MFDA issues Notice of Settlement Hearing in respect of Bradley Gascho
TORONTO, July 17, 2018 /CNW/ - The Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada ("MFDA") announced that it has issued a Notice of Settlement Hearing dated July 5, 2018 regarding the presentation, review and consideration of a proposed settlement agreement by a Hearing Panel of the MFDA's Central Regional Council.
The settlement agreement will be between Staff of the MFDA and Bradley John Gascho ("Respondent") and involves matters for which he may be disciplined by a Hearing Panel pursuant to MFDA By-laws. The proposed settlement agreement concerns allegations that the Respondent:
| a) |
between 2002 and March 18, 2016, recommended to at least 73 clients that the clients concentrate at least 25% of their investment holdings in gold and/or precious metals sector funds, without conducting adequate due diligence to assess the suitability of his investment recommendations, having regard to the essential Know-Your-Client ("KYC") factors relevant to each individual client, including the client's age, risk tolerance, ability to withstand investment losses, and investment knowledge and experience, contrary to MFDA Rules 2.2.1 and 2.1.1; |
| b) |
between September 2007 and November 2014, misrepresented, failed to fully and adequately explain, or omitted to explain the risks and benefits of investing in gold or precious metals sector funds to a senior client, WA, thereby failing to ensure his recommendations were suitable for client WA, contrary to MFDA Rules 2.2.1 and 2.1.1; |
| c) |
in July 2015, increased the risk tolerance of a senior client, EJ, on her account forms in order to ensure that the KYC information for client EJ matched his investment recommendations to concentrate a substantial portion of client EJ's investment holdings in gold or precious metals sector funds, contrary to MFDA Rules 2.2.1 and 2.1.1; |
| d) |
between September 2007 and November 2014, failed to use due diligence to learn and accurately record the essential KYC factors relative to a senior client, WA, prior to making investment recommendations, contrary to MFDA Rules 2.2.1 and 2.1.1; and |
| e) |
between September 2007 and November 2014, failed to use due diligence to ensure that each recommendation made to a senior client, WA, was suitable for client WA, when he recommended that client WA concentrate her investment holdings in gold and precious metals sector funds, contrary to MFDA Rules 2.2.1 and 2.1.1. |
The settlement hearing is scheduled to take place on July 31, 2018, commencing at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern), or as soon thereafter as the matter can be held, in the hearing room at the offices of the MFDA, located at 121 King Street West, Suite 1000, Toronto, Ontario.
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 Settlement Hearing is available on the MFDA website at www.mfda.ca. During the period described in the Notice of Settlement Hearing, the Respondent carried on business in the Kitchener, Ontario 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 82,000 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]
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