Finra censures Wells Fargo for failure to stop rep’s churning
Firm was also fined $175,000 after rep's 88-year-old client paid $300,000 in commissions
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has censured Wells Fargo Advisors and fined the firm $175,000 for failing to supervise a registered rep who excessively traded equity positions in the three accounts of an 88-year-old client.
Finra said that the Wells Fargo rep made more than 2,000 trades in the client’s three accounts from March 2012 to March 2016. The trades resulted in $300,000 in commissions and other fees paid to the broker.
Wells Fargo’s systems detected the trades, Finra said, but the firm did not look into the trading more fully.
After an investigation that took place in 2016, Wells Fargo fired the client’s broker and paid $1 million in restitution to settle a complaint the client filed about the handling of her accounts.
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