NASD Smacks National Securities With Timing Charge

Setting a precedent for itself, The National Association of Securities Dealers will not allow a Seattle-based firm to open mutual funds for new clients for 30 days, citing the company’s allowance of improper market timing trades.

From January 2001 until August 2002, the NASD says National Securities Corp. aided four hedge funds to execute shifty, in-and-out trades in 13 different mutual funds, all of which were backed with policies prohibiting such trades.

"This is an example of a firm whose management has totally ignored repeated red flags that its brokers were facilitating deceptive and improper market timing in mutual funds by hedge fund clients," said Mary Schapiro, the NASD’s vice chairman.

In a press release, the NASD said "at least 1,000 mutual fund trades, totaling nearly $400 million," were conducted by the market timers. Approximately $300,000 was made by the companies timing the market.

National Securities, a division of Olympia Cascade Financial Corp., was further punished to the tune of a $300,000 fine for the company and an additional $25,000 worth of fines for its president, Michael A. Bresner, who was also suspended for a month.

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