U.S. Senators: Wells Fargo Sales Scandal Includes Brokerage Unit

Wells Fargo broadened the scope of a scandal as it fired hundreds of brokerage workers for improper sales practices, three US senators said on Thursday. The fourth-biggest US bank has so far defined the controversy as a retail banking problem.

Senators Elizabeth Warren, Robert Menendez and Ron Wyden, in a letter to Wells Fargo Chief Executive Tim Sloan, questioned the bank’s revelations about those employee’s terminations in mandatory regulatory filings.

The letter is the first sign that clients of the brokerage business  ‘Wells Fargo Advisors’, may have also been affected.

Wells Fargo would pay $5 million to customers and $185 million in penalties. This is for opening up to 2 million credit card and deposit accounts in customers’ names without their knowledge.

The San Francisco-based bank said it dismissed 5,300 employees for inappropriate sales practices over a period of five years.

In October, Reuters reported that thousands of small business customers have also been affected.

“It would appear that Wells Fargo concealed key information from regulators that may have revealed the bank’s misdeeds long before the September 2016 settlement,” the senators wrote, requesting more information.

FINRA on the Case

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) informed congressional staff that it had received dismissal documents, or Form U5s, for at least 600 of those fired Wells Fargo employees. But only 207 of them have information indicating they were fired for practices that led to fake accounts.

FINRA is a non-government organization that regulates member brokerage firms and securities dealers.

The senators said that the incomplete U5 filings may have held back information from regulators that could have helped them to discover and stop the illegal activity sooner.

Spokeswoman Nancy Condon said that FINRA takes seriously the accuracy and integrity of all filings made by firms.

She disclosed that FINRA last week started a review of sales programs for all firms it administers.

Several investigations, including an internal review, were ongoing, Wells Fargo spokeswoman Jennifer Greeson Dunn said. She added that that the bank has been working for years to halt wrongful sales practices. She will be taking steps to mend the damage.

Sloan said at a conference on Thursday that he had not aware of issues outside the retail bank.

Wells Fargo’s retail branches include workers from other businesses who offer products other than bank accounts.

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Former Congressman Anthony Weiner Checks Into Rehab Facility

The DailyMail.com reported on Wednesday that discredited former U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner has checked into a rehab facility that minister to sex addiction.

The online version of the British newspaper said electronic devices are banned at the facility, which

The facility segregates men from women. It treats a variety of addictions associated with anonymous sex, exhibitionism and cyber-sex and other acts. Electronics devices are also prohibited from the facility, the online version of the British newspaper said. The facility was not named in the report.

Weiner could not be reached for comment.

Last month, New York police and Federal prosecutors revealed they were investigating Weiner after a separate report by the DailyMail.com. It said he took part in sexually explicit online and cellphone messages with a 15-year-old girl from North Carolina.

Weiner, 52, told the Associated Press last month that he had “likely been the subject of a hoax.” But he did not respond at the time when Reuters’ requested for comment regarding the texting report.

An investigation into those messages also prompted a new FBI probe of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s emails. Sources close to the matter said some of her emails were discovered on a device connected to the Weiner investigation,

Weiner was once a popular congressman but resigned in 2011. This was after disclosing he had inadvertently sent a lewd picture over Twitter. His campaign for New York City mayor two years later was disrupted after explicit photos he had sent to a young woman in Indiana under the alias “Carlos Danger” surfaced.

Latest scandal triggers separation

After yet another scandal, Huma Abedin, Weiner’s wife and one of Clinton’s top aides, said in August that she was separating from her husband.

Abedin made her announcement after the New York Post reported that Weiner sent photos of his boxer-brief-clad genitals to another woman thru Twitter.

Abedin’s attorney could not immediately be reached to comment on the DailyMail.com report.

 

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British Airways Pilot Suspended After Allegedly Pleasuring Himself While Flying

A British Airways pilot has been suspended after allegedly pleasuring himself in a cockpit of a plane at 38,000 feet.

BA Captain Colin Glover, 51 years old got suspended after a series of explicit images emerged of a man performing sexual acts while wearing black woman’s stockings. A pornographic magazine on top of the plane’s controls could also be seen in a picture.

The pictures are believed to have been taken on two separate long-haul flights and must have been taken at night.

Twice married Captain Glover, father of one, and lives in Dublin, denies he was the same man in the lewd photos.

He graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University in 1987 and employed with British Airways since 1990. He would face a permanent ban from flying any aircraft if found guilty performing sexual acts while flying.

In Captain Glover’s LinkedIn account shows he has flown B737s, B747s, B757s, B767s, and B777 aircraft.

British Airline spokesperson told MailOnline, “We are taking this matter very seriously and are investigating.”

Airline expert Chris Yates told The Sun on Sunday, “This is very dangerous if the plane is in mid-flight,” he added, “If you are flying, you can fly into serious turbulence.”

He said the pictures were likely taken in a simulator because of the plane’s lighting.

Cockpit simulators do not have any toilets. However, one picture shows a man naked in a plane lavatory.

BA officials confirmed that they are conducting an investigation and to identify whether the photos were taken during mid-flight.

Scandal-prone airline

The lewd photos are the latest serious scandals involving British Airline employees in recent years.

Pilots Sean Murphy and Paul Lytollis were recently placed under investigation after getting into a fight in Houston, Texas.

Last year, BA Special Services agent Matthew Underwood got suspended due to allegations of taking backhanders from celebrities and businessmen.

And in 2013, off-duty BA cabin crews were seen drinking bottles of champagne and red wine in front of First and Club Premium cabin passengers.

Passengers said the stewards and stewardesses started screaming and shouting like “spoiled brats”. Moreover, some were even kissing and petting each other.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger Wishes He Could Run for President

Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor of California from 2003 until 2011 wished he could run for president this year.

In an interview with AdWeek, Schwarzenegger told them “If I’d been born in America, I would’ve run.”

“Because now? This was a very good time to get in the race,” he added.

Schwarzenegger was born in Austria, and it could have been interesting to see who have won between him and Donald Trump.

Judging by his comments, he would have given more fight than any other Republican candidates.

Republican Nominee, Donald Trump continued his fight against women who accused him of sexual assault.

Jessica Drake, a 42-year-old adult film star has accused him of “grabbing her” and kissed her without permission 10 years ago.

At a campaign rally in Florida, he responded to Drake’s allegation, “One said, ‘He grabbed me in the arm.’ And she’s a porn star,” before adding: “Oh, I’m sure she’s never been grabbed before.”

As Mr. Trump responded to all the allegations, he vowed to sue all his accusers after the elections.

On the other hand, Hillary Clinton faces turmoil when her links to the FBI comes under scrutiny again.

On Monday, the wife of an FBI official, Jill McCabe received nearly $500,000 from Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe to help with her campaign.

Governor McAuliffe has been a long-time ally and fundraiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton. The FBI official later helped oversee the investigation into Hillary’s email use.

Scandals linked to the Democratic nominee have been unclear and confusing on how she was involved. Nevertheless, it’s news she could do without.

Donald Trump, who have been facing so numerous scandal and allegations have been struggling to woo millennials. In one USA Today Poll shows millennials would vote more for Clinton over Trump. This gives her a 48% lead over the Republican.

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