FINRA Hits Robinhood with $70 Million Settlement over Supervisory Failures

Posted on July 14th, 2021 at 1:18 PM
FINRA Hits Robinhood with $70 Million Settlement over Supervisory Failures

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law:

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has finalized a record $70 million settlement with Robinhood Financial over widespread supervisory failures and outages. The settlement includes $12 million in restitution and a $57 million fine, which represents the “widespread and significant harm suffered by customers”, according to FINRA. FINRA presented numerous allegations against Robinhood, including negligently misleading investors on critical issues related to their account balances and margin trading, enabling thousands of customers to trade options who were not eligible, and failing to report several thousand customer complaints. 

While Robinhood settled the claim without admitting or denying FINRA’s findings, the broker-dealer is required to hire a compliance consultant as part of the settlement. Robinhood, after being founded in 2014, reportedly earned a valuation of $40 billion ahead of the firm’s effort to go public. According to FINRA, Robinhood allegedly failed to supervise its technology system or ensure that it had a business continuity plan in place to sustain trading during the pandemic. Due to the supervisory failure, customers were not able to complete trades on March 2 and March 3 when the firm’s website and mobile applications shut down. Between January 2018 and December 2020, FINRA also alleges that Robinhood failed to report thousands of written customer complaints. According to FINRA, the complaints mostly revolved around misleading information provided by Robinhood and the outages. Furthermore, Robinhood allegedly miscategorized numerous reportable complaints as exempt from reporting.  

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, regulatory and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, finra, robinhood, settlement

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

I learned two important things working with Eccleston Law. First, I made a friend and ally with Jim and Steph for life. Secondly, and this is a crucial life lesson - if you need counsel, then seek out the very best. Jim was referred to me by a most trusted source. I've never had to hire an attorney for anything. Now, I know the value of hiring an important partner. Meticulous, thorough and detailed in preparation is the best way to describe Jim. Brilliant too, I might add. Bottom line, I would highly highly recommend Jim and Stephany for your legal needs. One of the best life decisions I've ever made.

Howard S.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

March 18, 2025
Advisor Ordered to Pay $17.7 Million Over unsuitable REIT Sales

A FINRA arbitration panel has ordered former advisor Mark Sam Kolta to pay nearly $17.7 million in damages, plus interest and costs, to his former firm, National Securities, following allegations of breach of contract and unjust enrichment.

March 17, 2025
FINRA Disciplinary Actions Rise for the First Time Since 2016

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) increased its enforcement actions in 2024, marking the first rise in disciplinary cases since 2016, as reported by AdvisorHub.

March 14, 2025
Apex Clearing to Pay $3.2 Million in FINRA Settlement Over Securities Lending Violations

Apex Clearing, the clearing arm of Apex Fintech Solutions, has agreed to pay $3.2 million to settle FINRA allegations that it failed to ensure customers received compensation for lending their securities.