Cantella & Co., Inc. (“Cantella & Co.”) (CRD# 13905) has many different complaints filed by FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), state regulatory organizations, and investors such as yourself. These regulatory issues and customer complaints reveal a pattern of supervisory failures that may have directly affected your investments. At the Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, we have investigated Cantella & Co., its regulatory and customer complaints, and have also represented investors with claims of fraud, negligence, and breach of fiduciary duty against this organization and its financial advisors.
If you believe you have a claim against Cantella & Co., you should strongly consider hiring an investment fraud lawyer. Waiting too long can mean losing your right to pursue claims entirely because of statute of limitations deadlines. The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., offers free consultations—let’s discuss your case and see what we can do to help you get the compensation you need and deserve.
Many investors who lost money at Cantella & Co. don’t realize they have legal options to recover their losses. Even if you signed an arbitration agreement, you can still pursue claims through FINRA arbitration proceedings. The documented regulatory violations and supervisory failures at this firm suggest that many investment losses weren’t simply “bad luck”—they resulted from broker misconduct that the firm failed to prevent.
Can I Sue Cantella & Co.?
Yes, you can sue Cantella & Co., but the odds are you signed away your right to sue in court and agreed to resolve your dispute in a FINRA arbitration proceeding. If you’ve lost money caused by Cantella & Co. and/or its employees’ misconduct, then FINRA arbitration is the forum where you’ll pursue your claims. Attorney Robert Wayne Pearce knows very well how you can not only sue Cantella & Co. in FINRA arbitration proceedings, but WIN that arbitration. The easiest way to know if you have a viable case against Cantella & Co. is to contact our office.
How to Sue Cantella & Co. for Investment Losses
Pursuing a claim against Cantella & Co. typically means filing a FINRA arbitration case rather than going to traditional court. FINRA arbitration is a dispute resolution process specifically designed for securities industry conflicts between investors and brokerage firms. This process exists because most brokerage account agreements include mandatory arbitration clauses—meaning you agreed to resolve disputes through arbitration rather than filing a lawsuit.
What Can I Do If I Lost Money at Cantella & Co.?
If you lost money at Cantella & Co., your first step is to document your losses and gather all relevant account statements, correspondence, and transaction records. The regulatory violations documented on this page—including excessive commissions, inadequate supervision, breach of fiduciary duty, and failure to disclose conflicts of interest—provide the legal foundation for investor claims. These violations directly connect to common forms of misconduct such as unsuitable investment recommendations, churning accounts to generate commissions, and selling high-risk products to conservative investors.
The FINRA arbitration process begins with filing a Statement of Claim that outlines your losses, the misconduct that caused them, and the legal violations committed by the firm or its representatives. Cantella & Co.’s history of regulatory sanctions demonstrates a pattern of supervisory failures, which can strengthen your case because it shows the firm knew about similar problems but failed to prevent them. Working with an experienced securities arbitration attorney ensures your claim is properly documented, filed within statute of limitations deadlines, and presented effectively to the arbitration panel.
Who Can Help Me Sue Cantella & Co.?
The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. specializes in representing defrauded investors in FINRA arbitration cases against firms like Cantella & Co. Our firm has extensive experience with the specific types of violations this firm has committed—from excessive commission charges to inadequate supervision of registered representatives. We understand how independent broker-dealer business models create the conditions for investor abuse, and we know how to hold these firms accountable. Even if you signed an arbitration agreement, you have not waived your right to pursue claims for losses caused by fraud, negligence, or breach of fiduciary duty.
What is Cantella & Co.?
Cantella & Co. (CRD# 13905) is a registered broker-dealer. It operates as a full-service independent broker-dealer, providing a range of financial products and services to individual investors and financial advisors.
As a registered broker-dealer, Cantella & Co. is subject to regulations and oversight by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). It is required to comply with industry standards and regulations to ensure the protection of its clients’ interests.
A failure to comply with industry standards by either its brokers or the firm itself can result in disciplinary actions, fines, or other penalties imposed by regulatory authorities.
Why Does Cantella & Co. Have So Many Bad Reviews and Customer Complaints?
Independent broker-dealers like Cantella & Co. often face more customer complaints than traditional brokerage firms because of their business model. These firms operate as franchise-type organizations with many offices nationwide, which generates steady revenue but creates significant supervisory gaps. The registered representatives at independent broker-dealers typically run separately incorporated businesses—they’re not employees of the firm and therefore operate with less day-to-day oversight.
Supervision at independent broker-dealers relies on remote Offices of Supervisory Jurisdiction (OSJs) rather than on-site managers. OSJ managers are often independent contractors running their own businesses, not full-time supervisors devoted exclusively to monitoring representatives’ activities. This structure means there’s typically no immediate review of new accounts, securities transactions, business records, or client correspondence—leaving investors vulnerable to unauthorized sales, forged signatures, and misrepresentations about investment suitability.
The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) has documented more instances of sales abuse and investor losses at independent brokerage firms compared to traditional firms with on-site compliance personnel. When representatives operate without daily supervision, the risk of misconduct increases substantially—and investors bear the consequences.
Cantella & Co. Has Many Different Regulatory Problems
Cantella & Co.’ rapid growth has not been without consequences. There have been approximately 31 state and self-regulatory body disclosure events; that is, final and formal proceedings initiated by a regulatory authority (e.g., a state or federal securities agency like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or self-regulatory body like the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) for a violation(s) of investment-related rules or regulations. In addition, there have been hundreds of customer complaints filed against Cantella & Co. for misconduct by its securities sales and investment advisory representatives that are not reported by the firm on its Central Depository Record.
