FINRA Expungement Proceedings

PIABA Panel - Expungement Proceedings

SYK attorney Darlene Pasieczny Presents on FINRA Expungement Proceedings at PIABA’s Mid-Year Meeting.

On April 4, 2019, I joined co-panelist Kate McGrail and moderator Robert J. Girard II in Washington D.C. Together, we presented on FINRA expungement proceedings to an audience of securities attorneys, law professors, and state securities regulators attending PIABA’s Mid-Year Meeting.

Our main topics included:

  • The process for brokers to request expungement of customer dispute information from a broker’s CRD record.
  • The process for customer claimants to object to the request.
  • Proposed rule changes being considered by FINRA.

Current FINRA Rule 2080 of the Code of Arbitration Procedure for Customer Disputes provides the narrow grounds for expungement requests. FINRA Regulatory Notice 17-42 describes the potential changes including:

  • Limiting the time in which brokers may request expungement.
  • Creation of an Expungement Arbitrator Roster, with enhanced arbitrator qualification requirements, to hear expungement requests.
  • Requiring an additional finding that the customer dispute information has no investor protection or regulatory value.

The CRD is the Central Registration Depository, an online licensing and registration system for brokers and securities firms. Pursuant to FINRA rules, certain disclosure information must be reported for inclusion in the CRD record. This includes customer disputes – customer complaints, arbitrations and court actions.

Expungement of customer dispute information from a broker’s CRD record also means that the information is no longer publicly available through FINRA’s free online BrokerCheck. Because FINRA is clear that expungement is an “extraordinary remedy.”

That is in part because BrokerCheck is considered a major tool for investors to research the background of a financial professional. Wouldn’t you want to know if the person you are going to trust with your savings has a record of multiple customer complaints? Brokerage firms and state and federal securities regulatory agencies also use the CRD record when making hiring and licensing decisions, as well as in enforcement actions.

Darlene Pasieczny’s practice at Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP focuses on all stages of corporate and securities law issues, securities litigation and FINRA arbitration, as well as fiduciary litigation in trust and estate disputes, and elder financial abuse.

Attorneys Blachly & Pasieczny Present on Combating Financial Elder Abuse

Recent Tools to Combat Financial Elder Abuse”: a closer look at mandatory and permissive conduct for Oregon securities professionals.

Today, over 46 million Americans are 65 years of age or older. This accounts for nearly 15{45ef85514356201a9665f05d22c09675e96dde607afc20c57d108fe109b047b6} of the population. According to the Population Reference Bureau, that number is projected to more than double by the year 2060. It will reach an estimated 98 million and 24{45ef85514356201a9665f05d22c09675e96dde607afc20c57d108fe109b047b6} of the U.S. population. Approximately 1 out of every 10 Americans, age 60 and older have experienced some form of elder abuse. Estimates of financial elder abuse and fraud costs range from $2.9 billion to $36.5 billion annually

On Thursday, February 21st, SYK attorneys Victoria Blachly and Darlene Pasieczny will speak to the Oregon State Bar Securities Regulation Section about financial elder abuse in the securities industry. Their program “Recent Tools to Combat Financial Elder Abuse: Mandatory and Permissive Conduct Under FINRA Rules and Oregon Law for Securities Professionals,” will take a closer look at Oregon statues and FINRA rules regarding mandatory and permissive conduct for brokers and investment advisers when there is reasonable suspicion of financial abuse.

Meet the experts – Victoria Blachly and Darlene Pasieczny

Victoria Blachly is a fiduciary litigator, licensed in Oregon and Washington. She represents individual trustees, corporate trustees, beneficiaries, and personal representatives in often difficult and challenging cases including:

  • Trust and estate litigation
  • Will contests
  • Trust disputes
  • Undue influence
  • Capacity cases
  • Claims of fiduciary breach
  • Financial elder abuse cases
  • Petitioning for court instructions
  • Contested guardianship and conservatorship cases.

Darlene Pasieczny is a fiduciary and securities litigator. She represents clients both in Oregon and Washington, with matters regarding trust and estate disputes, financial elder abuse cases, securities litigation, and represents investors nationwide in FINRA arbitration. Her article, New Tools Help Financial Professionals Prevent Elder Abuse, was featured in the January 2019, Oregon State Bar Elder Law Newsletter.

Report abuse

If you suspect someone is being abused, neglected, or financially exploited, please reach out to the Oregon Department of Human Services. Also, you may consider hiring a private attorney to help employ legal tools to prevent harm, or recover financial losses.

SYK Attorney Darlene Pasieczny to Moderate “Hybrid Advisers” Panel

Hybrid Advisers: Regulation and Claims Regarding Dual‐Registered Brokers and RIAs

Moderator, Darlene Pasieczny, Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP; Speakers Jeffery Schaff, Ardor Fiduciary Services, Ltd., and James Wrona, VP and Associate General Counsel, FINRA.  This panel will explore issues in regulation and customer dispute resolution when a culpable financial adviser “wears two hats” as both a FINRA‐licensed broker and SEC‐licensed registered investment adviser. When is the brokerage firm responsible for conduct by its dual‐registered associated person? How do FINRA and the SEC parse enforcement issues for these hybrid advisers? The panel will discuss trends in customer arbitration cases, recent case law decisions, compliance and enforcement.

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Securities Law Seminar at the 27th PIABA Annual Meeting

Bonita Springs, Florida

Find registration information here.

Darlene Pasieczny’s practice at Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP focuses on all stages of corporate and securities law issues, securities litigation and FINRA arbitration, as well as fiduciary litigation in trust and estate disputes, and elder financial abuse.

SYK Seminar Series: Protecting Seniors with New Oregon Laws

 

 

Senate Bill 95, House Bill 2622 and FINRA Rules 2165 & 4512

What Oregon Securities Professionals, Financial Institutions and Trust Companies Need to Know

The Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 95 and House Bill 2622 to amend and create new law regarding reporting by certain securities professionals of suspected financial exploitation by others. For securities professionals, certain financial institutions and trust companies, the new bills allow discretionary temporary holds on disbursements and certain other account activity. FINRA Rules 2165 and 4512 create complementary requirements and discretionary holds for FINRA-registered brokers.

Fiduciary litigator Victoria Blachly and securities litigator/FINRA arbitrator Darlene Pasieczny explain how these new laws and rules seek to empower financial professionals to help their clients. Victoria and Darlene also will address capacity, red flags of potential financial abuse, and the reporting process for suspected exploitation.

To register, please contact us at events@samuelslaw.com or 503.226.2966.

Space is limited to the first 25 attendees to RSVP (required). Be sure to register soon to reserve your seat!

Lunch will be included with this free & informative presentation
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