Industry Topics

What if a Big Firm Misrepresents Its DEI Initiatives?

November 16, 2023 | Malecki Law Team

In the years following George Floyd’s death, many companies have introduced internal efforts to increase their diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) initiatives to protect those who have historically been disadvantaged. However, it is important that these companies are honest about their efforts, but in at least one case, it has been alleged a brokerage firm was repeatedly not honest.

Wells Fargo is at the center of Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) related lawsuits deriving from allegedly conducting fake job interviews to diverse applicants, in efforts to comply with their “Diverse Slating Policy.” On their second attempt at suing Wells Fargo, shareholders commenced a lawsuit alleging that both Wells Fargo and members of their board misrepresented the firm’s DEI initiatives and deprived job opportunities from members of underrepresented groups, groups the initiatives were meant to help. As the “S” in “ESG” stands for “social,” the topic of DEI falls underneath that umbrella. Many companies that establish policies to “enhance” diversity in the workplace fail to implement and/or report such practices, resulting in substantial scrutiny from both investors and the SEC.

“Well-intentioned people created these initiatives, but when they hit the ground, the energy was devoted not to implementing them but finding a way to get around them,” according to Linda Friedman, a lawyer who settled a class-action suit on behalf of 320 black financial advisors for $36 million in 2017 after the advisors sued the company for allegedly positioning them to work in poor neighborhoods while seemingly affording white financial advisors to newer clients and better opportunities. Following this lawsuit, along with the overwhelming impact of George Floyd’s death in 2020, many companies, including Wells Fargo, issued a “diverse slate” policy, otherwise known as a diverse search requirement. Specifically, Wells Fargo’s policy allegedly asserted that at least 50% of the prospective job candidates who are interviewed must represent a disadvantaged group or some kind of diversity component (including race/ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ, veterans, and people with disabilities) for most posted positions in the U.S. with compensation greater than $100,000 per year. See Complaint filed 6/28/22. Although this may seem like a step in the right direction, it is quite the contrary because over the following years, it is alleged that the policy caused confusion throughout the firm and resulted in negatively impacting the people these initiatives were intended to help.

Can My Broker or Investment Advisor Sell Me Cryptocurrency?

November 8, 2023 | Jacqueline Candella

Can my broker or investment advisor sell me cryptocurrency (“crypto”)? Is it an investment? The answer is not so simple; no, they cannot sell it directly, but they may try to sell it to you indirectly through a fund or private placement. Rest assured, it is still just as volatile and not appropriate for most investors. Malecki Law is looking into the sale of crypto-based products, as they have been on the rise. Although investors might be intrigued and ecstatic to get into the new shiny investment on the street, it is still a high-risk bet, no matter what your investment professional may say.

Investing in something new can be enticing, but it does not necessarily mean that it is in your best interest as an investor. If you were sold crypto-based products and sustained substantial losses, you need a Crypto-Based Investment law firm in New York, like Malecki Law, to review your potential claim.

What is crypto? Digital assets are the umbrella which crypto falls under. There is a wider range of assets that land under the digital assets umbrella, such as non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”). The common denominator of the variety of digital assets is that they tend to use blockchain technology. Crypto consists of a broad range of virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH).

Know Your Custodian – Uniform Transfers and Gifts to Minors Acts

January 18, 2023 | Malecki Law Team

The Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) and Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) allow adults to give or transfer assets to minor beneficiaries. The slight difference between the accounts is that the UGMA is limited to financial assets while the UTMA includes any tangible or intangible assets. These accounts allow children to safely invest and build up capital legally before they become adults. There are also tax benefits to these accounts as contributions are made with after-tax dollars. If you believe your brokerage firm failed to supervise your trust account or the advisor managing your trust, you need to consult a New York Failure to Supervise Trusts Law Firm like Malecki Law.

Each of these accounts have a custodian who acts in the child’s interest as a fiduciary. This means that the investments made and the way the money in the accounts is managed must be for the child’s benefit. When the minor reaches the age of majority, the custodian no longer has authority to make decisions on behalf of the beneficiary and the beneficiary continues to monitor the account on their own. Additionally, once the money is transferred to the beneficiary, it is permanently their property.

