Haselkorn & Thibaut is investigating recent regulatory findings concerning financial professional Brandon Spano and is offering a free, no‑cost consultation to any investors who believe they may have been affected.
Below we summarize the regulatory action, explain why it matters to investors, and set out concrete steps you can take if you had dealings with Mr. Spano.
What happened – Brandon Spano
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According to publicly available regulatory records, FINRA disciplined Brandon Spano for engaging in an outside business activity (a house‑flipping partnership with a customer) without providing his broker‑dealer the required prior written notice. FINRA’s outside business activity rules exist so firms can evaluate and supervise potential conflicts of interest. For background on the rule framework, see FINRA guidance and industry commentary about OBAs (e.g., FINRA / industry OBA guidance and a practical primer on Rule 3270 at Oyster LLC).
Haselkorn & Thibaut has opened an inquiry into the matter to determine whether investors were harmed by any undisclosed activity, misrepresentations, or related supervisory failures.
Why Haselkorn & Thibaut is investigating
- Undisclosed outside business activities (OBAs) can create conflicts of interest that affect the impartiality of investment advice.
- Where an advisor enters private business arrangements with a client or recommends transactions that benefit a side venture, investors can lose the protections that come from firm oversight and regulated channels.
- Even when regulatory sanctions appear modest, they can reveal breakdowns in disclosure or supervision that merit further review to determine investor impact.
Haselkorn & Thibaut investigates these matters to identify whether investors suffered losses tied to the advisor’s conduct and, where warranted, to explore recovery options through FINRA arbitration or other remedies.
What investors should do now
- Check your records
- Pull account statements, trade confirmations, emails, texts, and any offer materials related to investments or private deals introduced by Mr. Spano.
- Review BrokerCheck and the regulatory record
- Use FINRA’s BrokerCheck to view Mr. Spano’s CRD file and any disciplinary documents (including AWC text where available).
- Preserve evidence
- Save written communications and screenshots. If you participated in any private real‑estate or off‑platform transactions at the advisor’s suggestion, gather agreements, wire receipts, and valuation documents.
- Get a free case review
- Haselkorn & Thibaut is offering confidential, no‑cost case evaluations to determine whether investor losses align with recoverable claims (suitability, misrepresentation, failure to supervise, unauthorized trading, etc.).
- Act promptly
- Securities claims are subject to filing deadlines. Early review preserves evidence and helps assess the best path forward.
How Haselkorn & Thibaut can help
Haselkorn & Thibaut specializes in representing investors in FINRA arbitration and securities litigation. The firm’s investigative review will:
- analyze your account history and communications for links to any undisclosed OBA or conflicts;
- assess potential theories of recovery (e.g., unsuitable recommendations, misrepresentations, failure to supervise); and
-, if appropriate, prepare a Statement of Claim for arbitration or negotiate a resolution on your behalf.
(If you are concerned about potential conflicts involving another advisor or firm, Haselkorn & Thibaut can perform a similar review.)
Important legal and publishing note
The firm’s public announcement that it “has opened an investigation” should be used only if the firm has in fact authorized and initiated such an investigation. If you are publishing this content on behalf of Haselkorn & Thibaut, please confirm the firm’s direction and obtain any required internal or legal approvals before posting.
