Morgan Stanley unit fined $35M for mishandling customer data
By 
Adrianne Appel2022-09-20T18:40:00
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (MSSB) agreed to pay $35 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charges it repeatedly disregarded the safeguarding of clients’ personal data.
The personally identifiable information of approximately 15 million MSSB customers was made vulnerable over a five-year period, beginning in 2015, because of failures by the firm to protect it, the SEC said in a press release Tuesday. MSSB is a wholly owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley.
The trouble began when MSSB did not encrypt the personal data of customers stored on computer servers and hard drives, the SEC alleged. In 2016, the firm decommissioned two data centers and didn’t properly dispose of its computer servers and hard drives, the agency said.
THIS IS MEMBERS-ONLY CONTENT
You are not logged in and do not have access to members-only content.
If you are already a registered user or a member, SIGN IN now.
Related articles
-
News BriefFINRA fines Morgan Stanley $1M for alleged documentation failures
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority fined broker-dealer Morgan Stanley $1 million over alleged documentation failures related to risk management controls and supervisory procedures involving violations of the Market Access Rule.
-
News BriefSEC amends Reg S-P to require data breach notification within 30 days
The Securities and Exchange Commission will require broker-dealers and registered investment advisers to adopt written policies and procedures for handling data breaches of customer data and notify affected customers within 30 days.
-
News BriefMorgan Stanley settles with states for $6.5M over mishandled data
Morgan Stanley agreed to pay $6.5 million as part of a settlement with six states requiring the firm to strengthen its data security after actions it took compromised the personal data of millions of customers.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
News BriefFTC sues Uber over deceptive subscriptions, a rare move for consumers by Trump officials
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Uber, alleging the ride-hailing company signed customers up for its Uber One subscription without consent, then made it hard for them to cancel. The move marks the U.S. government’s latest broadside against big tech companies, and the first major action from ...
-
News BriefCFPB pullback signals further shift toward industry-friendly regulation
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continues to unravel amid pressure from Trump administration officials to shutter the agency. Not only has the agency informed its employees that it will no longer be a watchdog for the financial services industry, it has also laid off employees despite court orders blocking ...
-
News BriefTrump’s CFPB, dismissing Comerica case, continues to cut down Biden-era lawsuits
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dropped yet another consumer protection lawsuit against a bank or fintech provider since Donald Trump was sworn in as president in January. This time, it was with Comerica Bank.