FINRA Rule 2090, the “Know your Customer” rule, requires firms “verify the authority of any person purporting to act on behalf of the customer. So, brokerage firms and their members are supposed to know the essential details about who is acting on behalf of the customer (i.e. the custodian). Did your brokerage firm fail to “know” your custodian? Did you suffer losses because of this? You should reach out to a New York Failure to Supervise Trusts Lawyer like the lawyers at Malecki Law for a free consultation. The member must not only know the customer at the beginning of their relationship (account opening) but throughout the whole of the relationship. In line with this “Know your Customer” rule, firms are supposed to have a supervisory system for their members, which makes sure brokers are in compliance with procedures. The problem is that many firms do not have supervisory procedures in place for UT/UGMAs. In turn, the brokers do not know their customers, resulting in custodians not being monitored.

The Impact of Cloud Computing on the Securities Industry

October 14, 2022 | Malecki Law Team

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services (i.e., storage and network infrastructure and software-as-a-service (“SaaS”)) on the internet rather than your computer’s hard drive. Currently, cloud computing is considered a valuable asset to firms, industry wide. It is important to have Malecki Law’s FINRA Regulatory Lawyers in New York assist in ensuring your firm’s storage systems are sufficient. As a result, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (“FINRA”) Office of Financial Innovation (“OFI”) published a report addressing the results of a study regarding the state of cloud adoption within the securities industry. In drafting the report, FINRA obtained data from roughly 40 broker-dealer firms, cloud service providers, industry analysts, and technology consultants.

The report noted that cloud computing strengthens a brokerage firm’s ability to scale operations, generate business continuity solutions and quickly deploy products. Moreover, firms claimed that there are both benefits and challenges regarding agility, resiliency, costs, cybersecurity, staffing, and operations. Additionally, many firms claimed that migrating to the cloud may allow them to be more innovative and offer products at a faster speed. Firms also felt that cloud computing enables them to more efficiently scale computer usage to assist with the increase in IT resources.

As part of its recommendations, FINRA advised broker-firms that use third-party service providers that they have an ongoing responsibility to monitor and supervise the provider’s performance and create oversight procedures. FINRA also encourages companies and vendors to “re-evaluate their approach to security, including reviewing cloud misconfigurations and poor access controls; update data-related policies and procedures if a firm’s cloud adoption leads to changes in how it collects, stores, analyzes, and shares sensitive customer data; create, maintain, and annually review a written business continuity plan, in line with the FINRA Rule 4370 (Business Continuity Plans and Emergency Contact Information); consider the risk posed by cloud vendors and service providers; ensure that any data and information stored in the cloud is compliant with Exchange Act Rule 17a -4, and are preserved in a non-rewriteable and non-erasable format.”

Brokerage Firm JSC’s Supervisory Failures – What Not to Do

September 27, 2022 | Malecki Law Team

Brokerage firms owe its clients the duty to supervise its employees and personnel. This is a very important duty in the financial industry, as it ensures the associated persons under the brokerage firm’s umbrella are compliant with FINRA’s rules. Firms should maintain its duty to supervise, and ensure that it has adequate procedures in place to prevent any potential misconduct that would be harmful to its clients. If your brokerage firm had inadequate supervisory procedures in place, the firm may be subject to failure to supervise claims. You need a New York Securities Industry Lawyer like the lawyers at Malecki Law.

A faulty compliance system can rise to the level of a failure to supervise. Broker-dealer Joseph Stone Capital (JSC) apparently dealt with exactly that. FINRA found that the firm’s compliance system had been insufficient in supervising its brokers, from January 2015 through June 2020. Specifically, JSC received exception reports that revealed potential excessive trading red flags. However, JSC failed to further investigate or prevent such activity.

To prevent this problem from occurring, a JSC supervisor responsible for reviewing the exception reports should have reviewed the clearing firm’s exception report daily. That supervisor would have discovered the possibility of excessive trading. If your brokerage firm failed to further investigate or prevent misconduct like JSC, it may be prone to failure to supervise claims. You need a Regulatory Defense Law Firm in New York, like Malecki Law. Additionally, after discovering these excessive trades, management should have questioned the broker about this trading activity, instead of restricting commissions. Supervisors should have reviewed every trade confirmation in the accounts in question and evaluated whether the trades were solicited (where the broker recommended the trade) or unsolicited (where the client recommended the trade). If the confirmations stated “solicited”, then management could ask for the broker’s thought process for making these trades. This would have identified the crux of the issue more efficiently and would have led to a quicker resolution. One can argue that JSC should improve its compliance software, but the software was not truly at issue during this investigation. According to all evidence, the compliance software seemed to work. The FINRA Order shows that the problem truly stemmed from JSC’s supervisors’ failure to act accordingly to stop their brokers’ activities of excessive trading. If your brokerage firm failed to act accordingly when discovering potential broker misconduct, it may be susceptible to failure to supervise claims. You need a Regulatory Defense Attorney in New York, like the lawyers at Malecki Law. It is unclear how JSC’s compliance software works, but they could also look to incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning to generate quicker and more accurate compliance reports.

