The dispute between LPL Investment Holdings Inc. and Pacific Life Insurance Co. over liability for rogue brokers is a reminder that unseen risks can be part of any acquisition, no matter how well-vetted, according to lawyers and investment bankers.
<a href= http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=Topic&keywordid=261&keywordname=LPL%20Financial>LPL Investment Holdings Inc. </a>and Pacific Life Insurance Co. are staring each other down over which firm will have to pony up the potentially millions of dollars in claims stemming from fraud suits against a rogue broker from one of the three independent-contractor firms LPL acquired from Pac Life two years ago.
Now that the Department of Labor is scrapping a rule proposal that would have allowed brokers affiliated with financial-services firms to provide advice to 401(k) participants, Congress will move forward with legislation that would require that such advice be given by independent advisers, according to a key congressman.
In the coming months, state securities regulators will focus on increasing the threshold for state regulation of investment advisers to $100 million, according to Texas securities commissioner Denise Voigt Crawford.
A former GunnAllen Financial Inc. and Ameriprise Financial Services Inc. broker pleaded guilty this month to two federal charges, one of mail fraud and the other of filing a false tax return, and he faces up to 23 years in prison when he is sentenced in September.
Lawmakers in Washington are discussing scrapping the conflicted-advice provision of the 401(k) Fair Disclosure and Pension Security Act of 2009 — a move that would be welcomed by many in the financial services industry.
The Labor Department has officially killed a Bush administration rule that would have cleared the way for mutual fund companies to offer direct one-on-one investment advice through their affiliates to defined contribution plan participants.
A proposal by the Securities and Exchange Commission that would require advisory firms that hold custody of client assets to be audited by accountants that are inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board would cost each firm an average of $200,000, according to one new estimate.
The financial advisory industry is rallying its troops against a controversial SEC rule proposal that would subject thousands of investment advisers to surprise exams by outside auditors.
Smith Barney has hit a former adviser with a lawsuit, an arbitration claim and a restraining order, claiming that the rep improperly pursued clients and used confidential information after he resigned from the brokerage arm of New York-based Citigroup Inc. at midmonth.
After focusing their efforts on increasing 401(k) fee disclosure, members of an influential committee last week approved a more comprehensive package of potential retirement reforms.
A key Congressional committee is expected to vote on a proposal - as early as next week - that could potentially bar thousands of brokers from providing investment advice to 401(k) participants, according to sources.
A New Jersey-based financial adviser has admitted operating a scheme that defrauded investors of more than $9 million.
William Blair & Co. LLC and two ex-brokers at the firm have been socked with a $1.1 million arbitration decision that centered on two brokers' setting up a phony e-mail address where they sent statements from the brokerage account of an 88-year-old widow.
With the Labor Department stepping up scrutiny of conflicts of interest and fee disclosures, broker-dealers are becoming concerned about how their reps handle rollover assets from 401(k) plans.
Swiss tax authorities said Tuesday they have notified the first 500 clients of Swiss bank UBS AG whose names they want to hand over to the United States for alleged tax cheating.
State and federal prosecutors have charged seven people in an alleged securities scam that cheated dozens of people out of $17 million.
Finra has opened up its checkbook to lobby Congress for authority over investment advisers.
The Obama administration has formed a new task force to target financial fraud — replacing an earlier corporate fraud task force.
