RNR Securities LLC was fined $15,000 for failing to inspect its Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction (“OSJ”) properly. RNR Securities’ written reports concerning inspections of its OSJ branch and non-OSJ branch failed to evidence proper testing of RNR Securities’ policies and procedures. The report did not describe how the review was performed nor how RNR Securities determined that there were no issues or concerns.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York in Buffalo against Cygnus Capital Management and the estate of Richard Ventrilla (“Ventrilla”) alleging that they had defrauded 22 investors of $989,000.

Firms Fined. Exane, Inc. was fined$50,000 for failing to establish management controls and supervisory procedures to manage the financial and regulatory risks of the business. The firm’s credit limit controls were not automated nor applied on a pre-trade basis to prevent order entries that exceeded the pre-set capital thresholds for each customer.

The following disciplinary actions were taken against both firms and individuals due to violations of FINRA rules, federal securities laws and MSRB rules. Firm Fined: Midtown Partners & Co., LLC. The Firm was fined $50,000 for failing to enforce the policies and procedures outlined in its WSPs related to the trading of securities on the Restricted List and Watch List.