Centaurus Financial Inc., a dually registered investment advisor and broker-dealer based in California, has agreed to pay the Securities and Exchange Commission more than $1.2 million for providing inadequate disclosures regarding its receipt of 12b-1 fees from client investments.
Centarus was ordered to pay disgorgement of $907,377, prejudgment interest of $124,019, and a civil penalty of $250,000.
The SEC order also finds that Centaurus received revenue sharing from its investment in certain mutual funds and cash sweeps without fully and fairly disclosing the conflict of interest to its clients.
Centaurus was eligible to self-report to the Commission pursuant to the Division of Enforcement's Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative, which ended last April, but did not do so.
As the SEC explains, 12b-1 fees are fees paid out of mutual fund or ETF assets to cover the costs of distribution – marketing and selling mutual fund shares – and sometimes to cover the costs of providing shareholder services.
