Securities Lawyers Blog
The securities lawyers of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating customer complaints filed with The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) against broker James Ignatowich (Ignatowich). According to BrokerCheck records Ignatowich has been subject to at least nine customer complaints and one regulatory action. The customer complaints against Ignatowich allege securities law violations that including unsuitable investments and unauthorized trading among other claims. In addition, the state of New Hampshire filed a complaint against Ignatowich alleging that the broker engaged in unlawful telemarketing and provided inaccurate and misleading information to the state during the course of their investigation. Ignatowich was sanctioned $87,500 and barred for nine months.
Brokers have a responsibility 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. First, there must be reasonable basis for the recommendation the product or security based upon the broker’s investigation and due diligence into the investment’s properties including its benefits, risks, tax consequences, and other relevant factors. Second, the broker then must match the investment as being appropriate for the customer’s specific investment needs and objectives such as the client’s retirement status, long or short term goals, age, disability, income needs, or any other relevant factor.
The number of events listed on Ignatowich 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.
Ignatowich entered the securities industry in 1994. From December 2008 until March 2014, Ignatowich was registered with Investors Capital Corp. Finally, from March 2014 until March 2016, Ignatowich has been associated with Newbridge Securities Corporation out of the firm’s Boca Raton, Florida office location.
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.