Law and legal issues

A pair of wealth managers stand accused of allocating trading gains to themselves and losses to their clients in a way that had "nearly zero" chance of happening at random.

The latest lawsuit accuses the firm of not only failing to look out for clients' best interests but also failing to secure "reasonable returns" on money held in retirement accounts.

Merrill and a partner firm were accused of running a complicated yield enhancement strategy, or CYES plan, of the type that has long been in regulators' crosshairs.

A pair of SEC commissioners say the treatment of the brokerage firm Qatalyst shows industry watchdogs expect nothing short of perfection with regulatory matters.

Plaintiff Stephen A. Greco has the opportunity to file an amended complaint, but a federal judge took his allegations of conspiracy to task.

Regulators allege First Horizon Advisors violated Reg BI when it continued recommending complex investments even though it was struggling to bring over customer information from a recent acquisition.

If successful, previously banned brokers might be free to "fleece your grandma" again, an expert warned.

A FINRA settlement accuses the firm of failing to supervise a broker who recommended frequent purchases and then resales of various investment products.

The "reverse churning" case highlights the regulatory gap investors can fall into when moving between brokerage and advisory relationships.

Within days of a colleague's retirement and having been introduced as their new advisor, Corbin Hoffner left for Raymond James.

RIAs including Abacus Planning Group, Beta Wealth Group, Integrated Advisors Network were accused of violations ranging from making unsubstantiated statements to claiming membership in nonexistent organizations.

Lawyers allege the 92-year-old victim's daughter begged Schwab to freeze her mother's account, but to no avail.

Lawyers note the kinds of grievances the firm allegedly withheld are what potential clients look at when choosing advisors.

Schwab vehemently denied allegations that it mishandled clients' uninvested cash, calling the putative class action just the latest in a series of "unsound, copycat lawsuits."

In an earnings call, an RBC executive says the firm decided to raise its account yields in response to higher Fed rates because "the right balance was to allocate some of that rising rate to our customers."

The legal action comes after executives expressed comfort with their firm's deposit rates in a recent earnings call.

The wealth management giants join their rivals Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, UBS, LPL Financial and Ameriprise in being accused of using uninvested cash in advisory accounts to boost their bottom lines rather than benefit clients.

The arbitration decision comes more than a year after SW Financial was expelled from the industry for violating Regulation Best Interest.

UBS executives estimate their plan to raise rates on certain accounts will cost the firm $50 million. A new suit cites that as evidence that the firm "violated its obligations to its clients."

The decision hinging on the definition of "inventory" in the sale of a highly valuable position in a U.S. partnership resolved a saga that began 16 years ago.