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

FINRA Fines Financial Advisory Firm After Elderly Client Was Loaded Up on Margin

Posted on September 27th, 2022 at 1:04 PM
FINRA Fines Financial Advisory Firm After Elderly Client Was Loaded Up on Margin

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has agreed to an $86,000 settlement with SagePoint Financial over allegations that the firm failed to effectively supervise its advisors’ use of margin in client accounts.

The settlement includes nearly $52,000 in restitution to two clients who were permitted to leverage their portfolio even though they were ineligible for margin loans pursuant to firm policy, according to FINRA. FINRA alleged that SagePoint compliance officials failed to further investigate red flags indicating that the margin lending was unsuitable for the clients. The margin loans, which enables a client to use their portfolio as collateral to purchase more securities, normally exposes the client to increased costs and heightened volatility.

According to FINRA, in one case, a 79-year-old widow with $35,000 in annual income and a “moderate” risk tolerance was permitted to take out a margin loan even though company policy restricts granting margin loans to clients over 70 with income below their annual expenses. In another instance, a 56-year-old with a “moderate” risk tolerance was allowed to leverage 20-46% of the portfolio even though the client was ineligible pursuant to firm policy, according to FINRA. SagePoint consented to the fine without admitting or denying any of FINRA’s investigatory findings, according to FINRA.

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, advisors, finra

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

Thank you for your professional assistance with this matter. You are very good at what you do.

John T.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1778171646 Law
May 7, 2026
FINRA Bars Former Raymond James Broker for Refusing Testimony in Unauthorized Trading Probe

A former registered representative with Raymond James has been barred from the securities industry after refusing to cooperate with a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) investigation into alleged unauthorized trading activity.

1778084309 Law
May 6, 2026
FINRA Outlines Key Rulemaking Priorities and Recent Developments in Quarterly Agenda

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) recently released its Quarterly Regulatory Policy Agenda, offering a detailed view of its rulemaking priorities, pending proposals, and recently approved regulatory changes.

1778000603 Law
May 5, 2026
Commonwealth Financial Network Resolves SEC Conflict of Interest Case

Commonwealth Financial Network has agreed to pay $5 million to resolve a long-standing conflict of interest case brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to reporting by ThinkAdvisor.