Tr?id=566623520170033&ev=PageView&noscript=1

SEC Charges Advisors and Their Firm With Reg BI Violations Over Sales of GWG L Bonds

Posted on June 24th, 2022 at 10:45 AM
SEC Charges Advisors and Their Firm With Reg BI Violations Over Sales of GWG L Bonds

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law:

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Western International Securities and five of its advisors with violating Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) when they recommended and sold high-risk debt securities known as L Bonds to retirees and other retail investors. 

The SEC’s complaint names advisors Nancy Cole, Patrick Egan, Andy Gitipityapon, Steven Graham, and Thomas Swan, alleging that the Western advisors sold at least $13.3 million worth of L Bonds between July 2020 and April 2021. Furthermore, the complaint alleges that the advisors sold L Bonds to numerous investors who were on fixed incomes or had moderate risk tolerances, even though the L bonds were categorized as high-risk and illiquid by its issuer, GWG Holdings. 

The advisors allegedly failed to adhere to Reg BI because they did not exercise reasonable diligence, care and skill and understand the risks and costs associated with the L Bonds, according to the complaint. The advisors recommended L Bonds to at least seven particular investors without a reasonable basis for believing that the investments were in the clients’ best interests, according to the SEC. The SEC additionally alleges that Western failed to establish and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed to achieve compliance with Reg BI. 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors in GWG L Bond cases as well as financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, regulatory and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, sec, violations

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

Thank you for your professional assistance with this matter. You are very good at what you do.

John T.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1793209405 Law
October 28, 2026
FINRA Panel Orders Kingswood Capital Partners and Executives to Pay Former Advisor $11.3 Million

A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel has ordered Kingswood Capital Partners LLC, CEO Michael Nessim, and Chief Compliance Officer Mohamed Alsoraimi to pay former advisor Rikin Patel $11,341,369.25.

1793123026 Law
October 27, 2026
CFTC Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Crypto Asset Regulatory Framework

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public comment on a potential regulatory framework for retail commodity transactions involving crypto assets, which the agency calls "CTXs." According to the CFTC's press release, the initiative focuses on Section 2(c)(2)(D) of th...

1793034027 Law
October 26, 2026
FINRA Bars Former Wedbush Broker Over $3.5 Million in Complex ETP Losses

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) barred former Wedbush Securities broker William H.