Articles Posted in Reg BI

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Timothy Flynn (Flynn), previously associated with Trident Partners Ltd., has at least 3 disclosable events. These events include 2 customer complaints, one regulatory event, alleging that Flynn recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on December 23, 2021.

Respondent Flynn failed to comply with an arbitration award or settlement agreement or to satisfactorily respond to a FINRA request to provide information concerning the status of compliance.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker David Khezri (Khezri), previously associated with Network 1 Financial Securities INC., has at least 2 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, one regulatory event, alleging that Khezri recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on December 23, 2021.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Khezri consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that he refused to provide documents and information that FINRA requested in connection with its investigation of whether Khezri made unsuitable securities recommendations in customer accounts.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Christopher Queen (Queen), currently associated with Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, has at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint, alleging that Queen recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a award / judgment customer complaint on December 07, 2021.

Claimant alleges that due to the Financial Advisor (FA)’s breach of fiduciary duty, Deceased suffered damages; moreover, FA was prohibited from taking on the rule of guardian and was notified of this prohibition but refused to withdraw from his appointed position.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Andrew Elsoffer (Elsoffer), previously associated with Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, has at least 2 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, one regulatory event, alleging that Elsoffer recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on February 25, 2022.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Elsoffer consented to the sanctions and to the entry of findings that he exercised discretion without written authorization in customer accounts. The findings stated that although the customers understood that Elsoffer was conducting trading in their accounts, none of them provided prior written authorization for him to exercise discretion in their accounts. In addition, Elsoffer\\u2019s member firm did not accept these accounts as discretionary. The findings also stated that Elsoffer assisted his firm customer, who was a close friend but not an immediate family member, with renovating his home at a time when the customer was unable to oversee the renovations himself. He loaned the customer a total of $13,703 to pay to the contractors renovating the home. The customer then reimbursed Elsoffer via three checks totaling $2,703 drawn on his firm account and two checks totaling $11,000 drawn on his bank account. Elsoffer did not disclose or seek prior approval from the firm for the loans. The findings also included that Elsoffer initially provided false information to FINRA. FINRA requested that Elsoffer provide a signed statement addressing his termination from the firm and allegations that he had violated firm policy. In Elsoffer\\u2019s written response, he misrepresented that all check writing was done from the customer\\u2019s firm account. FINRA later asked Elsoffer whether, in addition to the three checks written from the firm account, the customer had written Elsoffer additional checks from any bank accounts and if so, to provide all supporting documentation. In his written response, Elsoffer misrepresented that no other checks existed. Elsoffer later corrected his prior misstatements by producing personal bank statements and two additional cancelled checks drawn on the customer\\u2019s bank account totaling $11,000.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Virgil Biggs (Biggs), currently associated with Cetera Wealth Services, LLC, has at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint, alleging that Biggs recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $350,000.00 on December 06, 2021.

Claimants alleged the investments they purchased in 2014 and 2015 were not suitable and were misrepresented.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker George Hovany (Hovany), previously associated with Wintrust Investments LLC, has at least 2 disclosable events. These events include 2 customer complaints, alleging that Hovany recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $7,626.46 on December 06, 2021.

Client is upset they cannot liquidate non-traded Real Estate Investment Trust. Client further alleges that representative misrepresented the product and its liquidity.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker James Hyland (Hyland), previously associated with Fortune Financial Services, INC., has at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint, alleging that Hyland recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $620,000.00 on December 06, 2021.

MML Investors Services, LLC was made aware, by the State of Connecticut Securities and Business Investments Division, of allegations that the registered representative received personal loans from a customer and the registered representative failed to repay all or part of these loans. The registered representative received these loans in various amounts and frequencies from 2001 to 2015.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Jon Lindberg (Lindberg), previously associated with Proequities, INC., has at least 2 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, one regulatory event, alleging that Lindberg recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $50,000.00 on December 06, 2021.

Client alleges that representative recommended unsuitable options transactions resulting in portfolio losses.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Adam Summers (Summers), previously associated with Lasalle St Securities, L.l.c., has at least 3 disclosable events. These events include 2 customer complaints, one regulatory event, alleging that Summers recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on April 08, 2022.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Summers consented to the sanctions and to the entry of findings that he engaged in forgery by signing the name of his supervisor on new account forms without permission. The findings stated that each form had already been signed by the customer at the time Summers signed his supervisor\\u2019s name. Summers submitted the signed forms to his member firm\\u2019s home office for approval.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Robert David (David), previously associated with Morgan Stanley, has at least 4 disclosable events. These events include 3 customer complaints, one regulatory event, alleging that David recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on April 07, 2022.

Without admitting or denying the findings, David consented to the sanctions and to the entry of findings that he falsified his customers\\u2019 account profile information. The findings stated that David falsely increased the net worth and liquid net worth of eight customers and changed the risk tolerance of one customer\\u2019s account in his member firm\\u2019s systems for maintaining account profile information for brokerage accounts. David did this in order to circumvent the firm\\u2019s solicitation restrictions and concentration limits for non-investment grade, fixed-income securities. By falsifying this information, David made the customers eligible for purchases of non-investment grade, fixed-income securities, for which they would have otherwise been ineligible under the firm\\u2019s procedures. As a result, David caused the firm to maintain inaccurate books and records. The findings also stated that David overconcentrated three customers in non-investment grade, fixed income securities. Specifically, David concentrated between approximately 32.72 and 71.18 percent of these customers\\u2019 liquid net worth in non-investment grade, fixed-income securities, which was inconsistent with the customers\\u2019 investment objectives and risk tolerances. These securities entailed a high degree of risk, including the risk of default, and subjected the customers to a substantial risk of loss. The findings also included that David exercised discretion in eight customers\\u2019 accounts without prior written authorization.

Contact Information