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FSA/PN/010/2008
11 February 2008

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has banned Mr Mohammed Suba Miah (Mr Miah), a former broker at Square Mile Securities Limited, and fined him £21,000 for selling high risk shares to customers without their consent and deliberately misleading customers by not explaining the risks involved with such shares.

The FSA reviewed 19 transactions between December 2005 and May 2006 involving Mr Miah and found that, in 11 of them, he had been dishonest by recording the purchase of high risk shares by customers without their permission. Customers would have only been made aware of the trades when they were sent a demand for payment. Mr Miah also made inaccurate and misleading claims about the performance and value of the shares and failed to inform customers of the higher risks associated with buying them. Mr Miah's actions were considered particularly serious because they lacked integrity and exposed customers to significant risk of financial loss.

Margaret Cole, FSA Director of Enforcement said:

"As a stockbroker and approved person Mr Miah was in a position of trust. Customers have a right to expect their brokers to give clear and fair advice, recommend suitable shares and to treat them fairly. Stockbrokers are on notice that the FSA will not tolerate abuse of this trust, and our actions against Mr Miah show that we take this very seriously."

Mr Miah accepted that his conduct was improper and co-operated with the FSA's investigation. Mr Miah received a 30% discount under the FSA's executive settlement scheme; otherwise the fine would have been £30,000.

Notes to editors

1. Mr Miah was employed by Square Mile Securities Limited from September 2003 to January 2008.
2. On 14 January 2008 the FSA imposed a fine of £250,000 on Square Mile Securities Limited for persistently using high pressure sales tactics and misleading information to sell customers shares they did not want or could not afford. [See Press notice 002/2008]
3. This is the first time the FSA has issued both a fine and ban against an approved individual.
4. The full text of the Final Notice issued by the FSA includes the background to the case, the relevant statutory provisions, regulatory requirements contravened, and the factors taken into account when setting the level of the fine.
5. The FSA regulates the financial services industry and has four objectives under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000: maintaining market confidence; promoting public understanding of the financial system; securing the appropriate degree of protection for consumers; and fighting financial crime.
6. The FSA aims to promote efficient, orderly and fair markets, help retail consumers achieve a fair deal and improve its business capability and effectiveness.