Category Archives: Cetera Financial Group

Cetera Advisors, Cetera Financial Group, Stockbroker Malpractice, StockBroker Misconduct, Walnut Street Securities

Scott Shoup-Cetera Advisor Networks Broker-Discloses Customer Disputes-Sewickley, PA 

September 2019- Sewickley, PA

According to publicly available records Scott Eugene Shoup (CRD#1874559) , a  stockbroker who is currently registered Cetera Advisor Networks,  disclose 1 pending and 4 final customer disputes.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is the agency that licenses and regulates stockbrokers and brokerage firms. FINRA requires brokers and brokerage firms to report customer complaints and disputes as well as regulatory sanctions. In addition brokers are required to disclose certain financial matters such as personal bankruptcies, judgments and liens.

From 6/ 2004 to 5/2005,  4 clients of Financial Investment Analysts filed customer disputes with allegations including: breach of contract, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, misrepresentation, non-disclosures, unauthorized trading, omission of facts, suitability and fraud.  Total settlements paid on these cases was about $147,000.

In October of 2015, a Cetera Advisor Networks customer filed a claim in the Court of Common Pleas in Westmoreland County, PA, alleging forgery of securities and misrepresentation or misleading information.    The claim alleges that Shoup had the client’s name removed from monthly distributions from a joint annuity and that her husband was forging her name on the checks.   The client is seeking $500,000 in damages in this pending matter .

Shoup has been employed by Cetera Advisor Networks since 9/2013.    He was registered with Walnut Street Securities from 2004 until 2013.     Shoup discloses a business affiliation with Vicus Capital, Inc.,  and Pennsylvania Financial Group (PFG) in State College, PA. 

If you have questions about an investment account handled by Scott Eugene Shoup contact us for a no charge consultation to learn about your legal options.

Rex Securities Law , with offices in Boca Raton, FL,  and  Austin, TX,   provides representation to  investors  nationwide who are seeking recovery of investment losses due to the negligence or fraud of stockbrokers and broker dealers. If you have questions about how your account has been handled, call to speak with an experienced securities attorney.

Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis meaning that you do not pay legal fees unless we are successful.

Nationwide Representation

Rex Securities Law

TollFree: 877-224-3199

Florida-561 391 1900 

Texas-512-329-2870

Cetera Advisors, Cetera Financial Group, First Allied Securities, Fraud, Mutual Funds, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Stockbroker Malpractice, Summit Brokerage Services, Undisclosed compensation

Cetera Advisors Charged With Defrauding Retail Clients

September 2019

Cetera Advisors, a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer based in Denver, Colorado, was charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with breaching its fiduciary duty and defrauding retail clients out of more than $10 million in undisclosed commissions in connection with the sale of mutual funds.

According to the SEC,  Cetera representatives continuously recommended that clients invest in funds on the Cetera platform that cost the clients more than other less expensive, identical investments that are available.

The SEC alleges that Cetera put clients’ money into mutual fund share classes that charged 12b-1 fees when Cetera knew that the clients could have invested in lower cost shares of the same funds without those fees. These violations, which netted Cetera nearly $11 million to which it was not entitled,  occurred from at least 9/2012-12/2016.

Cetera Financial Group, with about 8,000 advisors and reported revenues of $1.6 billion in 2016,  includes the following firms:

  • Cetera Advisors
  • Cetera Advisor Networks
  • Cetera Financial Specialists
  • Cetera Financial Institutions
  • First Allied 
  • Summit Brokerage Services

Cetera Corporate offices are located in El Segundo, CA, Boca Raton, FL, Denver, CO, San Diego, CA, St. Cloud, MN and Schaumburg, IL.

If you have questions about an investment account handled by one of the Cetera firms,  contact us for a no charge consultation to learn about your legal options.

Rex Securities Law , with offices in Boca Raton, FL,  and  Austin, TX,   provides representation to  investors  nationwide who are seeking recovery of investment losses due to the negligence or fraud of stockbrokers and broker dealers. If you have questions about how your account has been handled, call to speak with an experienced securities attorney.

Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis meaning that you do not pay legal fees unless we are successful.

Nationwide Representation

Rex Securities Law

TollFree: 877-224-3199

Florida-561 391 1900 

Texas-512-329-2870

Cetera Advisors, Cetera Financial Group, Churning, Failure to Supervise, FINRA, Finra Investigation of Stockbroker, Stockbroker Malpractice, Summit Brokerage Services, Unauthorized Trading, Undisclosed compensation, Unsuitable Investments

Summit Brokerage Services Sanctioned for Churning Accounts-Boca Raton, FL

July 2019-Boca Raton, FL

Wealthmangement.com reports that Summit Brokerage Services, an independent broker dealer headquartered in Boca Raton, FL,  will close it doors and roll its business up into an affiliated broker dealer, Cetera Advisor Network.

Summit Brokerage reports having 450 advisors and $17.5 billion in client assets.

