Sept 24 (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Tuesday announced

fines of more than $100 million for around a dozen

broker-dealers and investment advisers to resolve allegations

they failed to preserve electronic communications, the latest

group to be penalized for so-called off-channel messaging in the

financial sector.

The firms included Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Invesco

Distributors Inc and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce ( CM )

as well as two units of that bank, according to the U.S.

Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading

Commission.

U.S. authorities have pursued

a lengthy list

of

finance industry players

in recent years for failing to prevent the use of messaging

tools like WhatsApp and personal devices in company business.

The CFTC announced a $30 million fine for the Canadian

Imperial Bank of Commerce ( CM ) while the SEC said CIBC World Markets

Corp and CIBC Private Wealth Advisors Inc had agreed to pay $12

million.

SEC Enforcement Director Gurbir Grewal said the

penalties showed the range of possible outcomes that depend on

whether companies report their own violations and cooperate with

authorities.

"Widespread and longstanding failures, including where

those failures potentially hinder the Commission's investor

protection function by compromising a firm's response to SEC

subpoenas, may result in robust civil penalties," he said in a

statement, noting that one company, Qatalyst Partners LP, would

pay no penalty after conducting an internal probe.

Canaccord Genuity LLC and Regions Securities LLC would

also pay substantially reduced penalties for the same reason,

according to the SEC.

(Reporting by Douglas Gillison;)