Articles Posted in Reg BI

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Thomas Ellis (Ellis), previously associated with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, has at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint, alleging that Ellis recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $1,000,000.00 on January 07, 2025.

Co-Personal Representatives for the estate allege that the Financial Advisor failed to act in the client’s best interest and made an unsuitable recommendation related to a variable annuity in June 2022.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Douglas Frank (Frank), currently associated with Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC, has at least 2 disclosable events. These events include 2 customer complaints, alleging that Frank recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint on January 07, 2025.

Customer alleges failure to follow instructions and misrepresentation in connection with the sale of securities in March 2023.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Daniel Beech (Beech), previously associated with Innovation Partners LLC, has at least 10 disclosable events. These events include 9 customer complaints, one tax lien, alleging that Beech recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $1,400,000.00 on January 15, 2025.

Customer alleges that an investment recommendation was unsuitable and misleading.

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

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $20,000.00 on January 14, 2025.

Client complained that the Financial Advisor’s recommendation was not in line with clients primary objective of capital preservation, resulting in unrealized loss in market value. Client is seeking reimbursement for losses. (9/17/2024 – 1/14/2025)

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

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $4,628.18 on January 14, 2025.

Beneficiary alleges that financial advisor stole or otherwise misappropriated funds from one beneficiary to another to cover his own mistake  which resulted in market loss.

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

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint on January 15, 2025.

Attorney for customers complains that they relied to their detriment on advice given by their financial advisor relating to investments by foreign investors seeking to obtain visas for US residency. (3/5/2017-8/29/2019)

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

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $300,000.00 on January 15, 2025.

Time frame: May 2012 to 2023 Allegations: Claimant’s counsel alleges UBS failed to do adequate due diligence on a fund of funds, which counsel alleges was unsuitable for any investor, and as a result all relevant risks were not disclosed to investors.

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

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on January 15, 2025.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Head consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that he converted over $498,000 from two customers of his member firm for his personal use. The findings stated that Head withdrew at least $231,733 from five brokerage, advisory, and line of credit accounts belonging to one of the customers. Head primarily wired funds from the customer’s accounts to accounts that Head controlled at two other banks and initiated ACH transfers from the customer’s accounts to directly pay certain of Head’s expenses. The customer was not aware that Head was withdrawing the funds and did not authorize the withdrawals. In addition, Head withdrew at least $267,000 from a liquidity access line of credit account that the second customer held at Head’s firm affiliate and deposited those funds in his accounts at other banks. The second customer was not aware of seven of these withdrawals and did not authorize the withdrawals. In addition, for one other withdrawal, which totaled $80,000, Head persuaded the second customer to authorize the withdrawal by stating falsely to the customer that there was an opportunity for the customer to invest in a company’s initial public offering. However, the purported initial public offering did not exist, and Head deposited the funds in his own account.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Daniel Mann (Mann), currently associated with Independent Financial Group, LLC, has at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint, alleging that Mann 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 $25,449.82 on January 13, 2025.

Client alleged that notes did not perform as anticipated, resulting in losses.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Matthew Turner (Turner), currently associated with Westpark Capital, Inc., has at least one disclosable event. These events include one regulatory, alleging that Turner recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on January 15, 2025.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Turner consented to the sanctions and to the entry of findings that he willfully violated Exchange Act Rule 15l-1(a)(1) (Regulation BI) when he recommended trading in customer accounts, including those of seniors, that was excessive, unsuitable and not in their best interest. The findings stated that the customers relied on Turner’s advice and routinely followed his recommendations, and as a result, Turner exercised de facto control over the customers accounts. The trading generated $34,269.69 in commissions and resulted in realized losses of $160,822. The findings also stated that Turner exercised discretionary authority to place 148 trades in four customer accounts, including the three customer accounts he excessively traded, without obtaining written authorization from the customers and without his firm having accepted the accounts as discretionary.

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