Articles Posted in Current Investigations

Today the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) announced a massive LPL Financial settlement with state securities regulators relating to over a decade of sales of unregistered securities by LPL brokers. Under the terms of the LPL Financial settlement, the firm agreed to repurchase from investors certain securities that were sold to them since October,…

The securities attorneys at the Investor Defenders practice group of Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP are investigating potential claims against this broker. Public records from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) show that in August 2018, Daniel Noah Winger (CRD# 1542674) entered into an Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (“AWC”) agreement in which Winger was barred from…

The securities attorneys at the Investor Defenders practice group of Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP are investigating potential claims against this broker. Public records from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) show that Jamewon Jeewon Shin (CRD# 2436899) was suspended as of August 13, 2018, from associating with any FINRA member for failure to provide information…

The Investigation of Klamath Falls Financial Advisor George Merhoff Jr. and Cetera Investments, Pacific West Securities, Inc. Continues Customer Concerns Grow About Energy Stock Concentration and George Merhoff Our office continues to investigate Cetera Investments and its representative George Merhoff Jr. Since our last reporting, even more investors have called us to report that they…

Oregonian Article Alerts Investors to the Dangers of High Return Investments The Chief of Enforcement at the Division of Finance and Corporate Securities Consumer & Business Services Department (DFCS), Van Pounds,  was both quoted in Molly Young’s recent Oregonian article about high return investments and Salem investment adviser Kevin Winder.  Winder lost his license for…

Investment News reported today that LPL Financial is being asked to pay $3.6 million in investor repayments and fines. The state of New Hampshire and LPL financial on Monday slapping LPL with a $1 million fine and $200,000 in investigative costs in addition to the $2.4 million in buybacks and restitution for clients.The state alleges unsuitable…

FINRA announced on March 26, 2015 that it had fined brokerage firm Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. $2.5 million and ordered it to pay $1.25 million in restitution based on failing to supervise its former registered representative Mark Hotton.  Hotton was permanently barred from the securities industry in August, 2013 after stealing money from his clients…

On October 29, the Wall Street Journal reported that American Realty Capital Properties Inc., is in hot water. The Securities and Exchange Commission will open an inquiry into ARCP  and two top executives have resigned. It has already been reported that,  “some inaccuracies were the result of intentional errors and some intentionally weren’t corrected.“ Banks Law Office has…

The sellers of structured CDs categorize them as “fixed income” although they are dependent on the performance of underlying equities or baskets of equities, raising questions (to begin with) about their suitability for retired investors and the role of structured CDs in any portfolio that is properly asset-allocated. FDIC protection of the principal is a…

NASAA recently posted an alert for investors about energy investments. We have the full alert posted here. The information below comes directly from their report. We share NASAA’s mission to protect investors nationwide. With energy demands and a desire for energy independence increasing globally, investments in traditional and alternative energy resources are being promoted more often…