SEC Uncovers
From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law
Wall Street regulators recently imposed hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties on broker-dealers. The penalties resulted from their failure to detect executives and traders using unofficial communication platforms such as WhatsApp.
As reported by InvestmentNews, eleven firms agreed to pay $289 million to settle the matter with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). However, Wedbush Securities Inc. had its wealth management operations cited directly in the settlement, with the SEC claiming “pervasive off-channel communications at all seniority levels of Wedbush's broker-dealer and investment advisor.”
According to the SEC, from at least January 2019, Wedbush broker-dealer personnel sent and received off-channel messages that concerned the broker-dealer's business. During this period, Wedbush investment advisor personnel sent and received off-channel messages related to, among other things, providing and recommending investment advice to clients. Additionally, from November 2021 to September 2022, according to the SEC, an executive vice president in Wedbush's wealth management division exchanged numerous off-channel business-related messages with at least nine Wedbush colleagues, personnel at other financial services firms, and market participants. Wedbush agreed to pay a penalty of $10 million.
Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.
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