FINRA Fines Ameriprise $750,000 for Failing to Supervise Transmittal of Customers' Funds

FINRA fined Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. and its affiliated clearing firm, American Enterprise Investment Services Inc. (AEIS), $750,000 for failing to have reasonable supervisory systems in place to monitor wire transfer requests and the transmittal of customer funds to third-party accounts.  This action stems from a February 2011 disciplinary action in which FINRA barred a former Ameriprise registered representative for converting approximately $790,000 from two customers over a four-year period by forging their signatures on wire transfer requests and disbursing the funds to bank accounts she controlled.

FINRA found that Ameriprise and AEIS failed to establish, maintain and enforce supervisory systems designed to review and monitor the transmittal of funds from customer accounts to third-party accounts.  Ameriprise and AEIS neither admitted nor denied the charges, but consented to the entry of FINRA's findings.