TransAmerica Financial

Transamerica Advisor Gautam Arora Terminated Over Unapproved Securities Sales

May 27, 2020 | by Staff Attorney

The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP are currently investigating claims that advisor Gautam Arora (Arora) has been accused by his former employer engaging in unapproved investments among other allegations. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Arora was terminated by his prior employer, Transamerica Financial Advisors, Inc. (Transamerica Financial) concerning his promissory note sales. If you have been a victim of Arora’s alleged misconduct our firm may be able to assist you in recovering funds.

In December 2019 Transamerica Financial terminated Arora after alleging that firm received information indicating that the representative solicited various individuals to participate in unapproved investments away from the firm. The firm further alleged that the representative entered into lending arrangements and promissory notes with these individuals without receiving prior approval from the firm.

Arora’s outside business activities disclosed on his publicly available BrokerCheck report include World Financial Group, Inc., Real estate broker, and Keller William Realty.

Our law firm has significant experience bringing cases on behalf of defrauded victims when their advisors engage in receiving loans from clients or selling securities sales through OBAs. The sale of unapproved investment products – is a practice known in the industry as “selling away” – a serious violation of the securities laws. In the industry the term selling away refers to when a financial advisor solicits investments in companies, promissory notes, or other securities that are not pre-approved by the broker’s affiliated firm. Sometimes those investments have some legitimacy but often times these types of investments can end up being Ponzi schemes or the advisor can be engaging in the conversion of funds.

Broker Update – Additional Complaint Filed Against Broker William Byrd

October 18, 2019 | by Staff Attorney

As we have previously reported, according to BrokerCheck records financial advisor William Byrd (Byrd) had several customer complaints filed against him in connection with his management of client accounts. Byrd is currently employed by B.B. Graham & Company, Inc. (BB Graham) and now been subject to at least five customer complaints and one civil lien for $47,782.23. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Byrd’s customer complaints allege that Byrd recommended unsuitable securities recommendations among other allegations of misconduct in the handling of customer accounts.

In March 2019 a customer filed a complaint alleging that Byrd violated the securities laws by engaging in, among other violations, unsuitable concentrated mutual fund transactions and products, and lacking any reasonable investment strategy. The claim alleges $300,000 and is currently pending.

In October 2018 a civil judgement was entered against Byrd. Large tax liens, civil judgement, or bankruptcy filings on a broker’s CRD can be a red flag that the broker may be influenced to engage in high commission activity in order to satisfy personal debts. In addition, a broker’s inability to manage their own finances is relevant in a customer’s decision to use their services.

Customers File Complaints Against William Byrd Over Unsuitable Investments

October 21, 2016 | by Staff Attorney

The securities lawyers of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating a customer complaints filed with The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) against William Byrd (Byrd) alleging unsuitable investments, negligence, and breach of fiduciary duty among other claims. According to brokercheck records Byrd has been subject to three customer complaints.

A customer complaint filed in June 2016 alleging that the broker made unsuitable recommendations, misrepresented investments and breached his fiduciary duty causing damages in the amount of $65,000. The claim is currently pending.

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.