| Read Time: 11 minutes |

LPL Financial, LLC (CRD#:6413) has many different complaints filed by FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), state regulatory organizations, and investors such as yourself. At the Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, we have investigated various different LPL Financial 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 LPL Financial, you should strongly consider hiring an investment loss 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. 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.

Can I Sue LPL Financial?

If you’ve lost money caused by LPL  Financial and/or its employees’ misconduct then the answer is, YES, you can sue  LPL  Financial, 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 40 years of personal experience in FINRA arbitration proceedings and knows very well how you can not only sue LPL Financial in FINRA arbitration proceedings, but WIN that arbitration.

Investment Losses? We Can Help

Discuss your legal options with an attorney at The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A.

Get A Free Consultation

or, give us a ring at (800) 732-2889.

Robert Pearce

What is LPL Financial?

The genesis of LPL Financial, LLC (“LPL  Financial”) (CRD#:6413)  was two financial institutions: an investment advisory firm, Linsco, and a broker-dealer, Private Ledger.  In 1989, the two merged as Linsco/Private Ledger. Since then there have been several name changes and restructuring of the LPL brand and its 17 finance and insurance affiliated businesses. The company is controlled by LPL Financial Holdings LLC and headquartered in Fort Mill, South Carolina with large corporate offices in Boston, Massachusetts; Austin, Texas; and San Diego, California.  Its independent broker-dealer Business Model has grown through acquisition and organic development of primarily one and two person registered representative offices supervised remotely. Today there are over 13,000 LPL Financial branch offices with over 21,500 registered representatives in every state.  It is now the largest broker-dealer and investment advisory firm in the United States.

LPL Financial has Many Different Regulatory Problems 

LPL Financial’s rapid growth has not been without consequences. There have been approximately 180 Federal, state and self-regulatory body disclosure events; that is, 180 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, if not, thousands of customer complaints filed against LPL Financial 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. LPL Financial is a repeat offender: there are over 20 FINRA reported disciplinary proceedings citing the firm with one form of supervisory lapses or another in the last decade.

A Brief Overview of Some of the Regulatory Problems LPL Financial has Faced Over the Years*

LPL Financial has been repeatedly censured, warned, and fined over $100 million for its own misconduct and failure to supervise its army of financial advisors. A few of the notable FINRA Sanctions for its Supervisory Failure are below:


Fined $6.3 Million for Alleged Widespread Supervisory Failures

Brief Overview: FINRA censured and ordered LPL Financial to pay $6.3 million for failures related to sales charge waivers. LPL Financial submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC) to FINRA for the alleged widespread supervisory failures.

Click to read more.


Fined $11.7 Million for Failing to Maintain a Proper Supervisory System With Respect to the Sales of Complex Investment Products

Brief Overview: LPL Financial was fined $11.7 million by FINRA for failing to maintain a proper supervisory system with respect to the sales of complex investment products, such as exchange-traded funds, variable annuities, mutual funds, and non-traded real estate investment trusts.

Click to read more.


Fined $10 Million for Failing to Establish and Maintain a Supervisory System and Procedures Reasonably Designed to Supervise its Rapid Growth of its Independent Broker Enterprise

Brief Overview: Beginning in 2007, LPL Financial Holdings, Inc.. pursued a strategy of significantly increasing the size of its wholly-owned broker-dealer subsidiary, LPL Financial. This strategy included acquiring numerous financial services firms, consolidating them with LPL Financial and recruiting registered representatives from other broker-dealers. From 2007 to 2013, the number of registered representatives grew from approximately 8,322 to 17,601 and the Firm’s revenues grew from approximately $2.28 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 to approximately $4.05 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013. LPL Financial, however did not accompany this rapid growth with a concomitant dedication of its resources to permit the Firm to meet its supervisory obligations. As a result, LPL Financial failed to have adequate systems and procedures in place to supervise certain aspects of its business, including: sales of particular complex products (exchange traded funds, variable annuities, non-traded real estate investment trusts), the review of trades and delivery of trade confirmations. As a result. LPL Financial violated numerous federal securities laws and FINRA and MSRB rules. 

