The Huntington Investment Company (“Huntington Investment Company“) (CRD#16986) has many different complaints filed by FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), state regulatory organizations, and investors such as yourself. If you’ve lost money due to misconduct at Huntington Investment Company, you have legal options to recover your losses. The firm’s documented history of regulatory violations and supervisory failures may directly support your claim for compensation.
You don’t have to accept these losses. Even if you signed an arbitration agreement with your broker, you can still pursue claims against Huntington Investment Company through FINRA arbitration proceedings. At the Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, we have investigated Huntington Investment Company, 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 Huntington Investment Company, you should strongly consider hiring an investment fraud lawyer. You should not wait until it’s too late to file a claim. The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., offers free consultations.
Can I Sue Huntington Investment Company?
If you’ve lost money caused by Huntington Investment Company and/or its employees’ misconduct then the answer is, YES, you can sue Huntington Investment Company, but the odds are you signed away your right to sue in court and agreed to resolve your dispute in a FINRA arbitration proceeding. Attorney Robert Wayne Pearce has over 45 years of personal experience in FINRA arbitration proceedings and knows very well how you can not only sue Huntington Investment Company in FINRA arbitration proceedings but WIN that arbitration.
How to Sue Huntington Investment Company for Investment Losses
What Can I Do If I Lost Money at Huntington Investment Company?
Most investors who lose money due to broker misconduct at Huntington Investment Company pursue their claims through FINRA arbitration rather than filing a lawsuit in court. FINRA arbitration is a dispute resolution process specifically designed for securities cases, and it’s typically required by the account agreements you signed when opening your investment account. The process is less formal than court litigation, often faster, and uses arbitrators who understand the securities industry.
The good news? Huntington Investment Company’s extensive regulatory history works in your favor. The firm has faced approximately 18 state and self-regulatory body disclosure events, including sanctions for supervisory failures, inadequate disclosures, and failure to apply proper sales charge discounts to customer accounts. These documented violations demonstrate a pattern of misconduct that can strengthen your claim.
Your losses may be directly connected to the same supervisory lapses that regulators have repeatedly cited. For instance, if you were charged excessive fees on UIT purchases, sold mutual fund share classes with undisclosed 12b-1 fees, or placed in unsuitable investments without proper oversight, these mirror the exact violations for which Huntington Investment Company has been censured and fined. You don’t need to prove your broker intended to defraud you — you need to show that their negligence or the firm’s failure to supervise caused your financial harm.
Who Can Help Me Sue Huntington Investment Company?
Successfully navigating FINRA arbitration requires an attorney who understands both the legal standards and the securities industry’s inner workings. The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce specializes in these exact types of cases against independent broker-dealers like Huntington Investment Company. We’ve handled hundreds of FINRA arbitration cases involving unsuitable investments, excessive fees, failure to supervise, and breach of fiduciary duty — the same issues that have plagued Huntington Investment Company throughout its regulatory history.
What is Huntington Investment Company?
Huntington Investment Company (CRD#16986) 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, Huntington Investment Company 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 Huntington Investment Company Have So Many Bad Reviews and Customer Complaints?
Independent broker-dealers like Huntington Investment Company operate under a business model that prioritizes growth and revenue over investor protection. These firms function like franchises, opening many offices nationwide to generate steady monthly revenues without the costs of traditional branch offices that have on-site managers and compliance officers. This structure creates significant gaps in supervision.
The registered representatives at these firms aren’t employees — they’re separately incorporated businesses operating under the broker-dealer’s license. Because they control their own costs and structure, protecting investors often becomes their lowest priority. Supervision falls to other independent contractors who run Offices of Supervisory Jurisdiction (OSJs) from remote locations. These OSJ managers aren’t full-time supervisors; they run their own brokerage, insurance, and other businesses simultaneously.
The result? There’s typically no immediate review of new accounts, securities transactions, cash receipts, or client correspondence. Sales representatives can sell investments that haven’t been authorized or reviewed by anyone other than themselves. Forgeries, misrepresentations about clients’ financial situations, and misleading statements often go undetected until it’s too late. Many of these offices receive only one compliance audit visit per year.
The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) has documented more instances of sales abuse and investor losses at independent broker-dealers than at traditional brokerage firms with proper on-site oversight. This isn’t speculation — it’s a pattern regulators have repeatedly identified and warned about.
