Osaic Services Fined $250,000 for Supervisory Failures in Options Trading

Posted on November 19th, 2024 at 1:39 PM
Osaic Services Fined $250,000 for Supervisory Failures in Options Trading

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

Osaic Services, formerly SagePoint Financial, recently agreed to pay a $250,000 fine and accept censure for failures in supervising excessive and unsuitable options trading from June 2018 to August 2019.

According to a FINRA settlement letter, known as an Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (“AWC”), SagePoint permitted advisors without adequate training in options trading to override automated alerts, allowing unsuitable trades that led to significant customer losses.

AdvisorHub reports that one advisor’s inadequate supervision resulted in two clients incurring over $1.2 million in losses and paying $60,000 in commissions. In one instance, the advisor opened a high-risk options position for a client who lacked a margin account, exposing her to potential losses exceeding $4.5 million, far beyond her $200,000 liquid net worth.

FINRA found additional red flags tied to unauthorized trades in the account of a 91-year-old client who had passed away. Despite notification of her death, SagePoint allowed the advisor to execute 21 trades in the deceased’s account, generating $10,000 in commissions and leaving her heirs with losses.

AdvisorHub reports that this recent fine follows a similar AWC agreed in 2022 when Osaic paid $35,000 for failing to establish adequate supervisory systems to address suitability concerns related to margin use and investment recommendations.

 

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

If you are being bothered by the Regulators, call Eccleston Law, you won't regret it.

Rick R.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

December 22, 2025
FINRA Overhauls Arbitration Rules to Rebalance Arbitrator Selection and Codify Forum Practices

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has approved significant amendments to its Codes of Arbitration Procedure designed to rebalance public arbitrator selection, increase transparency, and formalize several long-standing practices in the arbitration forum.

December 19, 2025
Industry Groups Press Senate at Advance Financial Exploitation Prevention Act

Several industry associations are urging the U.S. Senate to pass the Financial Exploitation Prevention Act, legislation that would allow mutual fund companies and their transfer agents to delay redemptions when they reasonably suspect elder financial abuse.

December 18, 2025
UBS Warns of Rising Default Risk in Private Credit

A UBS report signals that credit stress likely will intensify next year as borrowers confront inflation, elevated interest costs, and softening consumer conditions.