MFDA announces settlement hearing to take place in respect of Jason Savoy

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2017 /CNW/ - The Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada ("MFDA") commenced a disciplinary proceeding in respect of Jason Andrew Savoy ("Respondent") by Notice of Hearing dated December 16, 2016 ("Notice of Hearing").

As the result of a settlement agreement entered into between Staff of the MFDA and the Respondent, the settlement hearing in this proceeding will take place on November 2, 2017, commencing at 10:00 a.m. (Atlantic) or as soon thereafter as the matter can be held, in the hearing room at the Nova Scotia Securities Commission, located at 5251 Duke Street, Suite 400, Duke Tower, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The subject matter of the proposed settlement agreement concerns matters for which the Respondent may be disciplined pursuant to ss. 20 and 24.1.1 of By-law No. 1 of the MFDA. In particular, the settlement agreement concerns the allegations that the Respondent:

a)	in or around December 2013, agreed to personally reimburse a client the deferred sales charge fees the client would incur on a transaction, without the knowledge and approval of the Member, and then reneged on the agreement, contrary to MFDA Rules 2.1.4 and 2.1.1, and MFDA Policy No. 3;
b)	between 2009 and 2014, obtained and possessed ten (10) pre-signed client account forms in respect of seven (7) clients, contrary to the Member's policies and procedures and MFDA Rules 1.1.2, 2.5.1, and 2.1.1;
c)	between April 2007 and October 2013, accepted cash deposits from six (6) clients on 11 occasions, and used the cash deposits to purchase bank drafts to invest in mutual funds on the clients' behalf, contrary to the Member's policies and procedures and MFDA Rules 1.1.2, 2.5.1, and 2.1.1;
d)	between October 2009 and August 2014, delayed the processing of 20 transactions in the accounts of ten (10) clients, thereby failing to process trades in client accounts in a timely manner and consistent with, subsections 9.1 and 10.2 of the National Instrument 81-102, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1;
e)	between September 2012 and 2014, compensated six (6) clients for fees incurred by the client as a result of investment losses due to errors or trade delays, without the Member's prior consent, contrary to the Member's policies and procedures and MFDA Rules 1.1.2, 2.5.1, and 2.1.1, and MFDA Policy No. 3;
f)	between 2004 and 2013, had and continued in a dual occupation by providing tax preparation services to 14 clients, which was not disclosed to and approved by the Member, contrary to the Member's policies and procedures and MFDA Rules 1.2.1(c) (now MFDA Rule 1.3), 1.1.2, 2.5.1, and 2.1.1;
g)	between July 2014 and November 2014, made misleading statements during the Member's investigation into his conduct, thereby interfering with the ability of the Member to supervise his conduct, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1;
h)	between 2007 and 2013, misled the Member in annual compliance questionnaires when he falsely represented to the Member that he:
	i.	did not arrange for and maintain pre-signed forms;
	ii.	did not enter into financial settlements with clients that had not been approved by the Member; and
	iii.	had disclosed and sought approval for outside business activities,
	thereby interfering with the ability of the Member to supervise his conduct, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1; and
i)	in January 2013 and December 2015, failed to process transactions requested by two (2) clients on two (2) occasions, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1.

MFDA settlement hearings are typically held in the absence of the public pursuant to section 20.5 of MFDA By-law No. 1 and Rule 15.2(2) of the MFDA Rules of Procedure. If the Hearing Panel accepts the settlement agreement, then the proceeding will become open to the public and a copy of the decision of the Hearing Panel and the settlement agreement will be made available at www.mfda.ca.

A copy of the Notice of Hearing is available on the MFDA website at www.mfda.ca. During the period described in the Notice of Hearing, the Respondent conducted business in the Halifax, Nova Scotia area.

The MFDA is the self-regulatory organization for Canadian mutual fund dealers, regulating the operations, standards of practice and business conduct of its Members and their approximately 83,000 Approved Persons with a mandate to protect investors and the public interest. For more information about the MFDA's complaint and enforcement processes, as well as links to 'Check an Advisor' and other Investor Tools, visit the For Investors page on the MFDA website.

SOURCE Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada

Charles Toth, Director, Litigation, 416-943-4619, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.mfda.ca