Is public distrust of the finance sector warranted? Evidence from the extent of financial adviser misconduct

Nihad Aliyev, Inji Allahverdiyeva, Tālis J. Putniņš

Research output: Working paperPreprint

Abstract

Financial advisers are the primary interface between the public and the finance sector. Using data from over one million financial advisers in the U.S. since 1900, we find that 30% of advisers are involved in misconduct, but only about one-third of those advisers are reported by regulators. We estimate that advisers involved in misconduct currently oversee around $6.9 trillion assets under management. The shares of adviser misconduct and unreported misconduct increase during the GFC, paralleling the erosion of trust in financial institutions. Our findings suggest that public distrust of the finance sector is warranted.

Original languageEnglish
PublisherSSRN
Number of pages55
DOIs
Publication statusSubmitted - 2023

Publication series

NameSSRN

Keywords

  • Trust
  • financial advisers
  • financial misconduct
  • consumer finance

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Is public distrust of the finance sector warranted? Evidence from the extent of financial adviser misconduct'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this