Heath Abshure

A New York investor received a $450,000 judgment last week from an Bryant man who boasted about having connections to former President Bill Clinton. read more >

Gov. Asa Hutchinson names Edmond Waters as commissioner of the Arkansas Securities Department. He also appointed leaders for the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs. read more >

Arkansas Securities Commissioner Heath Abshure says he will be replaced by Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson. In an interview Tuesday, Abshure said it's too early to say what his plans are after a new commissioner is appointed. read more >

A growing number of Arkansas seniors are being targeted in fraudulent schemes and investment opportunities, derailing a lifetime of planning and absorbing money that could be used on real investments. read more >

Arkansas Securities Commissioner A. Heath Abshure said Tuesday that he has appointed Jack Pruniski of Hilburn Calhoon Harper Pruniski & Calhoun of Little Rock as hearing officer in the cases of Steele Stephens and Robert Keenan. read more >

After eight years with a Democrat at the helm of the executive branch, Republican Asa Hutchinson’s agency director appointments are also an opportunity to shape the next four years of business in the state. read more >

Federal prosecutors gave Steele Stephens immunity from prosecution and let him keep the millions in bond sales commissions he received from the business relationship that resulted in the criminal conviction of former state Treasurer Martha Shoffner. read more >

After getting stung by the Arkansas Securities Department, the Voyager Financial Group LLC of Little Rock is facing another mess involving its former co-owner. read more >

My high school journalism teacher taught me about five Ws and an H — who, what, when, where, why and how. Approximately 1,000 years later, I’ve concluded that that fifth W is the most problematic. read more >

The Arkansas Ethics Commission voted 4-0, with one member not present, to dismiss the complaint against Arkansas Securities Commissioner Heath Abshure that Stephens General Counsel David Knight filed in November. Abshure says he never saw any gray area in the settlements that included donations to NASAA. read more >

Robert Keenan, CEO of St. Bernard Financial Services, says the state Securities Department is retaliating for an ethics complaint he filed against Heath Abshure, although he was given notice of the department's plans before he filed the complaint. read more >

Arbitration clauses and courtroom avoidance are common in the securities business. That norm stands in contrast to a not-so-modest proposal by Stephens Inc. to go straight to a judge to rule on enforcement actions by the Arkansas Securities Department. read more >

Lost in the political fracas between the Arkansas Securities Department and Stephens Inc. is the event that started it all: a customer complaint against a former Stephens stockbroker, William Wayne LaRue. read more >

Stephens Inc. of Little Rock suggests changes to state law that would, among other things, move all state securities enforcement actions into the court system. The investment firm made its suggestions in a legislative hearing about its grievance against state Securities Commissioner Heath Abshure. read more >

Arkansas Securities Commissioner Heath Abshure took heat from legislators for more than an hour last week, but threatening weather forced the Joint Performance Review Committee to recess before any other witnesses could be heard. read more >

Stephens Inc. of Little Rock has accused Arkansas Securities Commissioner Heath Abshure of illegally steering more than $170,000 to his “favorite charities” and of retaliating when Stephens refused to make such a donation while negotiating a recent settlement. read more >

Americans are notoriously ignorant about basic personal finance, and Arkansans are even less financially savvy than the national average, according to a nationwide study conducted by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation. read more >

A young New York broker-dealer made an unfortunate cold call filled with blustery claims and ended up having his Arkansas registration revoked. read more >

Arkansas Securities Commissioner Heath Abshure fines Stephens Inc. $25,000 for failing to properly supervise agents who sold leveraged and inverse exchanged traded funds in 2008 and 2009. read more >

A. Heath Abshure was appointed to lead the Arkansas Securities Department by Gov. Mike Beebe in December 2007. In this week's Executive Q&A, he talks about crowd funding regulations, common complaints and what to do if you think you've been scammed. read more >