MFDA issues Notice of Settlement Hearing in respect of Brian Blundell

TORONTO, Jan. 8, 2016 /CNW/ - The Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada ("MFDA") announced that it has issued a Notice of Settlement Hearing regarding the presentation, review and consideration of a proposed settlement agreement by a Hearing Panel of the MFDA's Pacific Regional Council.

The settlement agreement will be between Staff of the MFDA and Brian Blundell (the "Respondent") and involves matters for which the Respondent may be disciplined by a Hearing Panel pursuant to MFDA By-laws. The proposed settlement agreement concerns allegations that:  

(a)	between March 2010 and May 2014, the Respondent obtained, maintained and used to process redemptions ten (10) pre-signed account forms in respect of three (3) clients, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1; and
(b)	between 2010 and 2014, the Respondent mislead the Member by affirming that he did not obtain or possess any pre-signed account forms when completing the Member's Annual Registration Renewal Questionnaires, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1.

The settlement hearing is scheduled to take place on March 3, 2016, commencing at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific), or as soon thereafter as the matter can be held, in the hearing room at the British Columbia Securities Commission, located at 1200-701 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia. The hearing will be open to the public, unless and to the extent that the Hearing Panel determines that all or part of the hearing should proceed in the absence of the public. If the Hearing Panel accepts the settlement agreement, then a copy of the decision of the Hearing Panel and the settlement agreement will be made available to the public.

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 Vancouver, British Columbia area.

The MFDA is the self-regulatory organization for Canadian mutual fund dealers, regulating the operations, standards of practice and business conduct of its 101 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]; Jeff Mount, Vice-President, Pacific Region, 604-694-8846, [email protected]