Industry

The private equity-backed RIA agreed to purchase its first firm of the year after being one of the most active acquirers in 2020.

Long-awaited advertising regulations allow for online testimonials but also increased risk of audits, observers and commissioners say.

In the first wave of cases under the regulator’s self-reporting initiative, it garnered more than $2.7 million in payments of restitution plus interest.

SEC cases that go beyond faulting firms for their failure to disclose conflicts of interest have drawn pushback from the industry.

The bank allegedly made “hundreds of millions of dollars” by investing client assets in underperforming proprietary and affiliated funds without disclosing conflicts to clients.

The wealth manager whose parent firm also owns an insurer and asset manager settled its third case involving the same time period.

The allegations involving 12b-1 fees, cash sweeps and commissions also include violations of best execution rules.

“We look forward to our day in court and will not be bullied by the regulatory thugs at the SEC," the firm's co-founder says.

With an eye on pathways to fee-only practices and away from an “eat what you kill” philosophy, four planners aim to usher in a more diverse profession.

Despite pledges, the IBD network didn’t collect enough data for suitability reviews of the outside transaction for more than five years, according to the regulator.