Financial
services firm Fidelity Brokerage Services has agreed to pay a $900,000 fine to
settle charges by Wall Street’s self-regulator that flaws in the company’s
system for approving customers to trade options resulted in violations of the
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules. The issue is about
allowing too young investors to trade options.
FINRA has
announced that it has censured Fidelity and fined the firm for failing to
exercise reasonable due diligence when approving customers for options trading
from May 2017 through April 2022.
According
to FINRA’s probe, Fidelity’s automated system for reviewing options trading
applications had several shortcomings. Notably, it approved around 400
customers under the age of 19, which is against Fidelity’s own eligibility
criteria.
Fidelity
required users to have at least one year of experience with investment accounts
to trade options. Since such an account can only be opened at the age of 18,
individuals who had not yet turned 19 physically could not have gained such
experience. Despite this, their applications were accepted.
Additionally,
the system greenlit applications that had significant inconsistencies in
reported income, net worth, and trading experience. Fidelity took steps to
rectify these issues between February 2021 and April 2022. As part of the
settlement , Fidelity has agreed to pay the $900,000 fine and accept censure,
effectively resolving the FINRA investigation. However, the company neither
admitted nor denied FINRA’s findings.
The
investigation revealed that Fidelity’s flawed approval process violated the
following FINRA rules:
- Rule 2360: Mandates firms to exercise
due diligence when approving accounts for options trading. - Rule 3110: Requires firms to have
supervisory systems that are reasonably designed to ensure compliance . - Rule 2010: Stipulates high standards of
commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade.
In June,
Credit Suisse’s US subsidiary paid a similar-sized fine. The case involved
different issues but violated similar rules of the self-regulatory body.
Fidelity
has recently been in the news mainly for its activities in the cryptocurrency
market. The company submitted another request to create a spot Bitcoin ETF a
few months ago. The firm’s first application for this financial instrument was
rejected in 2022, but amid a wave of new applications, the investment market
giant decided to try again.
Financial
services firm Fidelity Brokerage Services has agreed to pay a $900,000 fine to
settle charges by Wall Street’s self-regulator that flaws in the company’s
system for approving customers to trade options resulted in violations of the
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules. The issue is about
allowing too young investors to trade options.
FINRA has
announced that it has censured Fidelity and fined the firm for failing to
exercise reasonable due diligence when approving customers for options trading
from May 2017 through April 2022.
According
to FINRA’s probe, Fidelity’s automated system for reviewing options trading
applications had several shortcomings. Notably, it approved around 400
customers under the age of 19, which is against Fidelity’s own eligibility
criteria.
Fidelity
required users to have at least one year of experience with investment accounts
to trade options. Since such an account can only be opened at the age of 18,
individuals who had not yet turned 19 physically could not have gained such
experience. Despite this, their applications were accepted.
Additionally,
the system greenlit applications that had significant inconsistencies in
reported income, net worth, and trading experience. Fidelity took steps to
rectify these issues between February 2021 and April 2022. As part of the
settlement , Fidelity has agreed to pay the $900,000 fine and accept censure,
effectively resolving the FINRA investigation. However, the company neither
admitted nor denied FINRA’s findings.
The
investigation revealed that Fidelity’s flawed approval process violated the
following FINRA rules:
- Rule 2360: Mandates firms to exercise
due diligence when approving accounts for options trading. - Rule 3110: Requires firms to have
supervisory systems that are reasonably designed to ensure compliance . - Rule 2010: Stipulates high standards of
commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade.
In June,
Credit Suisse’s US subsidiary paid a similar-sized fine. The case involved
different issues but violated similar rules of the self-regulatory body.
Fidelity
has recently been in the news mainly for its activities in the cryptocurrency
market. The company submitted another request to create a spot Bitcoin ETF a
few months ago. The firm’s first application for this financial instrument was
rejected in 2022, but amid a wave of new applications, the investment market
giant decided to try again.