Huntington Investment Company Has Many Different Regulatory Problems
Huntington Investment Company’s rapid growth has not been without consequences. There have been approximately 18 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 customer complaints filed against Huntington Investment Company 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. Huntington Investment Company is a repeat offender: there are over 18 FINRA-reported disciplinary proceedings citing the firm with one form of supervisory lapses or another.
A Brief Overview of Some of the Regulatory Problems Huntington Investment Company Has Faced Over the Years*
Huntington Investment Company has been repeatedly censured, warned, and fined 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 Censured Huntington Investment Company for Inadequate Disclosure Concerning Mutual Fund Share Class Selection
Brief Overview: The Securities and Exchange Commission issued an order instituting administrative and cease-and-desist proceedings against Huntington Investment Company for breaches of fiduciary duty and inadequate disclosures in connection with its mutual fund share class selection practices and the fees it and its associated persons received pursuant to rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. According to the SEC, the firm purchased, recommended, or held for advisory clients’ mutual fund share classes that charged 12b-1 fees instead of lower-cost share classes of the same funds for which the clients were eligible. Indeed, the firm and its agents received 12b-1 fees in connection with these investments. However, the firm failed to disclose in its Form ADV the conflicts of interest related to its receipt of 12b-1 fees, and/or its selection of mutual fund share classes that pay such fees. As a result of the conduct, the firm was censured and paid $197,351.96 in disgorgement.
Ohio State Department of Insurance Fines Huntington Investment Company for Incorrectly Answering Insurance Renewal Application
Brief Overview: The Ohio State Department of Insurance initiated an investigation into Huntington Investment Company that revealed the firm was supposed to answer “yes” to the department of insurance renewal application showing it was previously subject to a FINRA regulatory action such as an AWC. Specifically, the Department alleged that the firm failed to answer affirmative to question #2 of the renewal application for Ohio insurance licensure when it renewed its application about FINRA and other state regulatory actions such as an AWC and consent order from the state. As a result of the investigation and findings, the firm was fined.
FINRA Censures and Fines Huntington Investment Company for Failure to Apply Sales Charge Discounts to UIT Purchases by Customers
Brief Overview: Without admitting or denying the findings, Huntington Investment Company consented to the sanctions and to the entry of FINRA findings that it failed to identify and apply sales charge discounts to certain customers’ eligible purchases of unit investment trusts resulting in customers paying excessive sales charges. FINRA stated the firm failed to establish, maintain, and enforce a supervisory system and written supervisory procedures reasonably designed to ensure that customers received sales charge discounts on all eligible UIT purchases. Specifically, the firm lacked supervisory procedures regarding the identification of UIT transactions eligible for sales charge discounts. Instead, the firm relied primarily on its registered representatives to identify and apply sales charge discounts. As a result, the firm was censured and fined $75,000 apart from paying restitution to customers.
NASD Censures and Fines Huntington Investment Company for Sponsoring Sales Contest Favoring Proprietary Products
Brief Overview: The NASD initiated an investigation into Huntington Investment Company that revealed the firm sponsored a sales contest offering those who met certain production goals set by the firm requiring that participants meet 100% of the member’s funds production goal with a maximum goal of $3,000,000 in volume and a minimum goal of $1,500,000 in volume of any combination of variable annuity products, fee-based wrap products, and through the allocation of the member’s funds as investment products within a 401k product offered through a partner bank. According to the NASD, those achieving the production goal were eligible for a $182,000 cruise. Based on the terms of the sales contest, it weighed the firm’s proprietary mutual fund and variable annuity products more than other investments products offered by the firm. The firm did not admit or deny the allegations but rather consented to sanctions and was therefore fined.
Florida Division of Securities Fines Huntington Investment Company for Failure to Register Florida Branches
Brief Overview: The Florida Division of Securities initiated an investigation into Huntington Investment Company for unregistered offices within the state. According to the Division, the firm inadvertently failed to register with the Florida securities division 16 branch offices out of approximately 105 it had in Florida. Indeed, the firm had registered all branch offices with the NASD, but mistakenly did not complete registration for 16 of its Florida branches. As a result, the firm entered into a stipulation and consent agreement and was fined for each unregistered office.
*Above are only some of the regulatory disciplinary actions filed against Huntington Investment Company by FINRA. NASAA and other state securities regulator investigations and enforcement actions account for another 13 BrokerCheck disclosures.
Did Huntington Investment Company 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. Huntington Investment Company 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 Huntington Investment Company without representation with an attorney about their complaints and have their complaints denied.
Consult With An Attorney Who Recovers Investment Losses Caused By Huntington Investment Company 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 Huntington Investment Company 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.
