IIROC announces penalty hearing for Blackmont Capital Inc. and Dean Shannon
Duke

VANCOUVER, Oct. 20 /CNW/ - A Hearing Panel of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) has been scheduled to consider the appropriate penalty for Blackmont Capital Inc. and Dean Shannon Duke.

Hearing Date:			November 2, 2010, 10 am
Location:			Reportex Agencies Ltd. 925 West Georgia Street, Suite 1010 Vancouver, BC

The penalty hearing is open to the public, unless the panel orders otherwise.
The panel's decision and reasons on the penalty will be made public at www.iiroc.ca.

In a decision announced in a September 29, 2010 news release , the panel found that Blackmont and Mr. Duke violated IIROC rules when they:

1. participated in an arrangement which involved payment of commissions to a third party who acted as an "external asset manager" for banks resident in either Switzerland or Liechtenstein, and who placed orders in the accounts of seven clients. Blackmont and Mr. Duke did not disclose this arrangement to these clients, which constitutes business conduct detrimental to the public interest, contrary to IIROC Rule 29.1 (formerly IDA Bylaw 29.1) and IIROC Rule 29.6 (formerly IDA By-law 29.6); and
2. effected trades in four client accounts based on third-party instructions without having a written trading authorization, contrary to IIROC Rule 200.1(i)(3) [formerly IDA Regulation 200.1(i) (3)].

The panel also found that Blackmont engaged in business conduct detrimental to the public interest, contrary to IIROC Rule 29.1, when it failed to meet the requirements of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Regulations by failing to obtain the following documentation for certain client accounts:

(a)     Corporate records which indicated the "power to bind" a corporate client;
(b)     Signature documentation regarding trading authorization; and/or
(c)     Identity verification for authorized trading individuals.

All of these violations occurred between January 2003 and October 2007.

The IDA (now part of IIROC) began investigating Blackmont's conduct on December 10, 2007, and Mr. Duke's conduct on February 1, 2008. The violations occurred when Mr. Duke was a Registered Representative with the Vancouver Branch of Blackmont. Mr. Duke is no longer registered in any capacity with an IIROC-regulated firm.

Blackmont Capital Inc. is now Macquarie Private Wealth Inc., following a name change on February 1, 2010. The firm was previously named First Associates Investments Inc. before becoming Blackmont Capital Inc. in 2005.

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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 and permanent bans or terminations 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.

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.

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