NASAA Members Approve Model Rule Addressing Unpaid Client Arbitration Awards

Posted on June 7th, 2022 at 11:43 AM
NASAA Members Approve Model Rule Addressing Unpaid Client Arbitration Awards

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law:

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) and its members have voted to adopt a model rule addressing financial advisory firms that fail to pay customer arbitration awards. 

According to NASAA President Melanie Lubin, “Broker-Dealers and investment advisers should promptly pay any arbitration awards or regulator-imposed fines and if they do not, this model rule provides state regulators with another means to take action against them.” Pursuant to the model rule, a failure to pay any investment-related, customer-initiated arbitration award or judgment, fine, civil penalty, order of restitution, or order of disgorgement would constitute a dishonest or unethical practice. 

Financial advisory firms may avoid regulatory actions by engaging in alternative payment arrangements pertaining to obligations promulgated by the model rule. In essence, the model rule will serve as an additional basis for enforcement actions related to unpaid arbitration awards and may incentivize financial advisory firms to satisfy their monetary obligations to clients.

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

 
 

Tags: eccleston law, nasaa, financial advisory firms

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

I am so blessed to have you and your dynamic team defending me. Your ethics, forward thinking and strategies are amazing.  You guys are the best group of attorneys in the country that I could hire to handle this complicated case.

Cindy C.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

February 27, 2026
Eighth Circuit Rejects Emergency Injunction in Advisor Departure Dispute

A federal appeals court ruled against an advisory firm seeking immediate, injunctive relief after a team of advisors left with hundreds of millions in client assets.

February 26, 2026
FINRA Bars Former Cambridge Advisor After Refusal to Cooperate With Communications Probe

A former advisor affiliated with Cambridge Investment Research has been barred from the securities industry after declining to comply with a regulatory investigation, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

February 25, 2026
Advisors Increase Crypto Allocations as Merrill Lynch Warns of Significant Risks

Financial advisors are placing more client assets into digital currencies, even as major firms caution investors about the asset class's volatility and speculative nature.