Some Montana residents may receive a holiday bonus thanks to the Office of the Commission of Securities and Insurance.

A coordinated multi-state task force, which included the Montana Auditor’s Office, had been investigating five major brokerage firms for allegedly charging unreasonable minimum commissions in violation of federal law and totaling nearly $19 million.

This summer, the task force announced settlements with the five firms, and Montana Auditor James Brown told the Daily Montanan this week that the next phase — letting Montanans know if they were affected and getting them their money back — is underway.

“We take our consumer protection role pretty seriously at this agency and we have some really good news to announce to folks who have been wronged,” Brown said in a phon

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