(Bloomberg) -- Nomura Holdings Inc. is tightening rules on employee visits to clients’ homes after a former worker was arrested on suspicion of robbery, arson and attempted murder in Hiroshima.
Employees at Japan’s biggest brokerage will require prior approval to consult with customers in their homes, the Tokyo-based company said in a statement on Wednesday.
Nomura’s move came days after local media reported that a 29-year-old man is suspected of drugging an elderly customer and his spouse, stealing about ¥26 million ($169,000) in cash from their home and setting it on fire. The couple in their 80s escaped safely.
A Nomura representative confirmed that the suspect, who has since been dismissed, was an employee at the time of the alleged incident in July.
The arrest risks further damaging Nomura’s reputation, which has been hurt by revelations of bond market manipulation. Nomura’s retail division — now known as wealth management — is a key earner and back on an expansion path as more Japanese individuals look to invest their savings.
“We would like to express our heartfelt sympathy and apologize to our clients who suffered because of this incident,” Nomura said. “We also apologize to all those affected by the trouble it is causing.”
In Japan, sales staff at securities firms often serve individual clients by paying house calls.
Nomura said it is also tightening rules around the monitoring of employee movements to ensure “more robust and effective oversight.”
The firm will introduce “block leave” to ensure employees are absent from the workplace to allow time to detect wrongdoing. It will also more strictly evaluate employee conduct and compliance and carry out training to foster professional ethics, according to the statement.
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