April 2017- Scottsdale, AZ
The FINRA records of Dennis D. Rasmusson, a stockbroker who is currently employed by Berthel, Fisher & Company Financial Services, Inc. and was previously employed by VSR Financial Services, disclose a prior regulatory event and two prior customer disputes.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is the agency that licenses and regulates stockbrokers and brokerage firms. FINRA requires brokers and brokerage firms to report customer complaints and disputes as well as regulatory sanctions. In addition brokers are required to disclose certain financial matters such as personal bankruptcies, judgments and liens.
In FINRA arbitration 15-00152 a customer of VSR Financial Services alleged damages of $500,000 for failure to follow instructions, trading excessively, breach of fiduciary duties, unsuitable investments, negligence, misrepresentation, breach of contract and violations of the Nebraska Securities Act from 10/2011 to 12/2013 in connection with equity listed common and preferred stocks. That case was settled for $110,000.
In FINRA arbitration 13-02971 a customer of VSR Financial Services alleged damages of $81,000 for portfolio mismanagement from 3/2011- 2013. That case was settled for $34,000.
In 2011 he was fined $12,500 by the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance to resolve allegations that he failed to record and maintain books and records and failed to maintain required net capital and policies and procedures manual.
Rasmusson has been employed by Berthel, Fisher & Company Financial Services since 3/2014. Prior to that he was employed by VSR Financial Services from 2/2011 until 3/2014. He discloses a business affiliation with Rasmusson Financial Group, Scottsdale, AZ.
VSR Financial Services was fined $550,000 by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in May 2013 in connection with the sale of alternative investments . In their findings, FINRA criticized VSR Financial for recommending high concentration levels of alternative investments in customer accounts and for its lack of supervision over the use of consolidated reports prepared by brokers and provided to customers.
Alternative investments include non publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITS) , hedge funds, real estate, commodities and derivatives contracts and, managed futures. These investments tend to be complex, illiquid, nontransparent, hard to value and expensive. Many of the alternative investments sold over recent years are not traded on any public market making them difficult to value and even more difficult to liquidate if cash is needed.
VSR wound down operations at the end of 2016 and transferred most of their brokers and customer accounts to Summit Brokerage Services. See this for more information regarding VSR Financial Services.
If you have questions about an account handled by Dennis Rasmusson call for a no charge consultation.
Rex Securities Law , with offices in Boca Raton, FL, and Austin, TX, provides representation to investors nationwide who are seeking recovery of investment losses due to the negligence or fraud of stockbrokers and broker dealers. If you have questions about how your account has been handled, call to speak with an experienced securities attorney.
Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis meaning that you do not pay legal fees unless we are successful.
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