Click to read more.


Fined $6.5 Million Failing to Establish and Maintain a Supervisory System Reasonably Designed to Comply With Its Record-Keeping Obligations

Brief Overview: LPL Financial was censured and fined $6.5 million for failing to establish and maintain a supervisory system reasonably designed to comply with its record-keeping obligations. It failed to maintain over 1.5 million customer communications concerning mutual fund switches, and customer investment objectives. Failed to store over 87 million required records in a non-re-rideable, non-erasable format which meant they were vulnerable to edits by unscrupulous advisors and managers. It failed to send out over 1,000,000 36 month customer investment objective update letters designed to make sure that a broker’s recommendations were consistent with those objectives. Failed to fingerprint financial advisors and permitted statutorily disqualified persons with criminal convictions to continue to work as financial advisors with the firm. Failed to supervise the preparation and retention of consolidated reports which enabled financial advisors to create and disseminate false reports to their customers. 

Click to read more.


Fined $10 Million for Anti-Money Laundering Supervisory Failures

Brief Overview: LPL Financial was censured and fined $10 million for anti-money laundering supervisory failures. As a result of AML program and supervisory failures, the Firm failed to file with the government and with FINRA information critical to the protection of investors and the public. First, as a result of its unreasonably designed AML program, the Firm failed to investigate certain attempts to gain unauthorized access to electronic systems and potential illegal activity carried out by electronic systems (collectively “cyber related events”) that should have resulted in the filing of Suspicious Activity Reports (“SARs”). Second, the Firm failed to file or amend Forms U4 or US to report certain customer complaints. Specifically, the Firm too narrowly interpreted the requirement that a complaint contain “a claim for compensatory damages of $5,000 or more.” The Firm also failed to amend in a timely manner its registered representatives’ Forms U4 and U5 to disclose customer complaints and other reportable events, including judgments, bankruptcies, terminations, and regulatory and criminal actions. 

Click to read more.


Fined $6.5 Million for Failing to Create Records of What It Had Sent to Customers, And Failing to Send Over 1.6 Million Account Notices Required Under Rule 17a-3(a)(17) Of the Exchange Act

Brief Overview: From 2009 to the present, LPL Financial failed to send, and to create records that it had sent to customers, more than 1.6 million account notices required under Rule 17a-3(a)(17) of the Exchange Act. The Exchange Act rule requires these account notices be sent to customers at 36-month intervals for each account in which a suitability determination had been made. Over this seven-year period, LPL Financialfailed to send over 25 percent of the required notices. As a result, LPL Financial violated Rule 17a-3(a)(17), NASD Rules 3110 and FINRA Rules 4511 and 2010: 

Click to read more.


Fined $6.5 Million for Failing to Maintain Over 18.3 Million Electronic Communications in Non-Erasable and No-Rewritable WORM Format, Retain Check Registers, and Failed to Have an Adequate Supervisory Process Concerning Worm Compliance

Brief Overview: From December 23,2010 to November 17, 2015, LPL Financial failed to maintain over 18.3 million electronic communications in non-erasable and no-rewritable format, known as WORM format, as required by Section 17(a) of the Exchange Act, Rule 17a-4(f) thereunder, NASD Rule 3110 and FINRA Rule 4511. WORM stands for “write once, read many,” and is intended to prevent the alteration or destruction of broker-dealer records maintained on electronic storage media. Additionally, from January 1, 2010 to June 24, 2016, the Firm failed to retain in WORM format approximately 231 check registers. Finally, LPL Financial’s written supervisory procedures failed to have an adequate supervisory process concerning WORM compliance, in violation of NASD Rule 3010 and FINRA Rule 3110. 

Click to learn more.


Ordered to Pay $5.72 Million for Failing to Establish and Maintain a Supervisory System and Procedures Reasonably Designed to Ensure That Eligible Customers Who Purchased Mutual Fund Shares Received the Benefit of Applicable Sales Charge Waivers

Brief Overview: Since at least July 1, 2009, LPL Financial has disadvantaged certain retirement plan and charitable organization customers who were eligible to purchase Class A shares in certain mutual funds without a front-end sales charge (“Eligible Customers”). These Eligible Customers were instead sold Class A shares with a front-end sales charge or Class B or C shares with back-end sales charges and higher ongoing fees and expenses. During this period, LPL Financial has failed to establish and maintain a supervisory system and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that Eligible Customers who purchased mutual fund shares received the benefit of applicable sales charge waivers. As a result, LPL Financial violated NASD Conduct Rule 3010 (for misconduct before December 1, 2014) and FINRA Rules 3110 (for misconduct on or after December 1, 2014) and 2010. 

Click to read more.


Fined $7.5 Million for Failing to Establish and Maintain a Supervisory System and Procedures Reasonably Designed to Supervise Electronic Communications

Brief Overview: From 2007 to 2013, LPL Financial’s email review and retention systems failed repeatedly, leaving the firm unable to meet its obligations to supervise its representatives and respond to regulatory requests. The firm was aware of these pervasive failures and the overwhelming complexity of its email system, but never took adequate remedial measures to address these shortcomings or simplify its email system. As a consequence, the firm suffered at least 35 significant failures that prevented it, at various points in time, from accessing hundreds of millions of emails and reviewing tens of millions of emails. In July 2011, in response to a request from FINRA staff for more information about this significant email issue, LPL submitted a letter and chronology that inaccurately stated that the issue had been discovered in June 2011 even though certain LPL Financial personnel had information that would have led to the discovery of the issue as early as 2008. Moreover, the letter stated that there were no red flags suggesting any issues with email accounts. In fact, there were numerous red flags related to the supervision of emails that were known to many LPL Financial employees years prior to the firm’s Rule 4530 report. 

Click to read more.


Censured and Fined for Failing to Establish and Maintain a Supervisory System and Procedures Reasonably Designed to Ensure Delivery of Prospectuses

Brief Overview: From January 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011, LPL Financial failed to implement and maintain adequate supervisory systems and procedures to monitor and ensure the timely delivery of mutual fund prospectuses, as required by Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”). This failure violated NASD Conduct Rule 3010(a)(1) and (b)(1), which also constitutes a violation of FINRA Rule 

Click to read more.


Censured and Fined for Failing to Establish and Maintain a Supervisory System and Procedures Reasonably Designed to Supervise the Offer and Sale of Alternative Investments

Brief Overview: Between January 1, 2008 and July 1, 2012, LPL Financial violatedNASD Rule 3010(a) and 3010(b), NASD Rule 2110 and FINRA Rule 2010 by failing to implement an adequate supervisory system for the sale of alternative investments that was reasonably designed to achieve compliance with NASD Rule 2310, and state suitability requirements. Specifically, the LPL Financial failed to have a reasonable supervisory system and procedures to identify and determine whether purchases of non-traded real estate investment trusts, oil and gas partnerships, business development companies , equipment leasing programs, real estate limited partnerships, hedge funds, managed futures and any other illiquid pass-through investments (collectively, Alternative Investments) caused a customer’s accounts to be unsuitably concentrated in violation of FINRA suitability standards. 

Click to read more.


Censured and Fined for Failing to Reasonably Supervise the Sale of Certain Brokered Certificates of Deposit

Brief Overview: From January 2010 through at least December 2016 (the “Relevant Period”), LPL Financial failed to reasonably supervise the sale of certain brokered certificates of deposit (“Brokered CDs”), which the firm characterized as non-security CDs because they were FDIC insured instruments. In particular, LPL Financial failed to ensure that (1) its registered representatives were trained on all material risks and features of Brokered CDs and (2) LPL Financial failed to adequately disclose all material risks and features of Brokered CDs to customers. By virtue of the foregoing, LPL violated NASD Rule 3010(a), and. FINRA Rules 3110(a) and 2010. 

Click to read more.

*Above are only some of the regulatory disciplinary actions filed against LPL Financial by FINRA. NASSA and other state securities regulator investigations and enforcement actions account for another 160 BrokerCheck disclosures.


LPL Financial Customer Complaints

There have been hundreds, if not thousands of customer complaints filed against LPL Financial stockbrokers over the years. We have launched many investigations of current and former LPL Financial advisors:

  1. Gregory Gann of LPL Financial LLC
  2. Wesley Sorensen of Principal Securities, Inc.
  3. Enrique Lopez of Arkadios Capital
  4. Robert Micone of LPL Financial LLC
  5. Steven Skipper of LPL Financial LLC
  6. Nicholas Travascio of LPL Financial LLC
  7. Denis Drummey of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
  8. Ryan LeBlanc of LPL Financial, LLC
  9. Christopher Tuck of LPL Financial LLC
  10. Wayne Wagner of Securities America, Inc
  11. Emmett Johnson of LPL Financial, LLC
  12. Jonathan Upton of LPL Financial LLC
  13. Harold Collins of LPL Financial
  14. Brian Bjerke of LPL Financial LLC
  15. Jeffrey Armstrong of LPL Financial, LLC
  16. Daniel Ascani of LPL Financial, LLC
  17. Charles Darrow of American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc.
  18. Chandrakumar Rajaratnam of LPL Financial LLC
  19. Carlos Salazar of LPL Financial LLC
  20. Adam Lunceford of LPL Financial LLC
  21. Archibald Mcmichael of Lifemark Securities
  22. Anida Venniro of LPL Financial
  23. Wesley Foltz of Prospera Financial Services
  24. Craig Snyder of LPL Financial, LLC
  25. Daniel Dillard of Union Capital Company
  26. Danielle Stanton of LPL Financial, LLC
  27. Thomas Dilello of LPL Financial LLC
  28. Scott Doll of LPL Financial LLC
  29. Janet Broyles of LPL Financial LLC
  30. Harry Barth of Crown Capital Securities L.P.
  31. Harvey Berk of Kestra Investment Services
  32. Guy Harrigan of Lion Street Financial
  33. George Byykkonen of LPL Financial LLC
  34. George Ly of LPL Financial LLC
  35. Galen Kopman of Centaurus Financial
  36. Ekua Anyanful of LPL Financial LLC
  37. James Farmer of LPL Financial LLC
  38. Steven Feiertag of LPL Financial LLC
  39. James Hunt of APW Capital
  40. James Zegers of LPL Financial
  41. Robin Blackman of IFP Securities, LLC
  42. Peter Albano of LPL Financial
  43. Alan Bratic of LPL Financial LLC
  44. Andrew Roybal of LPL Financial LLC
  45. Anthony Ragusa of LPL Financial LLC
  46. Bradley Barnett of LPL Financial LLC
  47. Brandon Williams of LPL Financial LLC
  48. Brian Singleton of LPL Financial LLC
  49. Brian Gaffney of LPL Financial LLC
  50. Brian Slade of LPL Financial LLC
  51. Brian Bates of LPL Financial LLC
  52. James Thomas Booth Formerly With LPL Financial
  53. David Melilli of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc
  54. Bret Hartman of LPL Financial, LLC
  55. David Taddeo of LPL Financial LLC
  56. Kevin C. Fretz of LPL Financial, LLC
  57. Jonathan D. Freeze of Fortune Financial Services, Inc
  58. Donald Woods of Thurston Spring Financial
  59. Jason Woods of Thurston, Springer, Miller, Herd & Titak, Inc
  60. Robert Fross of LPL Financial
  61. Jeremy Darstek of Ameriprise Financial Services
  62. Patrick Devlin of LPL Financial
  63. Kirk Balin of LPL Financial
  64. Francis Draa Formerly With LPL Financial
  65. Bret Edensword of LPL Financial
  66. Evan Lunsford of LPL Financial
  67. Joseph Malboeuf of LPL Financial
  68. Glenn Livingston of LPL Financial
  69. David Lockman Formerly With The Huntington Investment
  70. Lee Goodin of LPL Financial
  71. Bryan Gravel of LPL Financial
  72. Benjamin Haas of LPL Financial
  73. Kevin Kraft of LPL Financial
  74. Shawn Layton of LPL Financial
  75. Seth Leishman of LPL Financial
  76. Bryan Shevak of LPL Financial
  77. Carol Tartaglia Formerly With LPL Financial
  78. David Waters of Cetera Advisors
  79. John Horseman of LPL Financial
  80. Thomas Hunt of LPL Financial
  81. Christopher Zelesnick of Allstate Financial Services
  82. Leonard Rickey Formerly With LPL Financial
  83. Paul Scott Formerly With LPL Financial
  84. Ted Albrecht Of LPL Financial
  85. William Baumberger of LPL Financial
  86. Alberto Cavazos of LPL Financial
  87. Steven Champagne of LPL Financial
  88. Luann Chapmangatts of Securities America
  89. John Broughton of Citizens Securities
  90. Matthew Brown of LPL Financial
  91. Art Cardenas of LPL Financial
  92. Steven Case of LPL Financial
  93. Christopher Cavallaro of LPL Financial
  94. Gary Meagher of LPL Financial
  95. Michael Meehan of LPL Financial
  96. Anthony Coyne of LPL Financial
  97. Allen Ostrofe of LPL Financial
  98. William Powell of USA Financial Securities
  99. Lawrence Potomac of LPL Financial
  100. Jonathan Cummings of LPL Financial
  101. Jane Everingham Formerly With LPL Financial
  102. Shawn Gormley of LPL Financial
  103. Steven Dean of LPL Financial
  104. Michael David of Cetera Advisor Networks
  105. James Kidwell of LPL Financial
  106. James Gibson of Cetera Advisors
  107. Lawrence Greenfield Formerly With LPL Financial
  108. Thomas Griffiths of LPL Financial
  109. John Dixon of Independent Financial Group
  110. James Helfinstine of LPL Financial
  111. Gregory Henning of LPL Financial
  112. Kevin Houser of Ameriprise Financial Services
  113. William Knudsen of LPL Financial
  114. Charles Larocca of LPL Financial
  115. Margaret Logue of LPL Financial
  116. Stacee Love-Malcolm of LPL Financial
  117. Jimmy Maldonado of LPL Financial
  118. Richard Jackman of Crown Capital Securities
  119. Scott Klor formerly with LPL Financial
  120. Peter Knittle of American Portfolios Financial Services
  121. Thomas Munker of Client One Securities
  122. Thomas McCusker of LPL Financial
  123. Jeffrey McMahon of LPL Financial
  124. Randy Peyman of LPL Financial
  125. Joffre Salazar Formerly With American Portfolios Financial Services
  126. Richard Sall of LPL Financial
  127. William Saplicki of LPL Financial
  128. Erich Raasch of LPL Financial
  129. Andrew Quinn of LPL Financial
  130. Thomas Polito of LPL Financial
  131. Samuel Phillips of LPL Financial
  132. Darin Stevens of LPL Financial
  133. Yvonne Silguero of LPL Financial
  134. Antonio Reyna of Securities America
  135. James Zegers formerly with LPL Financial
  136. Jason Anderson formerly with Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith
  137. Joel Arivett of Arvest Wealth Management
  138. Lawrence Avery of LPL Financial
  139. Michael Weinand of LPL Financial
  140. Jake Warrington Formerly With LPL Financial
  141. John Welp of LPL Financial
  142. Patrick Boland of LPL Financial
  143. Jason Boley of LPL Financial
  144. Keri Blake of LPL Financial
  145. Christopher Burtraw formerly with J.P. Turner & Company
  146. Justin Byrd of LPL Financial
  147. Johnny Ceballos of LPL Financial
  148. James Chiaro of LPL Financial
  149. David Columb Formerly With LPL Financial
  150. Chase Crump of Private Client Services
  151. Andrew Wesner of LPL Financial LLC
  152. Cheryl Brown of LPL Financial LLC
  153. Cheryl Marquez of LPL Financial LLC
  154. Christopher Watts of LPL Financial LLC
  155. Christopher Riggs of LPL Financial LLC
  156. Alex Gutierrez Of LPL Financial LLC
  157. Andy Schwartz of LPL Financial LLC
  158. Joel Arivett of Arvest Wealth Management
  159. Bradley Hill of LPL Financial LLC
  160. Brent Jackson of LPL Financial LLC
  161. Burton Apfelbaum of LPL Financial LLC
  162. Alfred Amato of LPL Financial LLC
  163. Alan Fryman of Peak Brokerage Services, LLC
  164. Aileen Grant of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.
  165. Cesar Macedo of LPL Financial LLC
  166. Charles Salfity of LPL Financial LLC
  167. Andrew Dittberner of LPL Financial LLC
  168. Christopher Black formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  169. Christopher Hargis of LPL Financial LLC
  170. Chun Zhu of LPL Financial LLC
  171. Cole Mills of LPL Financial LLC
  172. Curtis Howard of LPL Financial LLC
  173. Cynthia Giovacchino of LPL Financial LLC
  174. Dain Stokes formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  175. Daniel Kew of Cetera Investment Services LLC
  176. Daniel Zimmerman of LPL Financial LLC
  177. Daniel Abraham of LPL Financial LLC
  178. David Roberson of LPL Financial LLP
  179. David Venegas of LPL Financial LLC
  180. David Nastri of LPL Financial LLC
  181. David Givnish of LPL Financial LLC?
  182. David Lademan formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  183. Dawn West of LPL Financial LLC
  184. Diane Hutchings formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  185. Dominic Debruin formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  186. Dominick Greco formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  187. Don Rudolph formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  188. Donald Coffin of LPL Financial
  189. Donovan Ehrman of LPL Financial LLC
  190. Douglas Allen of LPL Financial LLC
  191. Edward Miller of LPL Financial LLC
  192. Edwin Egger of LPL Financial LLC
  193. Edward Bacher of LPL Financial LLC
  194. Eric Brown formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  195. Ernest Renner of LPL Financial LLC
  196. Eugene Yelverton of LPL Financial LLC
  197. Frank Orlando Of LPL Financial LLC
  198. Frederick Guist of LPL Financial LLC
  199. Gary Barney of LPL Financial LLC
  200. Gary Stanislawski of LPL Financial LLC
  201. Gayle Lob formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  202. George Jameson formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  203. Gleason Swassing III formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  204. Gregory Shoemaker of LPL Financial LLC
  205. Gregory Kearney of LPL Financial LLC
  206. Guillermo Gastelum of LPL Financial LLC
  207. Ian Baker of LPL Financial LLC
  208. Ilan Tsapovski of LPL Financial LLC
  209. Jack Biedebach of LPL Financial LLC
  210. James Wagner of LPL Financial LLC
  211. James Couture LPL Financial LLC
  212. Jeanann Kramer of LPL Financial LLC
  213. Joe Franklin formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  214. John Stubbs formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  215. John Milo of LPL Financial LLC
  216. Jonathan Bridges of LPL Financial LLC
  217. John Pelletier of LPL Financial LLC
  218. John Simone, Sr. of LPL Financial LLC
  219. Joseph Altic of LPL Financial LLC
  220. Joseph Pearce of LPL Financial LLC
  221. Julius Pappas of LPL Financial LLC
  222. Karen Briggs formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  223. Keith Laterrade of LPL Financial LLC
  224. Kenneth Klein of LPL Financial LLC
  225. Kenneth Christie of LPL Financial LLC
  226. Kevin McCallum formerly with LPL Financial LLC
  227. Kimberly Kennedy of LPL Financial LLC
  228. Laurence Wajsman of LPL Financial LLC