Jenice L. Malecki Speaking on Discovery Issues In Securities Arbitration this Thursday at Live CLE Event – Registration Still Open

September 6, 2022 | Malecki Law Team

This Thursday, September 8, 2022, New York City securities lawyer, Jenice L. Malecki, Esq., will be part of a live panel at the PLI’s Securities Arbitration 2022 program, a 1-day Continuing Legal Education (CLE) event on best practices and the latest trends in securities arbitration. The event will be hosted by the Practising Law Institute (PLI), and will be held at PLI New York, 1177 Avenue of the Americas, as well as online as part of a live Webcast.

At the event, Ms. Malecki is scheduled to speak at 2:45 p.m. on Discovery Issues in FINRA arbitration. As part of a panel, Ms. Malecki will discuss FINRA’s discovery rules and procedures, understanding the role of arbitrators in the discovery process, how to execute orders of confidentiality, concepts around producing electronically stored information (ESI) such as proportionality, and how to avoid discovery abuse and related sanctions. Other presenters at the event include other securities attorneys and arbitrators, including Richard Berry, Director of Dispute Resolution at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). The event’s programming includes an update on FINRA arbitration statistics and trends, what is new at FINRA Dispute Resolution Services, as well as recent technology updates and FINRA’s latest response to Covid-19 and how to comply.

Ms. Malecki is a regular presenter and panelist at securities industry events. She is known for her nearly thirty-five years of securities industry practice and is the founder and principal of Malecki Law, a Manhattan-based securities law firm that provides both national and international representation, and has helped retail investors recover tens of millions of dollars in stock market losses, whether due to brokerage firm negligence, Ponzi schemes, or other financial frauds. Malecki Law also represents securities industry financial professionals in employment disputes with their firms, expunge unjustified customer complaints or defamatory comments from their Form U5 and BrokerCheck CRD, and defends them when faced with regulatory inquiries, including responding to SEC subpoenas and FINRA 8210 requests. Ms. Malecki is a former board member of FINRA and member of its National Arbitration and Mediation Committee (NAMC). She is presently the co-chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Securities Arbitration Committee, as well as an adjunct professor in the securities clinic at the New York Law School.

New York State Bar Association’s Securities Arbitration Committee to Host Lunchtime Panel: “Representing Employees in the Securities Industry”

July 18, 2022 | Malecki Law Team

On July 27, 2022, the Securities Arbitration Committee of the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association will put on a free, lunch hour (12:15 PM to 1:30 PM) educational panel to discuss issues unique to the legal representation of employees in the securities industry. The seminar will feature panelists Pearl Zuchlewski and Kirsten Patzer, experienced attorneys who will discuss “An Employee’s Perils: Securities Arbitration in a Regulated World.” The panel will share their experiences in employee representation as it relates to industry rules set forth by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), respectively applying to financial professionals registered with broker dealer and investment advisory institutions.

The lunchtime discussion will focus on differences between representing registered individuals in different forums, whether relating to customer or industry disputes in FINRA Arbitration or the American Arbitration Association (AAA). Discussion will also include common issues relating to registration (e.g., U4/U5 disputes) or other employment disputes, regulatory implications for financial professionals called before the SEC or FINRA (i.e., via subpoena or FINRA 8210 requests), and considerations for when there are civil or criminal penalties at stake. Special attention will be devoted to resulting issues likely to impact a financial professional’s future employment, whether inside or outside the securities industry, as well as a discussion on the latest regulatory trends in this space.

The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) and its Securities Arbitration Committee regularly hosts seminars and educational panels like this one. The committee is co-chaired by Jenice L. Malecki, Esq., founder and proprietor of Malecki Law, a Manhattan-based securities firm that has provided national legal representation to securities industry professionals before regulators (SEC and FINRA) as well as in customer arbitrations, expungement hearings, and U4/U5 disputes for over twenty-five years. Ms. Malecki has additionally served on FINRA’s National Arbitration and Mediation Committee (NAMC), on the board of the Public Investors Advocate Bar Association (PIABA), and is currently an adjunct professor in the Securities Arbitration Clinic at the New York Law School.

Malecki Law is Proud to Announce the Hiring of New Associate Jacqueline Candella

June 20, 2022 | Malecki Law Team

Malecki Law is pleased to announce that Ms. Jacqueline Candella has joined Malecki Law as its new associate securities attorney in New York. Ms. Candella is a recent graduate of the New York Law School yet brings with her an impressive background in the securities and financial industry.

