SEC Struggles with RIA Arbitration Statistics

Posted on July 6th, 2023 at 8:43 AM
SEC Struggles with RIA Arbitration Statistics

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law 

A recent report reveals that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lacks the means to monitor the count of registered investment advisor (RIA) arbitrations or keep track of unpaid arbitration awards.

According to the report, approximately 61 percent of RIAs serving retail investors include mandatory arbitration clauses in their investment advisory agreements. The report highlights the challenge faced by the SEC staff in assessing the impact of these clauses on investors who experience harm due to adviser misconduct. The lack of publicly available information on SEC-registered advisor arbitration prevents a thorough analysis of the effects of mandatory arbitration on affected clients.

According to a past president of the Public Investors Advocate Bar Association, the recent SEC report has shed light on a significant lack of information regarding RIAs and their use of forced arbitration. According to the interview published in ThinkAdvisor, this report serves as a warning to regulators and legislatures, urging them to implement stricter regulations on the rapidly expanding financial services sector.

 

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

 

 

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

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

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.