TD Ameritrade
Contents7
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1975 |
| Legal Structure | Public |
| Industry | Brokerage, Financial |
| Also known as | |
| Official website | https://web.archive.org/web/20250000000000*/https://www.tdameritrade.com/ |
TD Ameritrade was a US-based company providing brokerage and related financial services. The company underwent an acquisition by Charles Schwab between 2019 and 2020 and completed transition of customer accounts in 2024.
Consumer-impact summary
Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):
- User Freedom
- User Privacy
- Business Model
- Market Control
Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.
Incidents
Security breaches
In November 2007, the company disclosed that hackers had breached its systems, gaining access to sensitive client information, including names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, and trading activity.[1][2] Following a class action lawsuit in 2011, the company agreed to a settlement, offering compensation ranging from $50 to $2,500 to customers who fell victim to identity theft as a result of the breach.[3] In 2020, customer login credentials were found being sold on the dark web.[4]
Auction rates securities scandal
In 2009, TD Ameritrade settled a lawsuit that accused the firm of misleading investors by selling them auction-rate securities it touted as safe, short-term investments. The investments, which had been considered safe before the 2008 financial crisis, later became illiquid, making investors' money irretrievable. The firm has agreed to pay $456 million and to buy back all the affected securities at their face value to compensate investors for losses.[5][6][7]
Losses in Reserve funds
The company and its advisors recommended the investment of cash holdings in a money market fund affiliated with the Reserve Primary Fund, which gained approximately $1 billion in assets. The company also promoted the Reserve Yield Plus Fund as a safe money market fund, despite it actually being a bond fund. The company received commissions for steering customers toward these funds.
During the 2007–2008 financial crisis, the Reserve Primary Fund suffered heavy losses. In September 2008, it dropped below $1 per share, freezing $1 billion in cash belonging to TD Ameritrade clients. The Reserve Yield Plus Fund also declined in value during this period.
These actions led to class-action lawsuits filed by customers and an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into the company's marketing practices.
In 2008, TD Ameritrade agreed to reimburse customers for up to 3% of their losses in the Reserve Primary Fund, with a total cap of $50 million. In 2011, the company settled the SEC case and agreed to pay 1.2¢ per share of the Reserve Yield Plus Fund that was held by its customers, or $10 million in total. The Reserve Yield Plus Fund made its final distribution in 2016, with investors receiving 97 to 98 cents per share, in addition to the compensation provided by TD Ameritrade.[8][9][10][11][12]
See also
Link to relevant theme articles or companies with similar incidents.
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References
- ↑ "TD Ameritrade Hacked; Customer Info Stolen". CNBC. 14 Sep 2007. Archived from the original on 21 Jan 2025. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.
- ↑ Kawamoto, Dawn (14 Sep 2007). "TD Ameritrade's 6 million customers hit with security breach". CNET. Archived from the original on 10 Jun 2022. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.
- ↑ Bolado, Carolina (13 Sep 2011). "TD Ameritrade Settles Data Breach Suit For Up To $6.5M". Law360. Archived from the original on 8 Jul 2025. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.
- ↑ Rooney, Kate; Khorram, Yasmin (14 Oct 2020). "Hackers look to buy brokerage log-ins on the dark web with Robinhood fetching highest prices". CNBC. Archived from the original on 14 Oct 2020. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.
- ↑ Pepitone, Julianne (20 Jul 2009). "Ameritrade settles securities case for $456M". CNN. Archived from the original on 23 Jul 2009. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.
- ↑ "SEC Charges TD Ameritrade for Auction Rate Securities Sales Practices". SEC. 20 Jul 2009. Archived from the original on 26 Aug 2009. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.
- ↑ "TD Ameritrade Agrees To Auction-Rate Buyback". The New York Times. 20 Jul 2009. Archived from the original on 15 Mar 2017. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.
- ↑ https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2008-11-02-0810310465-story.html (Archived)
- ↑ https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2008-12-16-0812150177-story.html (Archived)
- ↑ "SEC Charges TD Ameritrade for Failing to Supervise Its Representatives Who Sold Shares of the Reserve Yield Plus Fund". SEC. 3 Feb 2011. Archived from the original on 6 Feb 2011. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.
- ↑ "SEC Announces $10M Settlement With TD Ameritrade". CBS. 3 Feb 2011. Archived from the original on 8 Mar 2025. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.
- ↑ https://www.primary-yieldplus-inliquidation.com/lander (Archived)