Gadfly Goble claims regulators targeted him

Richard Goble, owner of North American Clearing Inc. and an outspoken critic of regulators, has filed a lawsuit claiming that the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. and the Depository Trust and Clearing Corp. in 2008 conspired to put his firm out of business.

The suit, filed in a Florida federal court Tuesday, also names several individuals, including SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro and Grace Vogel, Finra’s executive vice president of member regulation.

CHARGES RETALIATION

In the suit, Mr. Goble claims that Finra, without cause, got the SEC to shut down North American in retaliation for his efforts at running dissident candidates for the self-regulator’s board and district committees.

North American, which at one point cleared trades for about 40 correspondent firms, was put under receivership in May 2008 after the SEC charged the firm and him with using client assets to finance the company’s operations.

Mr. Goble is fighting those charges. A trial date in U.S. District Court in Orlando, Fla., is expected in May.

In 2007, he was elected to NASD’s board of governors. Mr. Goble resigned that post after being charged.

NASD has since become Finra.

Mr. Goble became well-known among smaller broker-dealers as the founder of the now-defunct Financial Industry Association, which often challenged regulators, in particular NASD.

Finra spokesman Herb Perone declined to comment, as did SEC spokesman John Heine.

A DTCC spokesman wasn’t immediately available for comment.

E-mail Dan Jamieson at [email protected].