The Law of the Financial Markets from Top Securities Lawyers
Sunday, March 1, 2026
Obtained decision from FINRA’s National Adjudicatory Council which reversed a hearing Panel’s findings of violation, vacated all sanctions and dismissed the complaint. Successfully defended broker-dealer in arbitration with hedge fund claiming 5 million dollars in losses for misrepresentations regarding firm’s abilities, platform, and expertise. Zero award for the Claimant. Obtained […]
When changing firms, and moving between two firms that are part of the Broker Recruiting Protocol, can the broker take client account numbers with her. We get that question a lot. Under the Protocol a broker may take only the client name, address, phone number, email address, and account title […]
SEC investigations can be a harrowing experience for the witness as well as the targets. One of the first questions my clients ask when faced with a subpoena from the SEC is how long is this going to take? While I hate to give the typical lawyer answer, that answer […]
By Mark Astarita Being the subject, target, or even a witness in an SEC or a FINRA investigation is not a pleasant experience. As I discussed in my column “When the SEC Comes Calling” a financial professional’s involvement in a regulatory investigation or proceeding is extremely serious, and can be […]
Churning claims dominated the securities arbitration landscape in the 2000’s, but have declined over the years, as the trading mania waned. As the markets improved, we have begun to see a resurgence of churning claims again. The common perception among the general public is that a customer who trades his […]
Compliance with securities regulations is only the beginning By Mark J. Astarita, Esq. Introduction Cold calling is a method of marketing a service or product by calling prospective clients “cold” – that is, without an introduction, to determine if the potential client has a need for, or interest in, the […]
A question I am often asked is what is the definition of a finder, or questions that lead to that question. The issue arises when an unregistered person or entity introduces investors to an issuer and seeks to obtain payment based on the investment made by the investor. The problem […]
Mark Astarita, Esq. is a nationally recognized securities attorney who represents investors, financial professionals, issuers and financial firms in a wide variety of matters involving federal and state securities laws. He can be reached at mja@sallahlaw.com. The state securities laws and the regulatory scheme has not changed much since 2001 […]
Illegal insider trading is a serious securities law violation that carries potential civil and criminal penalties. Civilly, the penalties can be as large as three times the gross profit on the trading. An insider trading investigation by the SEC requires experienced securities counsel, as the initial investigation often dictates the […]
You can remove derogatory reports from your CRD Report. Call 212-509-6544 to discuss the process with a securities law attorney. The problems associated with FINRA‘s CRD Disclosure System are well known to visitors to SECLaw.com, as we have written about the issue a number of times. The concept of disclosing […]
