Morgan Stanley Fines Some Advisors $1 Million Over Messaging Lapses

Posted on February 8th, 2023 at 1:52 PM
Morgan Stanley Fines Some Advisors $1 Million Over Messaging Lapses

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law.

Morgan Stanley has fined some of its own financial advisors more than $1 million each for communicating with clients on WhatsApp and other messaging platforms.

The fines have either been retrieved from previous bonuses or are expected to be subtracted from future pay, according to sources familiar with the matter. Although Morgan Stanley is not the only firm to mandate that individual advisors pay the costs of noncompliance as regulators have regularly scrutinized firms who fail to closely monitor client communications, issues have been raised as to the propriety of such fines.

The individual penalties at Morgan Stanley range from a few thousand dollars to more than $1 million, based on a point system that takes into account seniority, the quantity of messages sent and whether the advisor was previously warned, according to the Financial Times. The Financial Times additionally reported that Morgan Stanley now provides employee training on scenarios when they should transfer conversations from personal devices to work-sponsored platforms, including their work email. Morgan Stanley agreed to pay $200 million in fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) last year for the messaging breaches.

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, advisors, law, whatsapp

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

The work that you and your team have performed on my behalf is exemplary.

JT

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

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 ...

February 3, 2026
FINRA Accuses Spartan Capital of Widespread Churning That Allegedly Harmed Customers

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has brought a disciplinary complaint against Spartan Capital Securities and several senior leaders of the New York City–based broker-dealer, alleging that the firm facilitated excessive trading that generated millions of dollars in revenue while causing substantial losses to customers.

February 2, 2026
California Investors Allege Unsuitable DST Recommendations in FINRA Arbitration

Two investors from the San Francisco Bay Area have filed a FINRA arbitration claim against brokerage firm Realized Financial and its financial advisors.