Securities Lawyers Blog
The securities and investment attorneys of Gana Weinstein LLP are interested in speaking with clients of John McKinstry Jr. (McKinstry). According to the BrokerCheck records kept by Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) McKinstry has been the subject of at least 5 customer complaints, 2 regulatory actions, and two employment terminations. The customer complaints against McKinstry allege securities law violations that claim unsuitable investments and churning among other claims.
The most recent complaint was filed in July 2015, and alleged $11,400 in damages due to claims that the broker made unsuitable investments and recommendations considering the age and risk tolerance of the client. Also in July 2015, another customer filed a complaint alleging that McKinstry made unsuitable investment recommendations causing alleged damages of $216,000.
In addition, in August 2015, McKinstry’s brokerage firm Moloney Securities Co., Inc. (Moloney Securities) terminated McKinstry concerning allegations that the firm had conducted an internal review concerning customer complaints and a FINRA exam.
Gill entered the securities industry in 1983. From April 2004 onward McKinstry has been associated with Moloney Securities out of the firm’s St. Louis, Missouri branch office location.
All advisers have a fundamental responsibility to deal fairly with investors including making suitable investment recommendations. In order to make suitable recommendations the broker must have a reasonable basis for recommending the product or security based upon the broker’s investigation of the investments properties including its benefits, risks, tax consequences, and other relevant factors. In addition, the broker must also understand the customer’s specific investment objectives to determine whether or not the specific product or security being recommended is appropriate for the customer based upon their needs.
The number of customer complaints against McKinstry is high relative to his peers. According to InvestmentNews, only about 12% of financial advisors have any type of disclosure event on their records. Brokers must publicly disclose certain types of reportable events on their CRD including but not limited to customer complaints. In addition to disclosing client disputes brokers must divulge IRS tax liens, judgments, and criminal matters. However, FINRA’s records are not always complete according to a Wall Street Journal story that checked with 26 state regulators and found that at least 38,400 brokers had regulatory or financial red flags such as a personal bankruptcy that showed up in state records but not on BrokerCheck. More disturbing is the fact that 19,000 out of those 38,400 brokers had spotless BrokerCheck records.
The investment fraud attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP represent investors who have suffered securities losses due to the mishandling of their accounts. The majority of these claims may be brought in securities arbitration before FINRA. Our consultations are free of charge and the firm is only compensated if you recover.