Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated Fined by FINRA
13 December 2018
An AWC was issued in which the firm was censured and fined $300,000. Without admitting or denying the findings, the firm consented to the sanctions and to the entry of findings that it failed to reasonably supervise an associated person who, together with a third-party individual, engaged in a scheme to defraud a customer of the firm. The findings stated that the associated person introduced the customer to the third party using a fictitious name, falsely representing that the third party was a wealthy and successful businessman who could help the customer with his various, existing business and other financial needs.
