IN THE MATTER OF Portfolio Strategies Securities Inc. - Settlement Hearing

TORONTO, June 8, 2012 /CNW/ - A hearing has been scheduled before a Hearing Panel of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) to consider whether the panel should accept a Settlement Agreement entered into between staff of IIROC and Portfolio Strategies Securities Inc.

The agreement concerns conduct in which Portfolio Strategies Securities Inc. failed to designate a supervisor qualified to supervise options trading at the firm for a period of approximately 11 months, and failed to supervise the activities of an individual working in the corporate finance department for a period of approximately nine months.

The hearing will not be open to the public, but will become open in the event the panel accepts the agreement. If the agreement is accepted, the panel's decision and reasons, together with the agreement, will be made available at www.iiroc.ca.

Documents related to ongoing IIROC enforcement proceedings - including Reasons and Decisions of Hearing Panels - are posted on the IIROC website as they become available. Click here to search and access all IIROC enforcement documents.

IIROC formally initiated the investigation into the Respondent's conduct in March 2011.  The conduct occurred while the Respondent was an IIROC-regulated firm and it continues to be registered as such.

IIROC is the national self-regulatory organization which oversees all investment dealers and trading activity on debt and equity marketplaces in Canada. Created in 2008 through the consolidation of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada and Market Regulation Services

Inc., IIROC sets high quality regulatory and investment industry standards, protects investors and strengthens market integrity while maintaining efficient and competitive capital markets.

IIROC carries out its regulatory responsibilities through setting and enforcing rules regarding the proficiency, business and financial conduct of dealer firms and their registered employees and through setting and enforcing market integrity rules regarding trading activity on Canadian equity marketplaces.

IIROC investigates possible misconduct by its member firms and/or individual registrants. It can bring disciplinary proceedings which may result in penalties including fines, suspensions, permanent bars, expulsion from membership, or termination of rights and privileges for individuals and firms.

All information about disciplinary proceedings relating to current and former member firms is available in the Enforcement section of the IIROC website. Background information regarding the qualifications and disciplinary history, if any, of advisors currently employed by IIROC-regulated firms is available free of charge through the IIROC AdvisorReport service. Information on how to make investment dealer, advisor or marketplace-related complaints is available by calling 1.877.442.4322.