Compliance & Ethics

M1 Finance Fined by FINRA for Short Selling and Record-Keeping Violations

M1 Finance LLC, a Chicago-based broker-dealer firm, has been fined $400,000 by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for violating rules related to short selling and maintaining inaccurate books and records.

Hahn Air Lines Agrees to Pay $26.8M to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Over Unpaid Travel Fees

German travel company Hahn Air Lines GmbH and its American subsidiary Hahn Air USA Inc. have agreed to pay $26.8 million to settle claims they failed to remit millions of dollars in passenger fees owed to U.S. government agencies over a six-year period.

FINTRAC Hits TD Bank with Fine of $9 Million (CAD)

FINTRAC has hit The Toronto-Dominion Bank with a fine of $9,185,000 (CAD) for non-compliance and being in violation of the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act, the primary Canadian regulations that regulate money laundering. This action against Toronto Dominion is part of a wider reaching international probe attached to a United States Department of Justice investigation into the bank’s role in laundering hundreds of millions of dollars for Chinese fentanyl traffickers.

FINRA Imposes $1.1 Million Fine on SoFi for Violating Customer Identification and Identity Theft Prevention Rules

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has announced a significant penalty against SoFi Securities LLC, amounting to $1.1 million, for multiple violations related to its customer identification and identity theft prevention programs. SoFi Securities, headquartered in San Francisco, California, and a member of FINRA since 2011, was found to have inadequately established and maintained protocols for its cash management brokerage account, SoFi Money, resulting in vulnerabilities to fraudulent activities.

Audit Firm BF Borgers and Owner Charged with Massive Fraud

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has leveled charges against audit firm BF Borgers and its owner, Benjamin F. Borgers. The SEC alleges "deliberate and systemic failures" by the firm to maintain compliance with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) in over 1,500 SEC filings.

TD Bank Sets Aside $450 Million Amid U.S. AML Investigation

It was reported recently that Toronto-Dominion Bank has taken an initial $450 million provision for potential penalties stemming from an investigation into weaknesses in its anti-money laundering procedures at its U.S. operations.

Williams-Sonoma Hit With Record $3.17M Fine for Deceptive 'Made in USA' Claims

Home retailer Williams-Sonoma Inc. has agreed to pay a record $3.17 million civil penalty to settle charges that it repeatedly violated a 2020 Federal Trade Commission order requiring truthful "Made in USA" product claims.