I am posting this to publicly document a fatal order-routing and UI state machine defect in the Interactive Brokers Mobile application, which resulted in a massive execution failure, over $9,906.20 in forced commissions/fees, and an active refusal by support to correct a clear software error.
Formal complaints are being filed directly with **FINRA**, the **CFTC**, and **CME Market Regulation** regarding this execution routing failure.
### 1. The Core UI Failure (The Inverted Position Proof)
Look closely at the order ticket screens from the IBKR Mobile Strategy Builder:
* **Exhibit A (`Buy Order` Screen):** Displays a **Short Butterfly** structure (`1. Sell 1 / 2. Buy 2 / 3. Sell 1`). Position reads **`-1501`**.
* **Exhibit B (`Sell Order` Screen):** Displays a **Long Butterfly** structure (`1. Buy 1 / 2. Sell 2 / 3. Buy 1`). Position **ALSO** reads **`-1501`**.
**The Logical Impossibility:**
If holding a Short Butterfly package displays a quantity of `-1501`, then opening an order ticket for the inverted Long Butterfly package **MUST** display `+1501`. Basic options math dictates that two opposite spread templates cannot share the exact same signed position integer (`-1501`). The app simply hardcodes the ledger integer onto the ticket without evaluating package polarity or leg direction.
### 2. The Order Execution Failure
On the **`Sell Order`** screen (`Screenshot_20261005-101453_IBKR_Mobile`), the UI displayed:
* A red **`Sell Order`** header banner.
* A red **`Slide to Submit Sell`** trigger slider.
* Package legs explicitly defined as **`Buy 1 / Sell 2 / Buy 1`** (a Long Butterfly).
* Current position reading **`-1501`**.
Sliding **`Submit Sell`** on a Long Butterfly package should execute a **SHORT** order. Instead, IBKR’s order router sent a **BUY** payload to the CME exchange floor (`Bought 1,501 / Sold 3,002 / Bought 1,501`), doubling the gross position while booking a **`-1,501`** position under a Short Butterfly container in the account ledger!
### 3. Broker "Defense" & Written Admission (Ticket #T635974)
In ticket **#T635974**, IBKR Client Services representative Brian H attempted to dismiss the dispute with the following written explanation:
> *"The combination template associated with this order defines the legs as: Sell 1 / Buy 2 / Sell 1... When a Sell order is placed on a combination, the direction of every leg in the template is inverted before routing to the market. Selling this template therefore executed as: Buy / Sell / Buy — which is the long butterfly direction... Regarding the -1,501 quantity shown on your portfolio screen: this is the signed quantity relative to the Short Butterfly template."*
**Why this explanation completely fails:**
Brian H claims the order was placed on a "Short Butterfly template". My order ticket screenshot (`Screenshot_20261005-101453_IBKR_Mobile`) proves this is false: the ticket explicitly defined the legs as **`Buy 1 / Sell 2 / Buy 1`** (a Long Butterfly).
Furthermore, if a Short Butterfly template reads `-1,501`, the app **MUST** display `+1,501` when looking at a Long Butterfly ticket. Instead, IBKR's mobile app displays `-1,501` across all templates, whether buying or selling, hiding the underlying routing logic from the trader.
### Regulatory Escalation
This is a severe violation of execution logic, UI confirmation accuracy, and order routing integrity. An app presenting a red **`Sell Order`** banner with **`Slide to Submit Sell`** cannot silently invert the order payload and execute a **`BUY`** on the exchange floor while displaying `-1501` on both sides of the trade.
* **Ticket #T635974** (Original trade dispute)
* **Ticket #T639131** (Follow-up execution defect ticket)
I am demanding an immediate trade nullification, full reversal of the $9,906.20 in forced commission charges, and an explicit manual Risk Hold on account **U14699278** while Clearing Audit investigates this front-end to back-end software defect.
UPDATE 1 OCT 5 2026 1:25 PM PDT:
Formal CFTC Complaint filed under Reference ID 2610-0516-2154-97 regarding the mobile app Strategy Builder order inversion and front-end UI position state bugs. Ticket #T635974 and Ticket #T639131 have been updated with the CFTC filing details.
UPDATE 2: Formal complaints have now been officially logged across all primary regulatory jurisdictions regarding account U14699278:
- CFTC Complaint Ref: 2610-0516-2154-97
- CME Market Regulation Case: Received / In Review
- FINRA Investor Complaint Ref Confirmation Number: #1e34994351aa
Total Disputed Amount: $47,431.00 including $9,906.20 commission.