Jefferies to Pay Nearly $4 Million for Improper Handling of ADRs

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that broker-dealer Jefferies LLC will pay nearly $4 million to settle charges of improper handling of “pre-released” American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). ADRs are U.S. securities that represent foreign shares of a foreign company, and they require a corresponding number of foreign shares to be held in custody at a depositary bank. The practice of “pre-release” allows ADRs to be issued without the deposit of foreign shares, provided brokers receiving them have an agreement with a depositary bank and the broker or its customer owns the number of foreign shares that corresponds to the number of shares the ADRs represent.