Ms. Candella received her Juris Doctor from Ms. Malecki’s Alma Matter New York Law School (NYLS), having also completed an undergraduate degree in Finance from Pace University. Prior to law school, Ms. Candella served as a client associate for Merrill Lynch – Bank of America’s Wealth Management Department, providing risk assessments, financial analysis, research, and account management support for high-net worth investors.

While in law school, Ms. Candella served as an extern in the Enforcement Division of the Financial Regulatory Authority (FINRA), where she assisted in the investigation of member firms and associated persons for violations of federal securities laws and industry rules. She provided a wide range of support functions for FINRA’s enforcement attorneys, including research and drafting on legal issues. Ms. Candella also participated in interviews with registered representatives and worked on Form U4 and U5 registration issues. In a separate internship, Ms. Candella gained relevant law firm and litigation experience, performing significant work on customer arbitrations and mediations through NYLS’s Field Placement office.

Jenice Malecki Speaking Today at Securities Webinar CLE Event –Registration Still Open

May 13, 2022 | Malecki Law Team

Today at 1:00 PM, NYC FINRA arbitration lawyer Jenice L. Malecki, Esq. will be presenting at a year-in-review webinar hosted by the defense firm Bressler, Amery & Ross, entitled A Recap of 2021 Virtual Proceedings 2nd Annual Hearings in Review. There is still time to attend and register for the event, which is open to securities attorneys and securities industry professionals. Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits are approved for attorneys licensed in New York and Pennsylvania, with reciprocity for New Jersey, Florida, and California. CLE approval has also been applied for and is pending for credit in North Carolina, Alabama, and Texas.

Other presenters at the event include other securities attorneys, including Richard Berry, Director of Dispute Resolution at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). The event reviews the increase in virtual arbitration hearings throughout 2020 and 2021 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, providing outcome statistics and the ongoing trend for virtual proceedings in FINRA customer and industry arbitrations. FINRA has long provided technology and support for virtual arbitration hearings primarily via Zoom and many trial attorneys opted for virtual hearings to avoid Covid-related backlog delays and to ensure their clients received a timely hearing. Practitioners and arbitrators have become so used to using the trial platform that it deserves proper study regarding fair case outcomes if the practice is to continue – for the foreseeable future, virtual proceedings at FINRA appear here to stay. The webinar will review practice tips, techniques, and resources for conducting effective virtual trials, best practices for presenting evidence, developing a plan for technology failures, and how the experience compares to in-person civil trials.

Ms. Malecki is a regular presenter and panelist at securities industry events. As a renowned and skilled litigator in both courts and arbitration, Ms. Malecki has been featured regularly in the media and has published numerous articles to advance diversity and financial elder abuse issues within the securities litigation field. She is known for her nearly thirty-five years of securities industry practice and is the founder and principal of Malecki Law, a FINRA Arbitration Law Firm that has been based in New York City’s financial district for over twenty years. Ms. Malecki is a former board member of FINRA and member of its National Arbitration and Mediation Committee (NAMC). She is presently the co-chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Securities Arbitration Committee, as well as an adjunct professor in the securities clinic at the New York Law School.

Malecki Law is in the News this Week and is in the Thick of Things Next Week Too!

May 6, 2022 | Malecki Law Team

Weighing in on all things financial services, top securities industry lawyer, Jenice L. Malecki, commented on two matters going on at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

First, under fire again, it looks like another FINRA arbitration is poised for potential vacatur because of the conduct of an over-reaching, advocatory-styled arbitrator who would not give a customer their day in court. A Florida state court is now entertaining a case where the Alabama Securities Commission is seeking to vacate an award that granted expungement of customer complaints from a UBS broker’s record.

Ms. Malecki discussed with Financial Planning Magazine how this is not only bad for the customer, but also bad for the broker. It taints the proceedings and runs up the bills unnecessarily. Moreover, this broker will also now have a hotly contested court case on his record when all he did was follow FINRA’s rules. The broker did not exclude the client, the arbitrator did. There needs to be a stronger and better monitored process at FINRA for the sake of all interested parties, as well as stronger monitoring of that process by FINRA – not just letting arbitrators act like self-appointed judges without oversight. Even the best judges in the world are subject to oversight, but FINRA arbitrators are not. The scenario presented is not shocking. It was just a matter of time before something like this happened, and FINRA should have seen this coming for years.