Law and legal issues

Industry recruiters say offers of shares in advisory firms are hard to value.

FINRA booted Scott Reed from the industry after he went outside his firm to raise money for a software and web development firm.

The Wall Street giant's private bank contends it had advised the plaintiffs against concentrating their money in risky investments.

Perella Weinberg's self-reporting of violations led to a much smaller fine than those imposed on other firms.

Regulators accused the investment technology firm of not disclosing fees that ate into clients' interest payments.

The firm stood accused of not having policies to ensure clients' money was invested in keeping with environmental, social and governance goals.

Matthew Motil stands accused of raising more than $11 million by misleading investors about mortgage-backed promissory notes.

The federal court decision ended a former Chase branch-based advisor's saga of a half dozen years after the firm alleged he broke its rules for notarizing documents.

GlennCap and its founder stood accused of directing the best investment returns to clients who paid the most.

Genevieve Sisco alleges that men in the same role as her earned tens of thousands of dollars more in salary.

The SEC accused the firm of raising a sixth round of funding even though red flags were popping up left and right.

The cofounder and main promoter of the $4 billion OneCoin pyramid scheme was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in one of the first and biggest criminal frauds involving cryptocurrency.

State regulators discovered fewer deficiencies with investment advisors but some say they could be doing more to protect vulnerable clients.

The regulator accused a broker-dealer of not having proper supervisory procedures to prevent $533,500 in excessive transactions.

For at least seven years, the company has sought to recoup more than $5.4 million in taxes using an exemption the agency argues does not apply.

Regulators allege the CPA provided an air of legitimacy to John J. Woods' scam that defrauded 400 clients in 20 states.

The action in federal court alleges the exiting advisors received an incentive package worth as much as $70 million for joining RBC.

The company is paying $75 million in penalties and restitution in connection with SEC allegations that its investment advisory arm overcharged customers it inherited in its Wachovia acquisition in 2008. The settlement is said to show the importance of conducting extensive compliance checks in a rapidly consolidating industry.

Other states are likely to look to Massachusetts for guidance on how far they can go in holding broker-dealers to a higher standard than Regulation Best Interest.

Mario Rivero pleaded guilty in February to swindling five clients out of more than $600,000.