Articles Tagged with Churning

shutterstock_153667934-300x200The investment attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating claims against former LPL Financial Broker Jason Anderson (Anderson). A pair of elderly customers are suing Anderson and alleging churning and inflated mutual fund charges.

According to news sources, A pair of elderly customers of LPL Financial are suing the firm and Anderson.

The customers, each of whom are over 65, claim to have suffered a combined $630,000 loss in retirement accounts that were originally valued at $3.5 million.

shutterstock_183201167-300x198The investment attorneys of Gana Weinstein LLP are interested in speaking with clients of broker Parks Heard Brown Jr. (Brown). According to his BrokerCheck records kept by Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Brown has been the subject of at least four customer complaints. The customer complaints against Brown allege securities law violations that claim unsuitable investments, churning, unauthorized trading, breach of fiduciary duty, and negligence among other claims.

The most recent complaint was filed in October 2016, alleging that the broker while employed at VSR Financial Services Inc. made unsuitable investments based on the client’s liquidity needs. In March 2014, FINRA found that Brown violated FINRA rules 2090 and 2111 that require the use of reasonable diligence when recommending investment strategies. In addition, a customer alleged an unsuitable series of investments made in account between June 2012 and January 2014 resulting in damages of $245,750.00. The case settled for $71,500.00.

In another case filed in March 2004 a customer alleged that in June 2003 Brown misrepresented and failed to inform the account activity that caused $7,000.00

shutterstock_184429547-300x200The investment attorneys of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating customer complaints filed with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) against Christopher Paul Anthony (Anthony) for allegedly churning, failing to supervise, and recommending unsuitable investments in products, such as Foreign stocks and Indexed Exchanged-Traded Funds or ETFs. According to BrokerCheck records, Anthony has been subject to two customer complaints and one employment separations for cause among other claims.

The most recent complaint was filed in January 2017 and alleged negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract causing over $2 million in losses. In August 2016, another customer filed a complaint alleging that from Spring 2014 to Spring 2015, Anthony made unsuitable investments and was churning (excessively trading) in the account leading to $100,000 in damages. These two complaints are currently pending in FINRA arbitration.

In April 2015, Christopher Anthony was terminated from his position at Rhodes Securities Inc. for failing to supervise, trading with discretion, and trading outside the investment objectives of his clients’ accounts. He is currently not registered with any securities firm.

shutterstock_93851422The securities fraud lawyers of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating customer complaints filed with The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) against broker Caeron McClintock (McClintock).  According to BrokerCheck records McClintock has been the subject of at least two customer complaints and two judgements or liens.  The customer complaints against McClintock allege a number of securities law violations including that the broker made unsuitable investments, unauthorized trading, and churning (excessive trading) among other claims.

The most recent complaint was filed in August 2016 and alleged unauthorized trading causing $17,000 in damages.  The complaint is currently pending.  In December 2015 another investor filed a similar complaint and alleged negligence, misrepresentation, and churning causing $50,000 in damages.  The complaint is currently pending

When brokers engage in excessive trading, sometimes referred to as churning, the broker will typical trade in and out of securities, sometimes even the same stock, many times over a short period of time.  Often times the account will completely “turnover” every month with different securities.  This type of investment trading activity in the client’s account serves no reasonable purpose for the investor and is engaged in only to profit the broker through the generation of commissions created by the trades.  Churning is considered a species of securities fraud.  The elements of the claim are excessive transactions of securities, broker control over the account, and intent to defraud the investor by obtaining unlawful commissions.  A similar claim, excessive trading, under FINRA’s suitability rule involves just the first two elements.  Certain commonly used measures and ratios used to determine churning help evaluate a churning claim.  These ratios look at how frequently the account is turned over plus whether or not the expenses incurred in the account made it unreasonable that the investor could reasonably profit from the activity.

shutterstock_177082523The securities fraud lawyers of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating customer complaints filed with The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) against broker Christopher Cowans (Cowans).  According to BrokerCheck records Cowans has been the subject of at least nine customer complaints and one regulatory action.  The customer complaints against Cowans allege a number of securities law violations including that the broker made unsuitable investments, unauthorized trading, and churning (excessive trading) among other claims.

