Securities Lawyers Blog
The securities lawyers of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating a customer complaint filed with The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) against broker Daniel Kiefer (Kiefer). According to BrokerCheck records Kiefer has been subject to at least three customer complaints and one employment separations for cause. The customer complaints allege a number of securities law violations including that the broker made unsuitable investments, unauthorized trading, and breach of fiduciary duty among other claims.
The most recent complaint was filed in August 2013, and alleged $1,090,718 in damages due to claims that the Kiefer, while employed at J.P Turner & Company, made unsuitable investment recommendations to the client and breached his fiduciary duty. The complaint settled in 2014 for $700,000. In October 2004, another customer filed a complaint alleging that the broker while employed at Grayson Financial, made unauthorized trades in clients account causing $25,000.00 in damages. The complaint settled in 2007 for $4,500.
Brokers have a responsibility to treat investors fairly which includes obligations such as making only suitable investments for the client. In order to make a suitable recommendation the broker must meet certain requirements. Advisors are also not allowed to engage in unauthorized trading. Such trading occurs when a broker sells securities without the prior authority from the investor. All brokers are under an obligation to first discuss trades with the investor before executing them under NYSE Rule 408(a) and FINRA Rules 2510(b). These rules explicitly prohibit brokers from making discretionary trades in a customers’ non-discretionary accounts. The SEC has also found that unauthorized trading to be fraudulent nature because no disclosure could be more important to an investor than to be made aware that a trade will take place.
Kiefer entered the securities industry in 1994. From April 2003 through September 2015, Kiefer was associated with J.P Turner & Company, LLC. Kiefer has been associated with Summit Brokerage Services, Inc. out of the firms Colts Neck, New Jersey office location.
The number of events listed on Kiefer brokercheck is high relative to her 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.
Gana Weinstein LLP’s securities fraud attorneys represent investors who have suffered securities losses due to the mishandling of their accounts due to claims of fraud and negligence. 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.