FINRA Enforcement Actions in 2024: Fines Drop But Cases Increase

Posted on March 19th, 2025 at 10:26 AM
FINRA Enforcement Actions in 2024: Fines Drop But Cases Increase

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) imposed $59 million in fines in 2024, reflecting a 35 percent decrease from the previous year, according to an analysis by Eversheds Sutherland. However, the 2023 total was skewed by a $24 million fine against a single firm—Bank of America’s securities arm—for spoofing in Treasury markets. Without that significant penalty, the 2023 fine total would have been $65 million, about 10 percent higher than in 2024.

According to ThinkAdvisor, the data shows that while total fines decreased, enforcement activity intensified. FINRA reported 552 disciplinary actions in 2024, marking a 22 percent year-over-year increase and reversing an eight-year decline in case volume.

Key Enforcement Trends

Fifteen firms received “supersized” fines of $1 million or more, up from 14 in 2023. However, only one firm faced a “mega” fine of $5 million or more, compared to four in the previous year. Below are the top five enforcement issues by total fines assessed in 2024, as reported by ThinkAdvisor:

Fingerprinting of Non-Registered Persons ($2.7 million)

FINRA brought six cases related to firms failing to properly fingerprint non-registered persons. The largest fine, $1.3 million, was levied against a firm that failed to fingerprint and screen for statutory disqualification among 2,317 non-registered associates outside the U.S. and 1,663 based domestically who were required to be fingerprinted.

Technological Issues ($3.5 million)

FINRA fined firms approximately $3.5 million across six cases involving technological failures that led to regulatory violations. The largest penalty, $1.4 million, was imposed on a firm for providing inaccurate interest rate information due to data and coding errors in account statements, trade confirmations, and online access portals between 2010 and 2022.

Options Trading ($4.3 million)

Appearing for the first time on the Top 5 list, options trading violations led to $4.3 million in fines across four cases. The largest fine, $2 million, was imposed on a firm that failed to detect customers engaged in free-riding—buying and selling securities without paying for them. Additionally, FINRA sanctioned firms for not having adequate systems to approve customer options trading.

Spoofing ($6 million)

FINRA pursued two spoofing cases in 2024, with the most significant resulting in a $6 million fine—the largest single fine of the year. The sanctioned firm engaged in 813 instances of spoofing U.S. Treasury securities and futures between July 2017 and May 2019. Spoofing is a fraudulent trading practice that manipulates market activity by placing non-bona fide orders to create a false impression of demand.

Trade Reporting ($9 million)

Trade reporting violations remained a top enforcement focus for the fifth consecutive year. FINRA sanctioned 21 firms, imposing $9 million in total fines. The largest fine, $2 million, was levied against a firm for failing to accurately report execution times for at least 1.5 million primary market transactions and underreporting more than 422,000 allocations of TRACE-eligible securities to client accounts.

 

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 have the best legal firm in the country to defend me. Awesome job!

Cindy C.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

November 18, 2025
Former FINRA Brokers with Misconduct Histories Flock to Insurance Industry, According to Recent Study

A recent academic study reveals that thousands of brokers expelled from the securities industry for misconduct nonetheless continue to operate under state insurance licenses, often selling annuities and other financial products to unsuspecting clients.

November 17, 2025
FINRA Launches Targeted Probe into Small-Cap Foreign IPO Underwriters

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has launched a targeted investigation into broker-dealer firms that helped small foreign companies go public in the U.S., marking its latest move to combat pump-and-dump schemes.

November 14, 2025
FINRA Bars Former Edward Jones Broker in Crypto-Related Investigation

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has barred former Edward Jones representative Robert David Bienvenu for refusing to provide requested information and documents related to outside accounts and investments.