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Enforcement Actions
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
CASES OF NOTE
2011
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.
October 2011
CBG Financial Group, Inc.
AWC/2010021106701/October 2011

The Firm allowed a statutorily disqualified person to associate with the firm.

The individual acted in an associated capacity for the firm, with its knowledge and consent, by

  • keeping regular business hours at the firm,
  • maintaining a
    • desk at the firm’s office,
    • a telephone extension at the firm, and
    • a firm sponsored email account;
  • regularly communicating with customers in an effort to maintain their accounts at the firm and to preserve his relationships with them; and
  • handling administrative matters for the firm.

The firm initiated numerous telephone solicitations to persons whose numbers were in the national do-not call registry of the Federal Trade Commission (DNC Registry) at the time of the calls.

Tto achieve compliance with telemarketing rules and regulations, the firm used, and still uses, a system that blocks outbound phone calls to phone numbers in the DNC Registry. In order to call a phone number in the DNC Registry from a firm phone line, the firm must manually place the number on a list in the system (Allow List); calls to phone numbers on the Allow List bypass the screening system, irrespective of whether the number is in the DNC Registry. A firm principal added numerous phone numbers to the Allow List; the numbers came from leads that the firm had purchased. In addition, the firm maintained that it thought the leads consisted solely of business phone numbers that are not subject to certain do-not-call restrictions. Moreover, the firm placed calls to phone numbers that it had added to the Allow List; a substantial percentage were personal phone numbers that were in the DNC Registry when the firm initiated telephone solicitations to them.

CBG Financial Group, Inc.: Censured; Fined $50,000
Tags:  Statutory Disqualification    Do Not Call     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment
Interesting case that combines but SD and DNC issues, and is fairly well presented by FINRA.
February 2011
Linda Mary Bakalis Schurr
AWC/2007009073002/February 2011

Schurr engaged in an outside business activity involving a company, which was a marketing and advertising business through which she sought to generate leads for registered representatives and insurance agents. The company’s primary form of marketing was mass mailings, usually employing postcards that contained false and misleading statements that Schurr sent and caused to be sent to thousands of prospective customers. Schurr developed and directed the use of multiple false and misleading telephone operator scripts that were used in the company’s call center to respond to potential investors.

As a result of the misleading marketing practices involving her company, Schurr became the subject of state regulatory actions and willfully failed to timely update and amend her Form U4 to disclose these actions to FINRA as required.

Schurr associated with a FINRA registered member firm and acted in a registered capacity while subject to statutory disqualification.

Schurr provided false information and failed to disclose material information to the firm on firm annual compliance and outside business activity questionnaires concerning her outside business activity and regulatory actions.

In addition, Schurr failed to provide prompt and complete written notice to the firm of her outside business activities involving another insurance marketing firm when the other company was closed.

Linda Mary Bakalis Schurr : Fined $35,000; Suspended 2 years
Tags:  Scripts    Statutory Disqualification    Annual Compliance Certification         |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment
Just out of curiousity, what does it take to get barred these days?
Peter Joseph Bonnell III (Principal)
AWC/2007009073001/February 2011

Bonnell engaged in an outside business activity involving a company he owned and operated, which was a marketing and advertising business through which he sought to generate leads for registered representatives and insurance agents. The company’s primary form of marketing was mass mailings, usually employing postcards that contained false and misleading statements that Bonnell sent and caused to be sent to thousands of prospective customers.

Bonnell developed and directed the use of multiple false and misleading telephone operator scripts that were used in the company’s call center to respond to potential investors. As a result of the misleading marketing practices involving his company, Bonnell became the subject of several state regulatory actions and willfully failed to timely amend his Form U4 to disclose these actions to FINRA as required.

Bonnell associated with a FINRA registered member firm and acted in a registered capacity while he was subject to statutory disqualification. Bonnell provided false information, failed to disclose material information, and misrepresented material information on the firm’s annual compliance questionnaires concerning his outside business activity and regulatory actions.

In addition,Bonnell failed to provide prompt and complete written notice to the firm of his outside business activities involving another insurance marketing firm he operated after closing the other company. Moreover, Bonnell failed to adequately supervise certain representatives to ensure they filed accurate and timely updates disclosing state regulatory actions and outside business activity.

Peter Joseph Bonnell III (Principal): Fined $35,000; Suspended 2 years
Tags:  Scripts    Statutory Disqualification    Annual Compliance Certification     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
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