Enforcement

FINRA Enforcement has often been accused (again, admittedly, by me, and not too infrequently) of going after the “low-hanging fruit,” that is, taking the easy case when it presents itself.  Putting aside the question whether this observation is accurate or not – for what it’s worth, I think the answer is that it is often,

I am writing this while flying home from my first business trip in over 15 months.  I have to tell you, it is more than a bit of a strange feeling to be out and among people again.  While my face is sore from wearing this N95 mask nearly non-stop for three days, my hands

I have always operated with the understanding that, per FINRA rules, one cannot supervise him- or herself.  Hardly an outrageous proposition.  Today, however, that fundamental, bedrock understanding was so shaken, it has left me wondering whether anything is what it seems (especially when coupled with Loyola’s win this weekend over Illinois, which, really, can only

My friend and former colleague, Brian Rubin, publishes annually his analysis of FINRA Enforcement cases, spotting trends in terms of the number and types of matters it brings, the sanctions meted out, etc.  It is an excellent tool, and eagerly anticipated by lots of us who practice in this industry.  One of the hard parts

Historically, one of the surest ways to get yourself permanently barred from the industry is to forge a customer’s signature on something.  According to the pertinent Sanction Guideline, at a minimum, a forgery, that is, a true forgery – a signature that is neither authorized nor subsequently ratified by the customer – should result in

I apologize for taking so long between posts, but, to be fair, there’s been a lot going on in the past week or so that has captured my attention!  I wish everyone a happy and SAFE new year! – Alan

While undoubtedly FINRA will be issuing its annual “examination priorities” letter any day now, that

As should be clear to readers of this Blog, I find that Enforcement actions often provide the best guidance in terms of what regulators deem to be unacceptable conduct, which is very useful when dealing with subjective standards like “reasonableness.”  This past week, FINRA published an AWC submitted by Coastal Equities, Inc. that offers a