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So far Richard Frankowski has created 573 blog entries.

FINRA Bars Two Advisers Following Broker Fraud

FINRA has barred two Buffalo, New York advisers, Timothy S. Dembskyi and Walter F. Grenda, from the securities industry for broker fraud in relation to the sale of a hedge fund, the Prestige Wealth Management Fund, LP. Dembski and Grenda's misconduct occurred while they were employed with Mid Atlantic Capital Corporation. FINRA discovered that Dembski and Grenda made material misrepresentations and omissions to make investors think that the fund was a "growth" fund that would be centered around a computer algorithm that automatically included risk protections and stop-losses to limit losses in the fund. However, in actuality, the fund was a highly speculative investment, the fund's Chief Investment Officer had complete control over investments made, and it was not obligated to follow the computer algorithm. In its last month that it was traded, the fund lost more than eighty percent of its value. Brad Bennett, FINRA's Executive Vice President and Chief of Enforcement, said, "In 2015, FINRA barred nearly 500 [...]

By |February 11th, 2016|FINRA, Fraud, Press Releases & News|
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FINRA Issues Investor Alert About High-Yield CD Offers

FINRA issued a new investor alert warning that advertisements touting higher-than-average Certificate of Deposit yields might actually be a lure to trick investors into buying costly investments. "In light of today's low interest rates, these ads attract attention. Some may be legitimate marketing, but calls into our Securities Helpline for Seniors indicate that many such ads are ploys in which the CD is used as bait to try to sell you a high-commission product, such as a fixed or equity-indexed annuity, a complex insurance investment that is not FDIC-insured and not subject to federal securities laws," said Gerri Walsh, FINRA's Senior Vice President of Investor Education. "The reality with these CD come-ons is that you may end up walking out with a costly financial product that is not a CD, and not risk-free." FINRA warns investors to be wary if you respond to one of these promotions for a certificate of deposit. Most require that you show up at an [...]

By |February 10th, 2016|FINRA, Press Releases & News|
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Broker Lies About Charging $11M In Commissions For Nontraded REITs and BDCs

FINRA charged a broker for lying to a Native American tribe about the $11 million in commissions he charged when he sold the tribe $190 million in nontraded real estate investment trusts and business development companies. Between June 2011 and January 2015, broker Gopi Krishna Vungarala “regularly lied to his customer, a Native American tribe, regarding investments he recommended,” according to the FINRA complaint. Vungarala served as the unnamed tribe's registered representative as well as its treasury investment manager, according to the complaint. He “fraudulently induced the tribe to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in nontraded REITs and BDCs, without revealing he and his firm received commissions for the sales (usually 7%) or the availability of certain volume discounts.” Also according to the complaint, the tribe bought $190.4 million of illiquid REITs and BDCs and were charged $11.4 million in commissions, which went to his broker-dealer Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. Mr. Vungarala was paid $9.6 million – or 84.3% - of those [...]

By |February 9th, 2016|FINRA, Fraud|
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Stephens, Inc. Submits AWC Letter To FINRA For Failing To Apply Sales Charge Discounts

Stephens, Inc. submitted a letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent to FINRA for failing to apply sales charge discounts to certain customers' eligible purchases of unit investment trusts ("UITs") between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2015 in violation of FINRA's rules. Stephens alse failed to establish, maintain, and enforce a supervisory system and written supervisory procedures reasonably designed to ensure that customers received sales charge discounts on all eligible UIT purchases in violation of both NASD and FINRA rules. On March 31, 2004, FINRA issued Notice to Members 04-26, Unit Investment Trust Sales, which reminded broker-dealers that they should develop and implement procedures to ensure customers receive available sales charge discounts for UITs. The Notice further stated that UIT transactions must take place "on the most advantageous terms available to the customer" and that it is the firm's responsibility to "take appropriate steps to ensure that they and their employees understand, inform customers about, and apply correctly any applicable [...]

By |February 8th, 2016|FINRA, Press Releases & News|
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