated with Spartan Capital Securities, LLC, has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. Several of those complaints against Meadow  concern allegations of high frequency trading activity also referred to as churning or excessive trading among other securities laws violations.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint on March 13, 2025.

Churning, Unsuitable trading, Misrepresentation

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker Stephen Menke (Menke), currently associated with Cambridge Investment Research, INC., has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. Several of those complaints against Menke  concern allegations of high frequency trading activity also referred to as churning or excessive trading among other securities laws violations.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint on March 13, 2025.

Statement of Claim alleges an investment recommendation was made for the purpose of generating high commissions and fees and that Claimants were deprived of the ability to generate reasonable returns that would have been received in a diversified portfolio.

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