SEC fines Morgan Stanley $15M to settle allegations of theft of client funds
By 
Adrianne Appel2024-12-10T18:35:00
A lack of supervision and internal controls at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (MSSB) allowed four of its investment advisers to steal millions from customers before the behavior was detected, the SEC said Tuesday in charging the firm.
Federal laws make it illegal for investment advisers to remove money from their clients’ accounts without their express permission. Advisers are not permitted to move client funds into their personal accounts.
MSSB, which agreed to pay $15 million to settle the matter, also failed to adopt policies and procedures until December 2022 to prevent and discover thefts by employees, the SEC said.
THIS IS MEMBERS-ONLY CONTENT
You are not logged in and do not have access to members-only content.
If you are already a registered user or a member, SIGN IN now.
Related articles
-
News BriefMorgan Stanley fined $1.6M by FINRA over municipal securities closeouts
Morgan Stanley will pay a $1.6 million fine levied by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority for failing to close out certain municipal securities transactions over a five-year period.
-
News BriefMorgan Stanley settles with states for $6.5M over mishandled data
Morgan Stanley agreed to pay $6.5 million as part of a settlement with six states requiring the firm to strengthen its data security after actions it took compromised the personal data of millions of customers.
-
ArticleCompliance deficiencies highlighted in $1.8B crackdown on messaging apps
Eleven banks, investment firms, and their affiliates will pay a total of more than $1.8 billion in fines for “widespread and longstanding failures” in monitoring, maintaining, and preserving electronic communications by employees.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
ArticleU.K. competition regulator ‘very likely’ to use new enforcement powers despite government’s pro-growth agenda
New powers granted to the U.K.’s main competition watchdog will result in greater scrutiny, tougher enforcement, and a stark warning for companies to review their sales and marketing promotions—especially since some practices have been pushed firmly into the spotlight thanks to legislation that came into effect last year.
-
ArticleSEC enforcement priorities revert back to basics
Recent pronouncements made by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission leadership, alongside the recent overhaul of the SEC Enforcement Manual, collectively signal a back-to-basics enforcement approach that appears beneficial for companies in their dealings with the agency.
-
ArticleFCA drive to reduce its investigation costs likely to add to compliance burden for smaller firms, warn experts
The U.K. financial regulator’s move towards “impactful deterrence” could see smaller and mid-size firms come increasingly under the spotlight as the watchdog aims to tackle market-wide concerns instead of primarily focusing on large players capable of doing the most harm.