ASIC bans another CFPL planner
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has banned a sixth person as part of the so-called "Wealth Management Project" it began in 2014.
The regulator announced today that it had banned former Commonwealth Financial Planning employee representative, Sharnie Kent of Warialda, NSW, from providing financial services for eight years.
ASIC said it had banned Kent after finding "she had contravened financial services laws, was involved in CFPL's contravention of financial services laws and was not adequately trained or competent to provide financial services".
ASIC's investigation found that between February 2011 and February 2014, Ms Kent:
• Did not provide a statement of advice to a client before providing further financial service;
• Submitted insurance applications and alteration requests that contained incorrect information amounting to conduct likely to mislead and deceive;
• Wrote purported signatures of clients on insurance alteration requests and superannuation withdrawal forms amounting to conduct likely to mislead and deceive;
• Advised a share brokerage fee that was not properly payable by the client amounting to conduct likely to mislead and deceive; and
• Charged an excessive adviser fee, represented that the fee would be refunded and did not take timely steps to refund the free amounting to unconscionable conduct.
Kent has a right to appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a review of ASIC's decision.
Recommended for you
With the final tally for FY25 now confirmed, how many advisers left during the financial year and how does it compare to the previous year?
HUB24 has appointed Matt Willis from Vanguard as an executive general manager of platform growth to strengthen the platform’s relationships with industry stakeholders.
Investment manager Drummond Capital Partners has announced a raft of adviser-focused updates, including a practice growth division, relaunched manager research capabilities, and a passive model portfolio suite.
When it comes to M&A activity, the share of financial buyers such as private equity firms in Australia fell from 67 per cent to 12 per cent in the last financial year.
