Eccleston Law Blog

Former Merrill Lynch Executives Launch Indivisible Partners, a New Independent Advisory Firm

January 13th, 2025 at 3:11 PM
John W. Thiel, the former head of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, has announced plans to launch Indivisible Partners, an independent registered investment advisory (RIA) firm, in early 2025.   
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FINRA Arbitration Panel Clears Advisor's Record of Defamatory Allegations

January 10th, 2025 at 2:14 PM
A FINRA arbitration panel has ruled in favor of Mary J. Howard, a former RBC Wealth Management advisor, allowing her to expunge defamatory allegations from her Form U-5 termination record.
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Former Advisor Faces Lawsuit Over Mishandling of Premium-Financed Life Insurance Plan

January 9th, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Joshua L. Gottlieb, barred by FINRA in 2017, faces a lawsuit alleging significant financial harm to a client following the sale of a premium-financed indexed universal life (IUL) insurance program. 
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Merrill Lynch Agrees to $4.9 Million Settlement in Overtime Pay Dispute

January 8th, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Merrill Lynch will pay $4.9 million to resolve a class action lawsuit filed by current and former salaried Financial Solutions Advisors (FSAs) who alleged the firm wrongfully denied them overtime pay. As reported by AdvisorHub, a Florida state judge recently approved the settlement, which will compensate eligible FSAs who worked at the firm over the past three years.
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Former Morgan Stanley Advisor Sanctioned for Undisclosed Hotel Business

January 7th, 2025 at 4:20 PM
FINRA has fined Chris S. Stocks, a former Morgan Stanley advisor, $10,000 and suspended him for 30 days for failing to disclose his involvement in a hotel business. 
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JPMorgan Fined $1.8 Million by Singapore Regulator for Misconduct in Bond Transactions

January 6th, 2025 at 12:11 PM
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) fined JPMorgan Chase & Co. $1.8 million for failing to prevent and detect misconduct by its relationship managers during 24 over-the-counter (OTC) bond transactions between November 2018 and September 2019.
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Next Level Holdings and Yield Wealth Under Federal and State Investigation

January 3rd, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Federal and state authorities are investigating Next Level Holdings and Yield Wealth, two investment firms accused of offering high-yield financial products now facing significant turmoil, according to the Wall Street Journal. 
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Goldman Sachs Launches First-of-its-Kind Bond Securitization

January 2nd, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Goldman Sachs recently introduced a $475 million asset-backed securitization (ABS) deal backed by capital-call loans, a type of financing Goldman provides to fund managers for immediate capital access.
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Understanding Alternative Investments and Risk Management

December 23rd, 2024 at 3:13 PM
Alternative investments once again are gaining traction, according to a recent article in InvestmentNews. 
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FINRA Sanctions Over 60 Advisors for Continuing Education Violations

December 20th, 2024 at 5:17 PM
FINRA has disciplined 62 advisors for cheating on New York’s continuing education (CE) requirements tied to insurance license renewals. 
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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

January 27, 2025
Gemini Settles $5 Million Case With CFTC Over Misleading Statements

Crypto exchange Gemini has agreed to pay $5 million to settle allegations by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that it made misleading statements about bitcoin futures contracts in 2017.

January 24, 2025
Fidelity to Shift Independent Advisor Cash to Lower-Yielding FCash Amount in 2025

Fidelity Investments plans to redirect cash balances in non-retirement brokerage accounts managed by independent financial advisors to its in-house sweep account, FCash, starting in 2025.

January 23, 2025
Barred Advisor Continues Pattern of Settlements at Western International Securities

Chris Kennedy, a barred advisor formerly associated with Western International Securities, has agreed to a $2.1 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over allegations of high-volume trading, or churning, in client accounts.