NOTE: Stipulations of Fact and Consent to Penalty (SFC); Offers of Settlement (OS); and Letters of Acceptance Waiver, and Consent (AWC) are entered into by Respondents without admitting or denying the allegations, but consent is given to the described sanctions & to the entry of findings. Additionally, for AWCs, if FINRA has reason to believe a violation has occurred and the member or associated person does not dispute the violation, FINRA may prepare and request that the member or associated person execute a letter accepting a finding of violation, consenting to the imposition of sanctions, and agreeing to waive such member's or associated person's right to a hearing before a hearing panel, and any right of appeal to the National Adjudicatory Council, the SEC, and the courts, or to otherwise challenge the validity of the letter, if the letter is accepted. The letter shall describe the act or practice engaged in or omitted, the rule, regulation, or statutory provision violated, and the sanction or sanctions to be imposed.

Jeffrey Robert Unruh
AWC/2008014322401

Unruh forged a customer’s signature on an acknowledgment form. After flagging the order for shares of a bond fund because they did not match the primary investment objective on the new customer’s profile form, Unruh’s member firm instructed him to obtain a signed letter from the customer acknowledging that she understood that the bond fund that Unruh recommended was contrary to her conservative risk and capital preservation investment objectives specified in her new account documents. Instead of obtaining the requested acknowledgement letter from his customer, Unruh drafted a letter, signed his customer’s name and submitted it to his member firm. Unruh offered a false explanation in response to a FINRA request for information.

Jeffrey Robert Unruh: Fined $10,000; Suspended 18 months

Tags: Forgery