Brokers Cantor Fitzgerald and BMO Capital Markets will combine to pay more than $4.5 million to settle charges of improper handling of “pre-released” American Depositary Receipts, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced.

BMO Capital Markets will pay north of $3.9 million; Cantor Fitzgerald will pay more than $647,000.

Jaclyn Jaeger is a freelance contributor to Compliance Week after working for the company for 15 years. She writes on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal,...