Regulation

The lack of formal codification and an accurate count of customers leaves the profession struggling with fundamental questions about identifying the true practitioners and their base of clients.

A $775,000 settlement for Waddell & Reed relating to its pre-LPL days displays how the regulator is ramping up enforcement of such cases, experts said.

The changes reflect an effort to give penalties more teeth, similar to what the regulator did last year with Robinhood's $70 million fine.

With the broker behind bars since last year, the firm has paid nearly $2 million in client restitution and a regulatory fine over its mishandling of the account.

The wirehouse fabricated the terms of its recruiting bonus loan and client churning allegations against Anil Bhandari, he said in his first interview on the case.

Though many firms have abandoned commission-based models, they can still be found in certain parts of the country.

The Milwaukee-based broker charged over 4,600 clients a minimum $100 fee, plus a handling fee, on small transactions; "not fair and reasonable," FINRA said.

After a watchdog found problems with the regulator's examinations, the agency has repeatedly refused FP's requests for the details of them.

Midsize wealth manager Kovack Securities and its CEO settled two matters last month dating to his time as a member of FINRA's Board of Governors.

IFS Securities once had about 150 financial advisors and 20,000 clients. Now it's seeking millions it owes third-party firms three years after it shut down.