According to FINRA records, Summit Brokerage discloses 15 prior regulatory matters. Most recently in July 2019, Summit Brokerage was censured by FINRA, fined $325,000 and ordered to pay restitution to customers of $558,296, plus interest, to resolve various allegations related to supervision of the firm’s brokers. The supervisory deficiencies include a broker who excessively traded customer accounts which generated over $650,000 in commissions.

If you have losses in an account at Summit Brokerage Services, call for a no charge consultation to discuss your options.

Rex Securities Law , with offices in Boca Raton, FL,  and  Austin, TX,   provides representation to  investors  nationwide who are seeking recovery of investment losses due to the negligence or fraud of stockbrokers and broker dealers. If you have questions about how your account has been handled, call to speak with an experienced securities attorney.

Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis meaning that you do not pay legal fees unless we are successful.

Nationwide Representation

Rex Securities Law

TollFree: 877-224-3199

Florida-561 391 1900 

Texas-512-329-2870

AXA Advisors, Cetera Advisors, Cetera Financial Group, Failure to Supervise, Investor's Capital Corp., Misrepresentation, Stockbroker Discharged, Stockbroker Malpractice, Unsuitable Investments

Travis Hughes of Hughes Financial Group-Discloses Numerous Customer Suits-El Paso, TX

January 2019-El Paso, Texas

According to publicly available records   Travis Jerome Hughes , a  stockbroker who is currently registered with Cetera Advisors  disclose a currently pending customer dispute, 11 prior customer disputes and a termination from employment.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is the agency that licenses and regulates stockbrokers and brokerage firms. FINRA requires brokers and brokerage firms to report customer complaints and disputes as well as regulatory sanctions. In addition brokers are required to disclose certain financial matters such as personal bankruptcies, judgments and liens.

In the currently pending matter a customer of Cetera Advisors alleges poor performance of an investment in a real estate trust (REIT) and is seeking damages of over $18,000. Five of the prior customer disputes were were resolved with cash settlements, including:

  • FINRA Case 17-0028 in which a customer of Investors Capital Corp. was paid $37,500 to resolve allegations that investments in real estate securities and corporate debt were unsuitable.
  • A case filed in El Paso County (2008-3396) in which a customer of AXA Advisors was paid $350,000 to resolve allegations that they were sold unsuitable investments and victims of fraud.
  • A customer of AXA Advisors was paid $289,000 in 2007 to resolve allegations that she was sold three variable life insurance policies that were unsuitable based upon her financial objectives.

Hughes has been with Cetera Advisors since 10/2016. His prior employment includes Investors Capital Corp. , AXA Advisors and The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Hughes discloses business affiliations with Liberty Tax and Hughes Financial Group.

If you have losses in an account in an account handled by Travis Hughes , contact us for a no charge consultation to learn how you may be able to recover damages  through FINRA arbitration.

Rex Securities Law , with offices in Boca Raton, FL,  and  Austin, TX,   provides representation to  investors nationwide who are seeking recovery of investment losses due to the negligence or fraud of stockbrokers and broker dealers. If you have questions about how your account has been handled, call to speak with an experienced securities attorney.

Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis meaning that you do not pay legal fees unless we are successful.

Nationwide Representation

Rex Securities Law

TollFree: 877-224-3199

Florida-561 391 1900 

Texas-512-329-2870

Cetera Advisors, Cetera Financial Group, LPL Financial, Stockbroker Malpractice, StockBroker Misconduct

Bradley Allen Bowman-Former Cetera Investments Services Broker-Discloses 400K Customer Dispute- Sugarland TX

November 2018-Sugarland, TX

According to publicly available records Bradley Allen Bowman , (CRD# 2898756) ,  a  stockbroker currently employed by LPL Finanical who was previously registered with Cetera Investment Services,  disclose a pending $400,000 customer dispute . 

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is the agency that licenses and regulates stockbrokers and brokerage firms. FINRA requires brokers and brokerage firms to report customer complaints and disputes as well as regulatory sanctions. In addition brokers are required to disclose certain financial matters such as personal bankruptcies, judgments and liens.

In January of 2018, a customer of  Cetera Investment Services,  filed FINRA case #18-0177 alleging  that Bowman did nothing to mitigate the collapse of their portfolios.    The customer is seeking damages of $400,000 in this pending matter.

Bowman was employed by Cetera Investment Services from April 2009 until October 2016.   He has been employed by LPL Financial Services since 10/2016. Bowman discloses a business affiliation with Intrua Financial in Houston, TX.

If you have losses in an account in an account handled by Bradley Allen Bowman, contact us for a no charge consultation to learn how you may be able to recover damages from his employer through FINRA arbitration.

Rex Securities Law , with offices in Boca Raton, FL,  and  Austin, TX,   provides representation to  investors  nationwide who are seeking recovery of investment losses due to the negligence or fraud of stockbrokers and broker dealers. If you have questions about how your account has been handled, call to speak with an experienced securities attorney.

Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis meaning that you do not pay legal fees unless we are successful.

Nationwide Representation

Rex Securities Law

TollFree: 877-224-3199

Florida-561 391 1900 

Texas-512-329-2870