In December 2014, the State of Massachusetts required Cowans brokerage firm, Arthur W. Wood Company, Inc. (Arthur W. Wood), to agree to a heightened supervision plan for Cowans in light of the fact that Cowans “has been the subject of twelve customer complaints…alleging…making excessive trades…”

The most recent complaint was filed in December 2015 alleging that Cowans engaged in excessive trading from March 2011 until December 2013 causing $600,000.  The complaint is still pending.

shutterstock_133513469The securities fraud lawyers of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating customer complaints filed with The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) against broker John Tinnelly (Tinnelly).  According to BrokerCheck records Tinnelly has been the subject of at least ten customer complaints and one regulatory action.  The customer complaints against Tinnelly allege a number of securities law violations including that the broker made unsuitable investments, unauthorized trading, and churning (excessive trading) among other claims.

The most recent complaint was filed in April 2015 and alleged churning, unsuitable investments, unauthorized trading, breach of contract from July 2010 until November 2012 causing $168,924 in damages.  The complaint settled with no contribution by the broker.  In March 2015, another customer complaint alleged churning, unsuitable investments, unauthorized trading, breach of contract from February 2010 until March 2011 causing $118,375 in damages.  The complaint is currently pending.

When brokers engage in excessive trading, sometimes referred to as churning, the broker will typical trade in and out of securities, sometimes even the same stock, many times over a short period of time.  Often times the account will completely “turnover” every month with different securities.  This type of investment trading activity in the client’s account serves no reasonable purpose for the investor and is engaged in only to profit the broker through the generation of commissions created by the trades.  Churning is considered a species of securities fraud.  The elements of the claim are excessive transactions of securities, broker control over the account, and intent to defraud the investor by obtaining unlawful commissions.  A similar claim, excessive trading, under FINRA’s suitability rule involves just the first two elements.  Certain commonly used measures and ratios used to determine churning help evaluate a churning claim.  These ratios look at how frequently the account is turned over plus whether or not the expenses incurred in the account made it unreasonable that the investor could reasonably profit from the activity.

shutterstock_85873471The securities lawyers of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating customer complaints against broker Cory Bataan (Bataan).  There are at least four customer complaints against Bataan and one employment termination for cause.  The customer complaints against Bataan allege a number of securities law violations including that the broker engaged in churning, unauthorized trading, unsuitable trades, breach of fiduciary duty, and misrepresentations among other claims.  In addition, in August 2012, Empire Asset Management terminated Bataan alleging that their were violations of the firms policies and procedures.

When brokers engage in excessive trading, sometimes referred to as churning, the broker will typical trade in and out of securities, sometimes even the same stock, many times over a short period of time.  Often times the account will completely “turnover” every month with different securities.  This type of investment trading activity in the client’s account serves no reasonable purpose for the investor and is engaged in only to profit the broker through the generation of commissions created by the trades.  Churning is considered a species of securities fraud.  The elements of the claim are excessive transactions of securities, broker control over the account, and intent to defraud the investor by obtaining unlawful commissions.  A similar claim, excessive trading, under FINRA’s suitability rule involves just the first two elements.  Certain commonly used measures and ratios used to determine churning help evaluate a churning claim.  These ratios look at how frequently the account is turned over plus whether or not the expenses incurred in the account made it unreasonable that the investor could reasonably profit from the activity.

Bataan is currently registered with, Aegis Capital Corp. (Aegis), a brokerage firm that has been identified as employing troublesome brokers.  According to a recent study conducted by the Securities Litigation and Consulting Group entitled “How Widespread and Predictable is Stock Broker Misconduct?” the incidents of investor harm at Aegis is extraordinarily high.  The study ranked Aegis as the worst brokerage firm finding that brokers at the firm had over a 35% misconduct rate.  The study stated that investors should stay away from Aegis “Given their coworkers’ disclosure record as of 2014, 83.7% of the brokers at these six firms would be in the highest risk quintile as defined in the FINRA study and should be avoided by investors. The BrokerCheck reports for most of the brokers at these six firms should prominently display a skull and crossbones warning.”

shutterstock_113632177The securities fraud lawyers of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating customer complaints filed with The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) against broker John Prinzivalli (Prinzivalli).  According to BrokerCheck records Prinzivalli has been the subject of at least two customer complaints, three financial disclosures, and one judgement or lien.  The customer complaints against Prinzivalli allege a number of securities law violations including that the broker made unsuitable investments, breach of fiduciary duty, and churning (excessive trading) among other claims.

One complaint filed in October 2014 alleged $130,000 in damages due to unsuitable recommendations, high pressure sales tactics, and churning.  The complaint is currently pending.  Another complaint was filed in November 2010 alleging churning and unsuitable investments claiming $250,000 in damages.  The complaint was settled.

