Blog Category Archives — Virginia Securities Fraud Blog Published by Virginia Securities Fraud Attorneys

The United States Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) recently issued a Staff Bulletin which discussed the use of sales contests or other sales incentives by FINRA Broker-Dealer firms in the context of SEC Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI).

Reg BI, 17 CFR 240-15l-1, specifically describes the “best interest” obligation as follows in section (a)(1):

“A broker, dealer, or a natural person who is an associated person of a broker or dealer, when making a recommendation of any securities transaction or investment strategy involving securities (including account recommendations) to a retail customer, shall act in the best interest of the retail customer at the time the recommendation is made, without placing the financial or other interest of the broker, dealer, or natural person who is an associated person of a broker or dealer making the recommendation ahead of the interest of the retail customer.”

As set out in this Washington Post article, federal prosecutors in Virginia have set up the Virginia Financial and Securities Fraud Task Force. This task force is comprised of members of the FBI, the Postal Inspection Service, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission and the Virginia State Corporation Commission.

As set out in the story, the task force’s efforts have already resulted in multiple criminal convictions. A criminal conviction, however, does not always recoup losses for investors wronged by financial fraud. If you are the victim of a financial crime in which the salesperson or others involved in the scheme were registered to sell securities through a FINRA brokerage firm, you may be able to seek recovery of your losses through FINRA’s arbitration system.

Articles Posted in Blog

U.S. SEC Warns Brokers About Sales Contests That Violate Regulation Best Interest

Virginia Financial Fraud Task Force