Tr?id=566623520170033&ev=PageView&noscript=1

Class Action Suits Target Major Banks Over Cash Sweep Programs

Posted on November 27th, 2024 at 1:04 PM
Class Action Suits Target Major Banks Over Cash Sweep Programs

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

Wells Fargo, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley face class action lawsuits alleging they exploited cash sweep programs to generate “massive revenue” at clients' expense. According to WealthManagement, those cases add to recent complaints over similar practices against LPL, Raymond James, Ameriprise, and UBS.

The complaints, filed in New York’s Southern District by Safron Capital Corporation and Brickman Investments, assert that the banks automatically swept uninvested client funds into low-interest-bearing accounts within affiliated banks, creating a conflict of interest. Plaintiffs argue that, by doing so, the banks earned profit from the spread, or difference, between the interest paid to clients and the banks' income on these deposits. This practice, they allege, misled clients into thinking they were receiving competitive interest rates while, in reality, rates on these sweep accounts were significantly lower than those offered through direct deposits or available from competitors.

As reported by WealthManagement, the Wells Fargo’s complaint alleges that the firm breached its fiduciary duty to advisory clients and violated the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest rule by failing to disclose the financial implications of its sweep program fully. The firms are denying wrongdoing. Morgan Stanley, for example, is claiming that its sweep program had been thoroughly disclosed and that clients provided consent upon account opening.

 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

Jim, Stephany and the whole team were a God send.  We felt like we were put into a situation where we had no advocate. Jim’s team came in with a strong, well laid out strategy on how to get our story heard. Where our outside compliance company had no ability to help, our Broker Dealer was impenitent, and the regulators were aggressive pursuing vague rules, Jim came like a barricade against an assault we did not understand. Though you pay member dues to be affiliated with FINRA and a B/D, you have no voice. The only thing that is truly heard in this un-level playing field is a bulldog’s bark like Jim’s. I would encourage anyone to call Jim and his team to find a real ally in the tough and complicated world of securities regulation. They are truly the best.

Greg P.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1794338007 Law
November 10, 2026
SEC Accuses Crypto Investment Scheme of Raising $130 Million Through Fake Approval Claims

The SEC has charged two entities with operating a cryptocurrency investment scheme that raised more than $130 million from tens of thousands of retail investors.

1794251609 Law
November 9, 2026
Court Restrains Former Citizens Advisor From Using His Memory to Recreate Customer Names in Transition to Ameriprise

A federal judge in Boston has temporarily barred former Citizens Securities advisor Darrell Smith from using client names he recalled from memory to contact former customers after moving to Ameriprise Financial.

1793987008 Law
November 6, 2026
CoreWeave Bonds Slide as Political Opposition to Data-Center Expansion Grows

CoreWeave's debt and stock price fell on November 4th as election victories by Democratic candidates opposing rapid data-center development raised concerns about the regulatory environment facing AI infrastructure companies.