Eccleston Law Blog

Apex Clearing to Pay $3.2 Million in FINRA Settlement Over Securities Lending Violations

March 14th, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Apex Clearing, the clearing arm of Apex Fintech Solutions, has agreed to pay $3.2 million to settle FINRA allegations that it failed to ensure customers received compensation for lending their securities.
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Congress Considers Expanding the Accredited Investor Definition

March 13th, 2025 at 2:30 PM
A recent congressional hearing examined potential reforms to the accredited investor definition, a critical threshold determining who can participate in private market investments.
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GPB Capital Investors May Receive Some Compensation Under Proposed Distribution Plan

March 12th, 2025 at 11:59 AM
GPB Capital Holdings investors have not received returns on their investments since 2018. According to InvestmentNews, after years of litigation, a court-appointed receiver has submitted a plan to return funds to the 17,000 investors who purchased $1.8 billion in GPB limited partnerships.
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Former CNBC Analyst Pleads Guilty to $2.7 Million Securities Fraud Scheme

March 11th, 2025 at 2:04 PM
James Arthur McDonald Jr., a former financial advisor and frequent CNBC guest analyst, has agreed to plead guilty to securities fraud, admitting to defrauding investors out of at least $2.7 million, as reported by ThinkAdvisor. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
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Wells Fargo and Merrill Lynch Settle SEC Charges Over Cash Sweep Program Policies

March 10th, 2025 at 12:19 PM
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced settlements with Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC, Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network LLC, and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated over allegations that they failed to implement proper policies and procedures for their cash sweep programs.
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FINRA Orders $8.2 Million in Restitution for Mutual Fund Customers

March 7th, 2025 at 1:59 PM
FINRA has directed Edward Jones, Osaic Wealth, Inc., and Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. to pay more than $8.2 million in restitution to customers harmed by failures to provide mutual fund sales charge waivers and fee rebates. 
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FINRA Fines Newbridge Securities $105,000 for Failing to Supervise Margin Trading

March 6th, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Newbridge Securities Corp., an independent broker-dealer based in Boca Raton, Florida, has agreed to pay a $105,000 penalty for failing to supervise financial advisors who recommended margin trading to clients.
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Morgan Stanley Advisor Wins Expungement Under FINRA's Stricter Rules

March 5th, 2025 at 1:42 PM
A FINRA arbitration panel granted a financial advisor’s request to expunge a 2022 customer complaint from her record, marking another test of FINRA’s stricter expungement rules.
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Federal Judge Strikes Down Hightower's Non-Compete Agreement in California

March 4th, 2025 at 10:51 AM
A federal judge in Wilmington, Delaware, ruled against Hightower Advisors in its effort to enforce non-compete agreements against a former advisor in California who sold his firm to Hightower.
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UBS Warns of Increased Advisor Departures Following Compensation Overhaul

March 3rd, 2025 at 2:19 PM
UBS Group AG executives cautioned that the firm may see a rise in advisor departures this year due to changes in its 2025 compensation plan.
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TESTIMONIALS

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We just wanted to say thanks for your work in helping us get back some of the money we lost. We are not by any means rich, but we have saved some money and we have done so through a tight-fisted approach to most everything we do. So losing a significant chunk of money hurt…especially at a time when everyone else was growing their accounts. We really appreciate the work you did.

Allan and Adele

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

January 30, 2026
FINRA Arbitration Panel Orders J.P. Morgan to Amend Form U-5, Flags Potential Pattern of Conduct

A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel recently issued an unusually detailed decision in a dispute between J.P. Morgan Securities and former advisor Joshua David Sappi Biering, shedding rare light on how a firm may deploy - and sometimes abuse - the Form U-5 during advisor departures.

January 29, 2026
OFAC Targets Individual Trustee, Sending a Clear Warning to Fiduciaries and Family Offices

In a rare move, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) penalized a former U.S. government official, underscoring that professional gatekeepers can face personal liability for sanctions violations tied to trust administration.

January 28, 2026
FINRA Advances Overhaul of Outside Business Activity Rules to the SEC

FINRA formally has advanced its proposed overhaul of outside business activity (OBA) regulations to the Securities and Exchange Commission.