Morgan Stanley to Pay an $8 Million Penalty

Posted on February 22nd, 2017 at 8:59 AM
Morgan Stanley to Pay an $8 Million Penalty

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law LLC:

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has agreed to pay an $8 million penalty and admit wrongdoing in order to settle charges by the SEC.

According to the complaint, the SEC alleged that Morgan Stanley did not adequately implement its policies and procedures and did not ensure that its clients understood the risks related to single-inverse ETF investments that the firm recommended to advisory clients. Most of the clients who purchased the single-inverse ETFs experienced losses.

More specifically, the SEC found that Morgan Stanley failed to obtain signature approval from clients disclosing the risks involved with purchasing single-inverse ETFs. Morgan Stanley also failed to require a supervisor to conduct risk reviews to evaluate the suitability of inverse ETFs for each advisory client. 

The attorneys of Eccleston Law LLC represent investors and advisers nationwide in securities and employment matters. The securities lawyers at Eccleston Law also practice a variety of other areas of securities for financial investors including Securities FraudUnauthorized TradingBreach of Fiduciary DutyRetirement Planning Negligence, and much more. Our attorneys draw on a combined experience of nearly 65 years in delivering the highest quality legal services. If you are in need of legal services, contact us to schedule a one-on-one consultation today. 

Related Attorneys: James J. Eccleston

Tags: Eccleston, Eccleston Law, Eccleston Law LLC, James Eccleston, Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney, SEC, policies, procedures, single-inverse ETF investments, advisory clients, signature approval, risk reviews,

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

 


It was really fun seeing you fight for us. You have an amazing way of thinking out of the box.


 

Beth M.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

July 26, 2024
Kentucky Advisor Sues LPL Financial for Alleged Corporate Raid

A Kentucky advisor, Mark Lamkin, has filed a lawsuit against LPL Financial, claiming the independent broker-dealer orchestrated a corporate raid that resulted in the loss of his firm’s entire book of managed assets.

July 25, 2024
FINRA Plans Fee Increases Amid Rising Costs and Losses

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has announced plans to raise fees for its approximately 3,300 broker-dealer member firms. According to AdvisorHub, the self-regulator faces soaring costs, as detailed in its annual report published at the end of June.

July 24, 2024
Raymond James Settles with Oregon Over Excessive Commissions

Raymond James recently settled a case with Oregon's Division of Financial Regulation (“DFR”), agreeing to pay nearly $200,000 over allegations of charging excessive commissions to retail investors.