FINRA’s Top Five Fine Categories for 2021

Posted on March 28th, 2022 at 3:28 PM
FINRA’s Top Five Fine Categories for 2021

"From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law:

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued $91 million in fines in 2021, which constitutes a 60% increase from $57 million in 2020, according to ThinkAdvisor. The 2021 fine total is the highest since 2016 when FINRA imposed $174 million in fines. However, much of FINRA’s 2021 total constitutes Robinhood’s payment of $57 million in fines and $12.6 million in restitution relating to supervisory failures and investor harm. Here are FINRA’s top five fine categories in 2021: 

#5. Municipal Securities: In 2021, FINRA reported seven municipal securities cases, which totaled $3 million fines. While municipal securities have not appeared on the list since 2019, fines in this category increased from only $335,000 in 2020. 

#4. Trade Reporting: FINRA reported nine trade reporting cases, which resulted in $3.4 million in fines in 2021. The number of cases decreased by 74% while fines decreased by nearly 51%. In the largest 2021 case, FINRA fined a firm $2.6 million for inaccurately reporting over-the-counter (OTC) options positions to the Large Options Positions Reporting System. 

#3. Suitability: FINRA reported 54 suitability cases in 2021, which is an increase of 29% in comparison to 42 cases in 2020. Additionally, fines related to suitability jumped by 109% percent from $1.9 million in 2020 to $3.9 million in 2021. FINRA additionally ordered $7.3 million in restitution in suitability cases, which constitutes a decrease from the $9.9 million in 2020. 

#2. Unit Investment Trusts (UITs): In 2021, FINRA reported five UIT cases, which resulted in $3.9 million in fines and $10.9 million in restitution. UIT fines primarily were attributable to one case in which FINRA issued a $3.25 million fine relating to the firm’s failure to supervise early UIT rollovers, which caused clients to incur potentially excess sales charges. 

#1. Anit-Money Laundering (AML): FINRA reported 16 AML cases in 2021, which is an increase from 14 cases in 2020. Furthermore, FINRA issued $4.6 million in fines in 2021, compared to $16.2 million in 2020. AML remained in the top spot of the list for the sixth consecutive year primarily due to three large, six-figure settlements. In one case, FINRA fined a firm $650,000 and determined that the firm failed to monitor suspicious activity pertaining to low-price securities transactions. 

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

 

Tags: eccleston law, finra, fines

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

January 19, 2026
FINRA Study Warns of Declining Investor Participation and Rising Fraud Risks Among Younger Investors

A new study from FINRA’s Investor Education Foundation highlights troubling shifts in retail investing, including shrinking participation, heavier reliance on social media for advice, and growing vulnerability to fraud.

January 16, 2026
SEC Signals Sweeping IPO Rule Changes to Ease Path for Smaller Companies

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) plans to overhaul its public offering framework to make it easier for smaller companies to access the public markets, according to remarks SEC Chairman Paul Atkins delivered at the New York Stock Exchange, as reported by Bloomberg Law.

January 15, 2026
FINRA Flags Risks of Early Withdrawals and Exchanges in Registered Index-Linked Annuities

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has issued a renewed warning to the industry about the risks consumers face when they exit registered index-linked annuities (RILAs) before the end of the contract term.