Close Close
Popular Financial Topics Discover relevant content from across the suite of ALM legal publications From the Industry More content from ThinkAdvisor and select sponsors Investment Advisor Issue Gallery Read digital editions of Investment Advisor Magazine Tax Facts Get clear, current, and reliable answers to pressing tax questions
Luminaries Awards
ThinkAdvisor
LPL Financial sign in San Diego

Regulation and Compliance > Federal Regulation

LPL Nears $50M SEC Settlement Over Messaging App Use

X
Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

LPL Financial says it has reached a settlement in principle with regulators over its recordkeeping of off-channel communications and expects to pay a penalty of $50 million by June 30.

The independent broker-dealer agreed to the settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 22, though the agreement “remains subject to the negotiation of definitive documentation and approval by the SEC,” LPL said late Tuesday in its first-quarter earnings report.

Last year, the SEC proposed a $50 million settlement with LPL to resolve a civil investigation of the firm’s compliance with records preservation rules for business-related electronic communications stored on personal devices or messaging platforms not yet approved by the IBD.

As a result, LPL recorded a $40 million regulatory charge in the third quarter, reflecting the amount of the penalty not covered by the firm’s captive insurance subsidiary.

In its 2023 annual report, the IBD said the fine was tied to “business-related electronic communications stored on personal devices or messaging platforms that we have not approved.

Other financial firms have faced similar regulatory actions.

In February, the SEC charged five broker-dealers, seven dually registered broker-dealers and investment advisors, and four affiliated investment advisors for widespread and longstanding failures by the firms and their employees to maintain and preserve electronic communications, including WhatsApp messages and texts.

The 16 firms agreed to pay combined civil penalties of more than $81 million.

LPL — which had 22,884 advisors and $1.44 trillion of client assets on its platforms as of March 31 — reported first-quarter revenue of $2.8 billion, up 7% from a year ago, and profits of $288.8 million, a jump of 33% from the first quarter of 2023.

The firm said in February that it was buying Atria Wealth Solutions, which works with 2,400 advisors, 150 banks and credit unions, and $100 billion of assets, for $805 million.

–Melanie Waddell contributed to this report.


NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.