UBS Fined for Failing to Educate Brokers on Complex Product Sales

Posted on October 17th, 2016 at 10:57 AM
UBS Fined for Failing to Educate Brokers on Complex Product Sales

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law LLC:

The SEC has fined UBS Financial Services over $15 million because of its failure from 2011 to 2014 to educate and train retail brokers on the sale of almost $11 billion of complex structured products.

UBS gave brokers inadequate information on the potential risks to its brokers involving the sale of complex single-stock linked reverse convertible notes (RCNs) to 44,000 customer accounts. Approximately 20% of the customers that were sold the product had modest reported income and net worth and primarily moderate or conservative investment objectives.

Without admitting or denying the facts, UBS agreed to a censure, disgorgement of $9 million in revenue and interest and a $6 million penalty, even though it turned out that most of the approximately 2,500 structured notes sold performed well due to the strength of the stock market. 

The attorneys of Eccleston Law LLC represent investors and advisers nationwide in securities and employment matters. The securities lawyers at Eccleston Law also practice a variety of other areas of securities for financial advisors including breakaway broker servicesemployment mattersstrategic consulting and counselingbroker litigation and arbitration,whistleblower actions, and much more. Our attorneys draw on a combined experience of nearly 65 years in delivering the highest quality legal services. If you are in need of legal services, contact us to schedule a one-on-one consultation today.  

Related Attorneys: James J. Eccleston

Tags: Eccleston, Eccleston Law, Eccleston Law LLC, James Eccleston, UBS, SEC, UBS Financial Services, brokers, product sales, retail brokers

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

If the regulators are after you, and are trying to make a case against you, and you are going to contest their allegations against you, make sure you have the best securities industry defense lawyers, Eccleston Law Firm. My case was spun into a combination of penalties including fines, cash settlements, CE courses and suspension. They were the best I have seen in action. When all was said and done, they had done their magic, my situation was negotiated and settled with a simple "letter of caution" and a case closed without action. It is the most important legal business decision you will ever make, make it Eccleston Law.

Rick R.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

July 26, 2024
Kentucky Advisor Sues LPL Financial for Alleged Corporate Raid

A Kentucky advisor, Mark Lamkin, has filed a lawsuit against LPL Financial, claiming the independent broker-dealer orchestrated a corporate raid that resulted in the loss of his firm’s entire book of managed assets.

July 25, 2024
FINRA Plans Fee Increases Amid Rising Costs and Losses

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has announced plans to raise fees for its approximately 3,300 broker-dealer member firms. According to AdvisorHub, the self-regulator faces soaring costs, as detailed in its annual report published at the end of June.

July 24, 2024
Raymond James Settles with Oregon Over Excessive Commissions

Raymond James recently settled a case with Oregon's Division of Financial Regulation (“DFR”), agreeing to pay nearly $200,000 over allegations of charging excessive commissions to retail investors.