FINRA Penalizes Baird Over $100 Trading Commissions

Posted on September 22nd, 2022 at 2:15 PM
FINRA Penalizes Baird Over $100 Trading Commissions

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has ordered Robert W. Baird & Co. to pay $461,481 plus interest due to allegations that the firm overcharged its clients on thousands of equity transactions for at least one year.

Baird’s chief compliance officer, Christa Graverson, also consented to a $150,000 fine and restitution of $266,481 plus interest without admitting or denying FINRA’s investigatory findings. According to FINRA, Baird’s official commission schedule listed a minimum commission of $100 on equity transactions between June 2019 and December 2020, which resulted in “unfair commission being charged on 7,277 equity transactions.”

Baird additionally failed to implement and maintain a supervisory system “reasonably designed to achieve compliance with FINRA Rule 2121”, according to FINRA. FINRA has alleged that Baird imposed a minimum commission of $100 as well as a handling fee for all equity transactions. According to FINRA, Baird’s equity transaction commissions ranged from over 5% to 93% of the transactions’ principal value, while the average overcharge per equity transaction was $37. Although Baird often flagged equity transactions where clients were charged more than 5% of principal, Baird’s supervisory system did not flag transactions where the firm charged the minimum $100 commissions, 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

I am grateful to have found an outstanding law firm that specializes in securities matters. My lawyers were extremely knowledgeable, diligent, and are skilled litigators. No stone was left upturned. As a result of their experience and tenacity, the arbitration proceeding was dismissed in my favor.

Michael E.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

December 1, 2025
UBS Winds Down Funds as First Brands Bankruptcy Ripples Through Global Markets

UBS Group AG has begun liquidating two invoice finance funds with direct exposure to First Brands Group, marking one of the earliest moves by a major financial institution to contain the fallout from the bankrupt auto-parts supplier’s collapse, as reported by Bloomberg Law.

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.