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

SEC Probes Financial Advisory Firms’ Use of WhatsApp and Other Messaging Platforms

Posted on October 27th, 2022 at 2:51 PM
SEC Probes Financial Advisory Firms’ Use of WhatsApp and Other Messaging Platforms

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investing whether financial advisory firms used WhatsApp or other outside messaging platforms to communicate with clients.

The SEC has recently sent letters to several financial advisory firms inquiring into their record-keeping and employees’ communication practices, according to sources familiar with the matter. Specifically, the SEC is requesting information as to which devices and apps firms permit for official communications as well as whether the firms are adequately preserving electronic records of communications on those platforms.

Financial advisory firms are required to regularly monitor business communications in order to flag improper conduct, and compliance with this rule has already become more difficult as numerous employees continue to work remotely. The SEC has already fined J.P. Morgan, Bank of America, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs a combined $2 billion due to allegations that some of their employees utilized improper platforms to conduct business.

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, advisors, law, sec

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

I want to thank you for your excellent professional representation. It was greatly appreciated.

Michael M.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1788461574 Law
September 3, 2026
Texas Investment Adviser Faces Washington State Charges Over Misleading Crypto Portfolio Claims

Washington state securities regulators have charged an Austin, Texas registered investment adviser (RIA) and its founder with making misleading statements about the risks tied to one of its model portfolios, which invested heavily in crypto-backed products and volatile exchange-traded funds, according to InvestmentNews.

1788376975 Law
September 2, 2026
Lakers Owner Sells Team for Record $12.5 Billion Amid Federal Probe

Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter has sold his majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers just as federal regulators investigate potential financial improprieties at insurance and annuities companies that he owns, InvestmentNews reports.

1788292150 Law
September 1, 2026
FINRA Proposes New Rules to Fix Unpopular Arbitrator Selection Process

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) wants to change how it selects arbitrators when its standard process fails to produce enough available panelists.