Brokerages The Bulk Of SEC Complaints

Most complaints filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission concern brokerages, says SEC Commissioner Cynthia Glassman. Speaking to a broker-dealer conference in San Diego, Glassman said 31% of filed complaints involved brokerages, with fewer about corporations, mutual fund companies, investment advisers and transfer agents. Brokerages also represented 15% of enforcement actions. Of the five most often reported types of complaints, the largest category involved transfer-of-account problems (622), followed by unauthorized transactions (533); problems with redemptions or liquidations (518) account records, mainly errors or missions on customer statements (433); and unsuitable recommendations (395). Glassman pointed out that in the last category, "When the market is up, the total number is down and vice versa."