TORONTO, Dec. 12, 2019 /CNW/ - The Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada ("MFDA") announced that it has issued a Notice of Settlement Hearing dated December 6, 2019 regarding the presentation, review and consideration of a proposed settlement agreement by a Hearing Panel of the MFDA's Central Regional Council.

The settlement agreement will be between Staff of the MFDA and Stephen Christopher Gilbert Cragg ("Respondent") and involves matters for which the Respondent may be disciplined by a Hearing Panel pursuant to MFDA By-laws. The proposed settlement agreement concerns allegations that the Respondent:

a)  commencing no later than August 23, 2005, engaged in personal financial dealings with client LW that gave rise to a conflict or potential conflict of interest with the client which the Respondent failed to disclose to the Member or otherwise address by the exercise of responsible business judgment influenced only by the best interests of the client, contrary to the Member's policies and procedures and MFDA Rules 2.1.4, 2.5.1, 1.1.2 and 2.1.1;
b)  in November 2017, made false and misleading statements to the Member during the course of an investigation by the Member into his conduct, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1; and
c)  in November 2017, in response to a supervisory inquiry, submitted a document to the Member relating to his personal financial dealings with a client, upon which the Respondent signed the client's signature, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1.

The settlement hearing will take place on February 27, 2020, commencing at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern), or as soon thereafter as the matter can be held, in the hearing room at the offices of the MFDA, 121 King Street West, Suite 1000, Toronto, Ontario.

MFDA settlement hearings are typically held in the absence of the public pursuant to section 20.5 of MFDA By-law No. 1 and Rule 15.2(2) of the MFDA Rules of Procedure. If the Hearing Panel accepts the settlement agreement, then the proceeding will become open to the public and a copy of the decision of the Hearing Panel and the settlement agreement will be made available at www.mfda.ca.

A copy of the Notice of Settlement Hearing is available on the MFDA website at www.mfda.ca. During the period described in the Notice of Settlement Hearing, the Respondent carried on business in the Peterborough and Pickering Ontario, areas.

The MFDA is the self-regulatory organization for Canadian mutual fund dealers, regulating the operations, standards of practice and business conduct of its Members and their approximately 81,000 Approved Persons with a mandate to protect investors and the public interest. For more information about the MFDA's complaint and enforcement processes, as well as links to 'Check an Advisor' and other Investor Tools, visit the For Investors page on the MFDA website.

SOURCE Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada

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