When brokers engage in excessive trading, sometimes referred to as churning, the broker will typical trade in and out of securities, sometimes even the same stock, many times over a short period of time.  Often times the account will completely “turnover” every month with different securities.  This type of investment trading activity in the client’s account serves no reasonable purpose for the investor and is engaged in only to profit the broker through the generation of commissions created by the trades.  Churning is considered a species of securities fraud.  The elements of the claim are excessive transactions of securities, broker control over the account, and intent to defraud the investor by obtaining unlawful commissions.  A similar claim, excessive trading, under FINRA’s suitability rule involves just the first two elements.  Certain commonly used measures and ratios used to determine churning help evaluate a churning claim.  These ratios look at how frequently the account is turned over plus whether or not the expenses incurred in the account made it unreasonable that the investor could reasonably profit from the activity.

shutterstock_27597505The securities fraud lawyers of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating customer complaints filed with The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) against broker Shadi “Sean” Barakat (Barakat).  According to BrokerCheck records Barakat has been the subject of at least two customer complaints and two judgements or liens.  The customer complaints against Barakat allege a number of securities law violations including that the broker made unsuitable investments, unauthorized trading, misrepresentations, and churning (excessive trading) among other claims.

One complaint filed in June 2013 alleged $500,000 in damages due to unsuitable recommendations and churning.  The complaint was settled.  Barakat has disclosed several large tax liens including a $1,758 lien in April 2015 and a tax lien of $14,331 in May 2014.  Substantial judgements and liens on a broker’s record can reveal a financial incentive for the broker to recommend high commission products or services.  A broker’s inability to handle their personal finances has also been found to be relevant in helping investors determine if they should allow the broker to handle their finances.

When brokers engage in excessive trading, sometimes referred to as churning, the broker will typical trade in and out of securities, sometimes even the same stock, many times over a short period of time.  Often times the account will completely “turnover” every month with different securities.  This type of investment trading activity in the client’s account serves no reasonable purpose for the investor and is engaged in only to profit the broker through the generation of commissions created by the trades.  Churning is considered a species of securities fraud.  The elements of the claim are excessive transactions of securities, broker control over the account, and intent to defraud the investor by obtaining unlawful commissions.  A similar claim, excessive trading, under FINRA’s suitability rule involves just the first two elements.  Certain commonly used measures and ratios used to determine churning help evaluate a churning claim.  These ratios look at how frequently the account is turned over plus whether or not the expenses incurred in the account made it unreasonable that the investor could reasonably profit from the activity.

shutterstock_19864066The securities fraud lawyers of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating customer complaints filed with The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) against broker Bernardo Misseri (Misseri).  According to BrokerCheck records Misseri has been the subject of at least seven customer complaints, five judgements or liens, and two regulatory actions.  The customer complaints against Misseri allege a number of securities law violations including that the broker made unsuitable investments, unauthorized trading, fraud, misrepresentations, and churning (excessive trading) among other claims.  In addition, there are two regulatory claims against Misseri.  One by the state of Illinois filed in June 2010 that suspended the broker for two years.  Another action was filed by the NASD in 2005 alleging that Misseri effected private securities transactions away from his firm by soliciting certain limited partnerships.

Misseri has disclosed several large tax liens including a $6,746 in March 2015, a tax lien of $7,662 in February 2015, a $37,847 tax lien in November 2014, a $11,884 tax lien in June 2014, and a $217,156 tax lien in August 2013.  Substantial judgements and liens on a broker’s record can reveal a financial incentive for the broker to recommend high commission products or services.  A broker’s inability to handle their personal finances has also been found to be relevant in helping investors determine if they should allow the broker to handle their finances.

When brokers engage in excessive trading, sometimes referred to as churning, the broker will typical trade in and out of securities, sometimes even the same stock, many times over a short period of time.  Often times the account will completely “turnover” every month with different securities.  This type of investment trading activity in the client’s account serves no reasonable purpose for the investor and is engaged in only to profit the broker through the generation of commissions created by the trades.  Churning is considered a species of securities fraud.  The elements of the claim are excessive transactions of securities, broker control over the account, and intent to defraud the investor by obtaining unlawful commissions.  A similar claim, excessive trading, under FINRA’s suitability rule involves just the first two elements.  Certain commonly used measures and ratios used to determine churning help evaluate a churning claim.  These ratios look at how frequently the account is turned over plus whether or not the expenses incurred in the account made it unreasonable that the investor could reasonably profit from the activity.

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