FINRA Disciplinary Actions Rise for the First Time Since 2016

Posted on March 17th, 2025 at 11:51 AM
FINRA Disciplinary Actions Rise for the First Time Since 2016

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) increased its enforcement actions in 2024, marking the first rise in disciplinary cases since 2016, as reported by AdvisorHub.

FINRA initiated 552 enforcement actions last year, a 22 percent increase from 453 in 2023. The cases include settlements and complaints against individual advisors and firms, were tracked through FINRA’s disciplinary database ahead of the regulator’s official report.

Although disciplinary actions increased, total monetary sanctions declined. FINRA imposed $87 million in penalties last year, down 14 percent from $101 million in 2023. Fines dropped 35 percent to $59 million, largely due to the absence of a major penalty like the $24 million fine against Bank of America Securities in 2023.

However, restitution payments surged 207 percent year-over-year to $23 million. This increase was driven by a December enforcement action against Edward Jones, Osaic Wealth, and Cambridge Investment Research, according to AdvisorHub. The firms were ordered to pay a combined $8.2 million in restitution to customers who were improperly charged commissions on mutual fund sales.

AdvisorHub reports that FINRA’s enforcement activity has remained strong into 2025. In one of its first major settlements of the year, two units of Robinhood Markets Inc. agreed to pay $26 million to settle allegations that they failed to respond to red flags about potential misconduct and did not verify the identities of thousands of customers.

 

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, finra

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

I want to extend a tremendous thank you for your dedication, professionalism, hard work and patient demeanor through this challenging time. It was enjoyable interacting with everyone on your team, this certainly helped while dealing with the situation and working towards resolution.

Dan M.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

November 26, 2025
Former GWG Chair Charged in Alleged $150 Million Fraud Scheme as Investor Losses Mount

Federal prosecutors have intensified scrutiny of the long-running collapse of GWG Holdings Inc., unveiling criminal charges against Bradley Heppner, the former chair of both GWG and Beneficient.

November 25, 2025
Financial Advisor Accepts FINRA Bar Amidst Investigation into Alleged Misappropriation

A financial advisor affiliated with a credit union connected to Raymond James Financial agreed to an industry bar after declining to cooperate with FINRA’s investigation into allegations that he misappropriated client funds.

November 24, 2025
Kyle Busch Alleges Considerable Losses in Indexed Universal Life (IUL) Scheme

Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, and his wife Samantha announced that they lost more than $8.6 million in what they describe as a “devastating financial scheme” involving an Indexed Universal Life (IUL) insurance policy.