If you have lost money investing with any of these LPL Financial advisors or others within this brokerage firm, it’s important that you reach out to an investment loss attorney quickly because the statutes of limitations can bar your claims. Call us at 800-732-2889.

Why Does LPL Financial Have So Many Regulatory Problems And Customer Complaints?

Independent broker-dealers are notorious for their lax supervisory practices and procedures. The business model of these franchise type operations is to open many offices nationwide for steady growth of fixed monthly revenues without the costs attendant to a full-service branch office with on-site manager, compliance officer and operation personnel. The registered representatives of these independent broker-dealers generally operate as separately incorporated businesses. They are not employees of the broker-dealer and therefore not controlled in the same manner as full-service brokerage firm representatives. The registered representatives control their structure and costs to maximize profits and often leave the protection of investors’ rights and interests as their lowest priority.

The typical supervisory organization of independent broker-dealer operations is to have other independent contractors operate Offices of Supervisory Jurisdiction (OSJs) to monitor the registered representatives from geographically remote offices and then report to the main franchisor’s compliance office at national headquarters. The supervisors at the OSJs are not employees of the franchisor and often run their own brokerage, insurance and other businesses. They are not devoted full-time supervisors of the smaller branch offices. Consequently, OSJ managers cannot and do not supervise the day-to-day operations of the registered representatives of these Independent broker-dealers. 

Generally, there is no immediate review of new accounts opened, securities transactions, business records, cash or securities receipts and deliveries, correspondence and business activities unrelated to the securities brokerage operation at these independent brokerage firms. The lax supervision leaves investors who have transferred their accounts to the smaller independent broker-dealer vulnerable to sales of securities that have not been reviewed or authorized by anyone other than the sales representative earning a commission. There may be no one onsite to detect forgeries of clients’ signatures on documents, the placement of inaccurate information about a client’s investment objectives and financial condition to document the suitability of a particular investment recommendation. Oftentimes there is no daily review of sales literature and client correspondence to protect against misrepresentations and misleading statements being made to investors. In fact, it is not unusual for there to be only one compliance audit visit per year at many of these offices.

These Independent brokerage business operations are worrisome to the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), which has documented more instances of sales abuse and consequently investor losses at these firms than the traditional brokerage firms with branch offices with on-site managers and compliance personnel.

Did LPL Financial 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. LPL Financial 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 LPL Financial without representation with an attorney about their complaints and have their complaints denied.

Related Read: Can You Sue Your Brokerage Firm?

Investment Losses? We Can Help

Discuss your legal options with an attorney at The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A.

Get A Free Consultation

or, give us a ring at (800) 732-2889.

Robert Pearce

Consult With An Attorney Who Recovers Investment Losses Caused By LPL Financial Today!

The securities attorneys at The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., have helped countless investors over the last 40 years recover the losses from their investment accounts that were caused by broker negligence or misconduct. The firm has extensive experience with LPL Financial 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.

Author Photo

Robert Wayne Pearce

Robert Wayne Pearce of The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. has been a trial attorney for more than 40 years and has helped recover over $160 million dollars for his clients. During that time, he developed a well-respected and highly accomplished legal career representing investors and brokers in disputes with one another and the government and industry regulators. To speak with Attorney Pearce, call (800) 732-2889 or Contact Us online for a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION with Attorney Pearce about your case.

Rate this Post

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars
Loading...