Broker fired by Sun Trust for expense violations agrees to Finra bar

A broker Sun Trust Investment Services fired earlier this year for seeking reimbursements for invalid business expenses has agreed to be barred by Finra. Gregory S. Brent, who first registered as a broker in 1993, for the last eight years has worked for Sun Trust, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. He was terminated in January for violating the firm's policy by "submitting expense reimbursements that were not valid expenses," according to Finra's announcement. The amount of the requested reimbursements and other details of the infringement were not available from the regulator. Mr. Brent has not registered with another broker-dealer since he was fired and declined to provide testimony to Finra in its inquiry into his termination, a violation of the regulator's rules. As a result, he agreed to be barred from the industry. In addition to Sun Trust, Mr. Brent's BrokerCheck profile indicates he had worked for Wells Fargo Advisors, H&R Block Financial Advisors, Wachovia Securities, First Union Brokerage Services and Merrill Lynch.