FINRA Penalizes UBS Securities $2.5M for 73,000 ‘Naked’ Short Sales


The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has slammed a $2.5 million penalty on UBS Securities LLC, the New York-based brokerage arm of Swiss banking group, UBS.

The self-regulatory organization, which supervises brokerage firms in the United States, said UBS Securities violated Rule 204 of the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Regulation SHO (Reg SHO).

The brokerage’s supervisory failures to uphold Reg SHO rules within a period of nine years also attracted the penalty, FINRA announced on Wednesday.

Reg SHO, a set of rules introduced in 2005, regulates the practice of short sales—or the sale of borrowed securities— in the United States.

According to FINRA, the rule “requires firms to take affirmative action to close out ‘failure to deliver’ positions resulting from short sales in equity securities by borrowing or purchasing the securities by the beginning of regular trading hours the day after the settlement date.”

However, the private regulator said it found at least 5,300 ‘failure to deliver’ positions in UBS’ systems between 2009 and 2018.

FINRA added that UBS routed or executed over 73,000 ‘naked’ shorts sales, that is, sold securities it did not have, borrowed or arranged to borrow.

The non-profit organization said the broker sold these securities “with an unsatisfied close-out requirement”.

FINRA said UBS has agreed to settle the charges without admitting or denying them.

The independent markets supervisor added that three longstanding issues contributed to these violations including the broker’s use of revocable volume weighted average price (VWAP) transactions or limit orders to address buy-in obligations for ‘failures to deliver’.

Furthermore, UBS Securities depended on using customers’ long sales segregated shares to close out ‘failure to deliver positions,’ FINRA said.

Additionally, some of the broker’s order management systems did not regularly prohibit short sales when there was an unsatisfied close-out requirement, the private watchdog said.

Supervisory Failures

According to FINRA, between 2009 and August 2022, the supervisory systems of UBS Securities, its written procedures inclusive, could not have tallied with Rule 204 of Reg SHO as they “were not reasonably designed to achieve compliance .”

The self-regulatory organization noted that although the broker held yearly reviews of its Rule 204 systems, the firm failed to fish out “improper treatment of shares” related to customers’ long sales.

FINRA added that while limit orders or other delayed orders do not satisfy the close-out requirement of Reg SHO, UBS books and records indicate that its VWAP algorithm routed certain buy-in orders as limit orders.

The private American corporation also noted that UBS failed to detect red flags in its record, adding that the broker only detected its failure to fully enforce Rule 204’s ‘penalty box’ only after a system malfunctioned.

Meanwhile, the US SEC recently fined UBS Securities $125 million alongside 14 other broker-dealers and one affiliated investment adviser for “pervasive off-channel communications.”

Barclays Capital Inc., Bank of America (BofA) Securities Inc., Citigroup
Global Markets Inc., and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, were among the penalized firms.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has slammed a $2.5 million penalty on UBS Securities LLC, the New York-based brokerage arm of Swiss banking group, UBS.

The self-regulatory organization, which supervises brokerage firms in the United States, said UBS Securities violated Rule 204 of the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Regulation SHO (Reg SHO).

The brokerage’s supervisory failures to uphold Reg SHO rules within a period of nine years also attracted the penalty, FINRA announced on Wednesday.

Reg SHO, a set of rules introduced in 2005, regulates the practice of short sales—or the sale of borrowed securities— in the United States.

According to FINRA, the rule “requires firms to take affirmative action to close out ‘failure to deliver’ positions resulting from short sales in equity securities by borrowing or purchasing the securities by the beginning of regular trading hours the day after the settlement date.”

However, the private regulator said it found at least 5,300 ‘failure to deliver’ positions in UBS’ systems between 2009 and 2018.

FINRA added that UBS routed or executed over 73,000 ‘naked’ shorts sales, that is, sold securities it did not have, borrowed or arranged to borrow.

The non-profit organization said the broker sold these securities “with an unsatisfied close-out requirement”.

FINRA said UBS has agreed to settle the charges without admitting or denying them.

The independent markets supervisor added that three longstanding issues contributed to these violations including the broker’s use of revocable volume weighted average price (VWAP) transactions or limit orders to address buy-in obligations for ‘failures to deliver’.

Furthermore, UBS Securities depended on using customers’ long sales segregated shares to close out ‘failure to deliver positions,’ FINRA said.

Additionally, some of the broker’s order management systems did not regularly prohibit short sales when there was an unsatisfied close-out requirement, the private watchdog said.

Supervisory Failures

According to FINRA, between 2009 and August 2022, the supervisory systems of UBS Securities, its written procedures inclusive, could not have tallied with Rule 204 of Reg SHO as they “were not reasonably designed to achieve compliance .”

The self-regulatory organization noted that although the broker held yearly reviews of its Rule 204 systems, the firm failed to fish out “improper treatment of shares” related to customers’ long sales.

FINRA added that while limit orders or other delayed orders do not satisfy the close-out requirement of Reg SHO, UBS books and records indicate that its VWAP algorithm routed certain buy-in orders as limit orders.

The private American corporation also noted that UBS failed to detect red flags in its record, adding that the broker only detected its failure to fully enforce Rule 204’s ‘penalty box’ only after a system malfunctioned.

Meanwhile, the US SEC recently fined UBS Securities $125 million alongside 14 other broker-dealers and one affiliated investment adviser for “pervasive off-channel communications.”

Barclays Capital Inc., Bank of America (BofA) Securities Inc., Citigroup
Global Markets Inc., and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, were among the penalized firms.



Source link

Related articles

Crypto Market Retraces as Iran Vows to Escalate Battle After U.S. Strikes on Kharg Island

The crypto market is within the purple right now because the U.S.-Iran warfare approaches the third week. Bitcoin and different crypto costs are going through renewed strain as Iran has threatened to...

High 5 Excessive-Influence Financial Occasions This Week (March 16 – 22, 2026) – Analytics & Forecasts – 14 March 2026

High 5 Excessive-Influence Financial Occasions This Week (March 16 – 22, 2026) As markets navigate a packed financial calendar, merchants ought to...

Mach Pure Assets boosts proved reserves 109% to 705 MMboe

(WO) - Mach Pure Assets LP reported a 109% enhance in whole proved reserves in 2025, reaching 705 MMboe, as the corporate expanded its asset base by way of acquisitions and continued growth...

What Is Filmmaker Mode? This TV Setting Takes the Guesswork Out of Image High quality

Altering your TV's image mode can result in vital image high quality enhancements. Past the usual Film, Sports activities, Dynamic and different modes, many new TVs have a Filmmaker mode. Discovered on a...

Psychology says individuals who make their mattress each single morning with out fail aren’t doing it for neatness—they’re beginning the day with the one...

Add Silicon Canals to your Google Information feed. Each morning at 5:30, my eyes open whether or not I would like them to or not. Forty years of job websites rewired my inner clock,...
spot_img

Latest articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com