The platform, called “3D” based on its “multidimensional design” is designed to let the firm’s 17,000 financial advisors do everything from trading stocks and picking fund managers to helping clients manage their risks. It’s a supposedly state of the art system which would enable advisors to give the most insightful financial advice in the business.
However, it’s taken three years to integrate Citigroup’s Smith Barney financial advisors into the new system with the Morgan Stanley advisors.
The end result has proven disappointing and frustrating to many advisors, and some, whom are thinking of leaving the firm, are citing the technology glitches as one of the reasons.
According to Reuters “Insight” reported by LaCapra, Giaannone and Lau, on August 3, one of the most serious malfunctions so far was the failure to require brokers to post margin for certain option and derivative trades for at least two days.
Brokers have also said they have had troubles with foreign currency transactions, account number changes, slower trade processing, and delays in fund delivery into client accounts and system outages.
The bank is denying these assertions and claiming that “some rough edges were inevitable.”
The “rough edges” have been costly and the firm has been compensating customers for many of these “system errors”.