Enforcement Actions
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
CASES OF NOTE
2010
NOTE: Stipulations of Fact and Consent to Penalty (SFC); Offers of Settlement (OS); and Letters of Acceptance Waiver, and Consent (AWC) are entered into by Respondents without admitting or denying the allegations, but consent is given to the described sanctions & to the entry of findings. Additionally, for AWCs, if FINRA has reason to believe a violation has occurred and the member or associated person does not dispute the violation, FINRA may prepare and request that the member or associated person execute a letter accepting a finding of violation, consenting to the imposition of sanctions, and agreeing to waive such member's or associated person's right to a hearing before a hearing panel, and any right of appeal to the National Adjudicatory Council, the SEC, and the courts, or to otherwise challenge the validity of the letter, if the letter is accepted. The letter shall describe the act or practice engaged in or omitted, the rule, regulation, or statutory provision violated, and the sanction or sanctions to be imposed.
TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC
AWC/2007011343301

The Firm failed to

  • report quarterly statistical and summary information to FINRA regarding a substantial number of customer complaints;
  • establish,maintain and enforce a supervisory system reasonably designed to identify, capture, analyze and report customer complaints that are required to be reported pursuant to NASD Rule 3070(c);
  • put adequate systems and procedures in place to ensure that all customer complaints were identified and forwarded to the appropriate firm personnel,
  • adequately train all personnel who might potentially receive customer complaints regarding proper handling of complaints, and
  • ensure that sufficient guidance was given to personnel who were responsible for reviewing complaints to determine which complaints were reportable.
TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC: Censured; Fined $100,000
Bill Singer's Comment

Gotta tell ya -- when I saw that this case was about TIAA-CREF that really caught my attention. I mean this isn't some sleazy, fly-by-night operation.

In 1918, Andrew Carnegie and his Carnegie Foundation established Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA), a fully-funded system of pensions for professors. Funding was provided by a combination of grants from the foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York, as well as ongoing contributions from participating institutions and individuals.  After World War II, in reaction to rising inflation and lengthening life expectancies, TIAA recognized the need for its participants to invest in equities in order to diversify their retirement funds. In 1952, TIAA created the College Retirement Equities Fund ("CREF") for that purpose.

TIAA-CREF is a Fortune 100 financial services company that is the leading retirement system for people who work in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields. TIAA-CREF serves 3.6 million active and retired employees participating in more than 27,000 retirement plans and has $363 billion in combined assets under management.

 

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