We have reported and written about these regulatory problems and customer complaints over many years. Cantella & Co. is a repeat offender: there are over 31 FINRA-reported disciplinary proceedings citing the firm with one form of supervisory lapses or another.
A Brief Overview of Some of the Regulatory Problems Cantella & Co. Has Faced Over the Years*
Cantella & Co. has been repeatedly censured, warned, and fined multi-millions of dollars for its own misconduct and failure to supervise its army of financial advisors.* A few of the notable FINRA Sanctions for its Supervisory Failures are below:
SEC Cease and Desist Order
Brief Overview: In March 2019, Cantella & Co. faced a Cease and Desist order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) due to alleged breaches of fiduciary duty and inadequate disclosures. The SEC’s concerns were related to the firm’s mutual fund share class selection practices and fees received. Between January 1, 2014, and November 26, 2018, Cantella & Co. purchased, recommended, or held mutual fund share classes that charged 12b-1 fees instead of lower-cost share classes, which were available to eligible clients. As part of the settlement, the firm was censured and required to pay over $900,000 in disgorgement plus interest to affected investors.
SEC Misstatements Charge
Brief Overview: In February 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Cantella & Co. with making misstatements to its advisory clients. These misstatements pertained to the firm’s advertising of F-Squared’s overstated AlphaSector performance track record. AlphaSector was F-Squared’s sector rotation strategy involving specific exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that collectively represented industries in the S&P 500 Index. F-Squared had previously admitted in a separate SEC settled administrative proceeding that its AlphaSector advertisements falsely claimed a performance history dating back to April 2001 and outperformance of the S&P 500 Index for several years. The SEC investigation found that Cantella accepted F-Squared’s exceptional performance claims without adequate documentation and relayed them to its own clients. In response, Cantella consented to the entry of the order findings and agreed to pay a $100,000 penalty.
FINRA Fine for Excessive Commissions
Brief Overview: In September 2014, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) censured and fined Cantella & Co. $50,000 for charging customers excessive commissions. This action pertained to approximately 1,270 equity transactions and 99 options transactions conducted between January 2006 and September 2011. Additionally, FINRA cited Cantella for failing to establish, maintain, and enforce an adequate supervisory system for reviewing commissions, particularly for individual transactions.
*Above are only some of the regulatory disciplinary actions filed against Cantella & Co. by FINRA. NASSA and other state securities regulator investigations and enforcement actions account for another 31 BrokerCheck disclosures.
How to File an Official Complaint Against Cantella & Co. or One of Its Brokers with FINRA
If you’ve experienced losses due to misconduct at Cantella & Co., you can file a complaint directly with FINRA through their online complaint center at finra.org/investors. However, filing a complaint is different from pursuing a claim for compensation. A regulatory complaint may trigger an investigation, but it won’t recover your losses—only a formal FINRA arbitration claim can result in financial compensation.
The complaint process begins by documenting the misconduct: gather account statements, transaction confirmations, correspondence with your broker, and any marketing materials or recommendations you received. FINRA complaints help regulators identify patterns of misconduct and may lead to disciplinary actions against the broker or firm, but they don’t directly compensate investors for losses.
To pursue compensation, you must file a Statement of Claim through FINRA’s arbitration process. This legal proceeding requires detailed documentation of your losses, specific allegations of misconduct, and legal claims such as fraud, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, or violations of securities regulations. The statute of limitations for securities claims is typically six years from the date of the misconduct or three years from when you discovered (or should have discovered) the losses, so acting quickly is essential.
How The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. Can Help You Recover Losses at Cantella & Co.
The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. guides investors through every step of the FINRA arbitration process, from initial case evaluation through final award or settlement. Our firm investigates the specific misconduct that caused your losses, connects it to Cantella & Co.’s documented supervisory failures, and builds a compelling case for compensation. We handle all aspects of arbitration: drafting the Statement of Claim, conducting discovery to obtain documents from the firm, selecting arbitrators, presenting evidence and testimony at hearings, and enforcing awards.
Attorney Pearce offers free consultations to evaluate your case and explain your legal options. Don’t wait—contact us to discuss how we can help you recover the compensation you deserve.
Did Cantella & Co. Advisor Misconduct Cause You Investment Losses?
When financial advisor misconduct has caused you to lose substantial value to your investment accounts, you have the right to seek reimbursement from the responsible parties. Cantella & Co. is responsible like any employer for its financial advisors acts and omissions. In addition, it has an independent duty to supervise its stockbrokers and investment advisors. These cases can be extremely complex, and so having the support of a reputable attorney who is experienced in recovering investment losses for investors is key to your success. Many customers make the mistake of contacting Cantella & Co. without representation with an attorney about their complaints and have their complaints denied.
Related Read: Can You Sue Your Brokerage Firm?
Consult With An Attorney Who Recovers Investment Losses Caused By Cantella & Co. Today
The investment loss attorneys at The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., have helped countless investors over the last 45 years recover the losses from their investment accounts that were caused by broker negligence or misconduct. The firm has extensive experience with Cantella & Co. cases, and Attorney Pearce is committed to seeing that those responsible for the losses you have suffered are held fully accountable.
Give us a call at 800-732-2889. Let’s discuss your case and see what we can do to help you get the compensation you need and deserve.
