SEC Charges Broker-Dealer First Horizon With Regulation Best Interest Violations

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against registered broker-dealer First Horizon Advisors, Inc. for failing to maintain and enforce policies and procedures reasonably designed to achieve compliance with Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI). The charges relate to First Horizon’s recommendations of a type of derivative security called a structured note. First Horizon agreed to pay a civil penalty of $325,000 to resolve the SEC’s charges. The SEC’s order finds that First Horizon failed to comply with its Reg BI policies and procedures in multiple ways. For example, in 2021, First Horizon migrated more than 5,000 customer brokerage accounts to its system from that of a broker dealer with whom First Horizon had merged.