Misrepresentations and/or omissions - your broker is obligated to truthfully provide you with all of the relevant information you need to make an informed and intelligent decision regarding your investments. If your broker misrepresented any facts or failed to disclose material facts related to an investment, your broker may be liable for your losses.

Unsuitability - Brokers are legally obligated to 'know their customers' and recommend appropriate and 'suitable' investments and trading strategies. If your broker failed to take your risk tolerance, investment objectives and life circumstances into account when making investment recommendations, you may have a 'suitability' securities claim.

Unauthorized Trading - if your broker made trades in your account without your knowledge and prior permission and you lost money as a result of those trades, you may have an "unauthorized trading" claim against your broker.

Churning or Excessive Trading - Churning occurs when a stockbroker engages in excessive trading in your account. Churning is a way to generate additional commissions for the broker and is illegal. If you suspect that your account has been 'churned' or excessively traded, you may have a claim to recover the commissions collected by the broker and the financial losses you suffered.

Failure to Diversify (Over Concentration) - Diversification is an essential part of a well-managed investment portfolio. If your portfolio was over-concentrated in one type of investment, whether it is one stock, one mutual fund or one industry, and you lost money due to a decline in that investment, you may have a claim to recover losses caused by a failure to diversify your portfolio.

Excessive or Unsuitable Use of Margin - A 'margin' account is a brokerage account with a line of credit attached to it that allows an investor to borrow against the value of the securities in the account. Margin accounts expose investors to high levels of risk and are very profitable for the brokerage firm at the expense of the investor. If you are paying excessive interest to your brokerage firm as a result of a margin account, you may have a claim against your brokerage firm.

If you are a victim of securities fraud, broker misconduct or suspect improper activity by your broker, contact Scott T. Beall at 901-681-0500 or contact us online today for a free consultation and evaluation of your claim. Cases are typically handled on a contingency fee basis. If we do not make a recovery for you, you pay no attorney's fee. In many cases, the firm will advance the costs of the suit for investors.