News from Banks Law Office | Blog

The duration of FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) consumer arbitrations can vary widely depending on several factors, including the complexity of the case, the number of parties involved, and the availability of the arbitrators. On average, FINRA arbitration cases typically take around 18 months from the initial filing to the issuance of an award. However,…

Last month, we noted that GWG L-Bond investors had already lost most of their money. In October 2023, the status of GWG-L Bond investments has continued to decline. As we noted in our previous blog post, GWG’s bankruptcy allowed the company to re-structure the debts it owed to L-Bond holders. As a result, L-Bond investors…

FINRA (The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc.) has been penalizing broker-dealers for their involvement in selling high-risk GPB private placements, which were limited partnerships investing in income-producing businesses. GPB raised $1.8 billion from retail investors, but their failure to file required financial statements with the SEC led to problems. Now, FINRA is increasingly focusing on…

FINRA’s Secret Agreement To Rig Arbitrator Selection In 2022, a Georgia court issued a bombshell opinion that found that FINRA had made an illegal secret agreement with a lawyer, Terri Weiss, who represented brokerage firms in FINRA arbitrations. Specifically, FINRA told Weiss that it would make sure certain arbitrators that had served on one of…

On July 12, 2023, an individual named Luke Michael Johnson was accused in a FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) complaint of making unsuitable recommendations to customers. These recommendations involved advising customers to invest over $2.35 million in illiquid alternative investments. The complaint alleges that these recommendations were unsuitable based on the customers’ financial profiles, including…

On July 20, 2023, Robert Spencer Gerstein, based in Boca Raton, Florida, was subject to an AWC (Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent) by FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority). As part of this agreement, Gerstein faced several sanctions: The allegations against Gerstein revolved around his engagement in short-term trading of securities that were meant to be held…

On July 17, 2023, Daniel M. King of Venice, California, was issued an AWC (Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent) by FINRA. In this disciplinary action, King was fined $10,000, suspended from associating with any FINRA member for two months, and ordered to pay $33,374.31 plus interest in restitution to a customer. This restitution is related to…

On July 17, 2023, FINRA issued an AWC (Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent), resulting in Spartan Capital broker Murat Kartal’s suspension from association with any FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) member for 10 months. Kartal did not admit or deny the findings but consented to the sanctions. The findings revealed that Kartal engaged in unsuitable and…

On July 7, 2023, FINRA issued an AWC (Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent) sanctioning American Trust Investment Services’ broker John James Hoidas. Hoidas was assessed a deferred fine of $40,000 and suspended from association with any FINRA member in all capacities for 18 months. He did not admit or deny the findings but consented to the…

On July 7, 2023, an AWC (Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent) was issued against Laidlaw broker Christopher Harrington, resulting in a deferred fine of $11,500 and a suspension from being a broker for nine months. Harrington consented to these sanctions without admitting or denying the findings, which revealed that he engaged in misconduct that harmed a…