Secretary Wiessmann Highlights Progress on Consumer Protection and Business Outreach

HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Pennsylvania Secretary of Banking and Securities Robin L. Wiessmann made four announcements regarding Governor Wolf's Consumer Financial Protection Initiative and Department of Banking and Securities business outreach.

"The Consumer Financial Protection Initiative is helping Pennsylvanians work towards financial independence, protecting them from illegal financial schemes, protecting senior citizens from financial abuse," said Secretary Wiessmann. "At the same time, we are working to ensure that the professionals and firms we supervise understand how to navigate Pennsylvania's regulatory structure and comply with our laws."

Consumer Services Office Annual Report

Wiessmann announced publication of the department's first Consumer Services Office Annual Report. The report focuses on how the Consumer Services Office helps Pennsylvanians, conveying the story of how the increasingly complex, global, evolving, and interconnected financial services marketplace is affecting millions of people in the commonwealth and other states.

The department's Consumer Services Office has been helping people for more than 40 years, and aims to assist consumers with their financial questions. Since 1973, the office has evolved from a single call line into a multidimensional force, assisting numerous consumers on a day-to-day basis. The report can be found on the department's website: www.dobs.pa.gov/Documents/Publications/Reports/FSCB%20Annual%20Report%2015-16.pdf

Preventing Elder Financial Abuse

Wiessmann also announced the rollout of a new program designed to help members of the accounting profession learn to identify and protect their clients from elder financial abuse.

The program is an extension of the Elder Investment Fraud and Financial Exploitation Protection and the Senior $afe programs, which are currently offered to health care, legal, and investment professionals.  These professionals can benefit by receiving continuing education credits, and their clients and communities have an additional front-line of defense against elder financial abuse.

Deputy Secretary Brian LaForme presented this new program at a training session and webinar on December 6, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

These programs are offered in Pennsylvania through collaboration with the Investor Protection Trust and the North American Securities Administrators Association.

Statewide Securities Conference

Wiessmann also announced that a statewide conference of investment professionals and regulators will take place October 26, 2017.

The conference revives a program last held in 2011, which had been sponsored by the former Pennsylvania Securities Commission. The 2017 conference will be designed to keep investment professionals and their firms up-to-date on changes to federal and state securities laws and regulations, as well as securities offering registration and exemption requirements.

This daytime conference will be followed by an evening "Money Matters" seminar, designed to provide investors with information on how to protect and grow their money. The location, agenda, and times for the conference and seminar will be announced in January.

Investor Protection Campaign

Wiessmann announced the "Investor Protection" radio and social media campaign designed to help protect Pennsylvania investors from fraud.

In January, the department will roll out the first phase of a three-year campaign using the themes "File a Complaint" and "Investigate Before You Invest." This campaign will use radio in six Pennsylvania media markets as well as Facebook and Instagram.

Community and business groups interested in department presentations can make inquiries at [email protected]. The general public can contact the Department of Banking and Securities at 1-800-PA-BANKS or 1-800-600-0007 to ask questions or file complaints about financial transactions, companies, or products. Members of the public are also invited to connect to the department through Facebook and Twitter, or subscribing to the department's newsletter.

Media contact: Ed Novak, 717-783-4721

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities