If you invested with Matthew Maczko, a broker with Wells Fargo Advisors in Oak Brook, Illinois and suffered losses that you question, please call 1-866-817-0201 for a free and private consultation with an attorney concerning your rights.
Maczko was suspended from the securities industry last week, the week of February 7, 2017, for alleged excessive trading in the brokerage accounts of a 93-year-old customer, according to a FINRA. Maczko effectively controlled the customer’s accounts, which had an average aggregate value of $3 million.
Maczko’s trading generated more than 2800 transactions resulting in $582,000 in commissions, $84,270 in fees and approximately $397,000 in trading losses for the account in question. Such trading activity was not only churning but was also unsuitable for Maczko’s victim given the customer’s age, risk tolerance and income needs.
Maczko also intentionally mislead FINRA regulators and investigators by telling them during testimony that he had not spoken to other senior customers after his termination from Wells Fargo, when in fact he had spoken with them several times.
Securities brokers are required to follow the rules of FINRA. FINRA requires that investments not only be suitable in terms of the nature of the investment, but also that the investments be quantitatively suitable. This means that the number of trades cannot be excessive in light of the wants and needs of the customer. Above a certain level, the trades can be seen as not being for the benefit of the customer, but for the broker.
The trades of Maczko went well beyond the acceptable number of trades.
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