FINRA's Year-End Enforcement Blitz: LPL Financial and Interactive Brokers Face Major Penalties

Posted on March 19th, 2024 at 2:55 PM
FINRA's Year-End Enforcement Blitz: LPL Financial and Interactive Brokers Face Major Penalties

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. (FINRA) concluded the year with significant penalties against two major firms, LPL Financial and Interactive Brokers.

InvestmentNews reports that LPL Financial settled with FINRA on December 27, agreeing to a $6.15 million settlement concerning its inadequate supervision of thousands of transactions conducted by financial advisors and brokers from 2012 to 2019 with product sponsors, termed as "direct" business in the industry. LPL agreed to pay a $5.5 million fine and $651,000 in restitution to clients without admitting or denying FINRA's findings.

Similarly, Interactive Brokers, specializing in equities and options trading, reached a $3.5 million settlement with FINRA on December 22 for failing to meet best execution and supervision standards from 2014 to 2021.

InvestmentNews opines that FINRA's end-of-year enforcement actions are not uncommon, often driven by the firms involved. In LPL's case, FINRA highlighted the firm's failure to ensure the reporting of direct transactions and supervision lapses in various areas, including inaccuracies in client communications regarding security switching charges and recommendations of traded business development companies from 2017 to 2022. Those settlements underscore FINRA's commitment to enforcing compliance and protecting investors within the securities industry.

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

As a financial advisor with over 20 years of experience, I feel fortunate to call Jim my attorney and friend. He is a fantastic lawyer and trusted advisor. He is skilled in the matters necessary to do the job well. He uses his thoughtful approach and calm demeanor to achieve a positive outcome for the client. If you want to feel confident that nothing will be missed and that you will be represented in a highly professional manner, call Jim Eccleston.

Bill C. and Dan M.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

February 6, 2026
Delaware Regulators Fine Kovack Advisors $985,000

Kovack Advisors Inc., the registered investment adviser affiliate of independent broker-dealer Kovack Securities Inc., agreed to pay a $985,000 fine to Delaware securities regulators.

February 5, 2026
FINRA Fines Broker-Dealer for Repeated Form CRS Disclosure Failures

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) fined VSI Securities Inc., formerly known as Venecredit Securities Inc., $20,000 for failing to accurately disclose the firm’s disciplinary history in its customer relationship summary, known as Form CRS.

February 4, 2026
Investor Redemptions Rise in Nontraded BDCs Amid Credit Concerns

Financial advisors and their clients have increased redemptions from nontraded business development companies (BDCs) following a series of high-profile corporate bankruptcies, according to InvestmentNews. The surge highlights growing investor concern about liquidity and credit exposure within these high-yield but often risky investment ...