Enforcement Notice Hearing - IN THE MATTER OF Brian Douglas Bergen and Leede Financial Markets Inc. - Adjournment

CALGARY, July 29, 2015 /CNW/ - A settlement hearing was originally scheduled before a Hearing Panel of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) in the matter of Brian Douglas Bergen and Leede Financial Markets Inc. on Thursday, July 30, 2015. The settlement hearing was adjourned with a date yet to be determined. An Enforcement Notice will be posted at www.iiroc.ca once the new hearing date is decided.

The Agreement concerns conduct that Mr. Bergen and Leede failed to effectively exercise supervisory responsibilities over Registered Representative Grant Matthews. A separate Hearing Panel previously found that Matthews made unsuitable investments in the accounts of four clients, engaged in discretionary trading in the accounts of two clients, and engaged in excessive trading (churning) in the accounts of three clients.

The hearing is not open to the public, but will become open in the event that the panel accepts the agreement. If the agreement is accepted, the Panel's decision and the Settlement Agreement will be made available at www.iiroc.ca.

Documents related to ongoing IIROC enforcement proceedings â€" including Reasons and Decisions of Hearing Panels â€" are posted on the IIROC website as they become available. Click here to search and access all IIROC enforcement documents.

IIROC formally initiated the investigation into Mr. Bergen and Leede Financial Market Inc.'s conduct in July 2013. The conduct occurred while Bergen was a Branch Manager with the Calgary branch of Leede Financial Markets Inc., an IIROC-regulated firm. Mr. Bergen is still a Registered Representative at the Calgary branch of Leede Financial Markets Inc.

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IIROC is the national self-regulatory organization which oversees all investment dealers and trading activity on debt and equity marketplaces in Canada. Created in 2008 through the consolidation of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada and Market Regulation Services Inc., IIROC sets high quality regulatory and investment industry standards, protects investors and strengthens market integrity while maintaining efficient and competitive capital markets.

IIROC carries out its regulatory responsibilities through setting and enforcing rules regarding the proficiency, business and financial conduct of dealer firms and their registered employees and through setting and enforcing market integrity rules regarding trading activity on Canadian equity marketplaces.

IIROC investigates possible misconduct by its member firms and/or individual registrants. It can bring disciplinary proceedings which may result in penalties including fines, suspensions, permanent bars, expulsion from membership, or termination of rights and privileges for individuals and firms.

All information about disciplinary proceedings relating to current and former member firms is available in the Enforcement section of the IIROC website. Background information regarding the qualifications and disciplinary history, if any, of advisors currently employed by IIROC-regulated firms is available free of charge through the IIROC AdvisorReport service. Information on how to make investment dealer, advisor or marketplace-related complaints is available by calling 1 877 442-4322.

SOURCE Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) - General News