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Beverly Hills based securities lawyers have launched an extensive investigation into the sales practices of LPL Financial, LLC regarding the recommendation of non-traded REITs to their clients. This investigation is critical as it follows a recently filed complaint by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Securities Division, which delves into similar non-traded REIT sales practices. The Massachusetts […]
InvestmentNews reports a significant development in the financial industry: the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. (FINRA) has now opened its arbitration system to registered investment advisers (RIAs). This move marks a notable expansion of FINRA’s arbitration services, which have traditionally been utilized for resolving investor or industry complaints involving securities firms and broker-dealers. The announcement […]
New rules that could require certain brokers to act in the best interests of clients should enhance laws already in place for some financial advisers, a coalition of investor advocacy and trade groups wrote late on Thursday. The letter to Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro from groups that include the Consumer Federation of […]
Ss=”rank-math-highlight” style=”background-color: #fee894″>Over two grueling weeks, convicted Florida Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein laid out in incriminating detail how far the tentacles stretched in his $1.2 billion fraud scheme, which has been described as one of the largest Ponzi schemes in U.S. history. Rothstein pointed the finger at numerous lawyers, bankers, business people, relatives, friends, and […]
Prosecutors are expected to ask a judge today to send a man to prison for 15 years for running a Ponzi scheme that took in about $30 million as well as a scam that preyed on homeowners facing foreclosure. This case highlights the pervasive problem of financial fraud in our society, where individuals like Rangel […]
Not so fast, J.R. Larry Hagman, who played the rapacious oil tycoon J.R. Ewing in the 1980s hit TV series “Dallas,” recently won $11.6 million in a securities arbitration case against Citigroup. As DealBook reported last month, it was the largest arbitration award an individual investor received this year and the ninth largest award ever, […]
The firm announces a notice of an investigation on behalf of investors who purchased Bank of America structured products, which were represented as protecting principal. The investments the firm is investigating include several structured investment vehicles that require careful scrutiny. These products were designed to appeal to investors looking for a balance between risk and […]
Many people on Wall Street were surprised when an arbitration panel awarded Larry Hagman, who played the rapacious oil baron J.R. Ewing in the 1980s hit series “Dallas,” won $11.6 million in a securities arbitration case against Citigroup. His broker, Lisa Detanna, was also surprised. She recently sent a letter about the case to hundreds […]
Bank of America Corp. raised $4.7 billion selling structured notes to U.S. investors through June, the most of any issuer and more than its 2009 total, as sales of the securities rose to a record pace. Structured Note investments have gained popularity among a diverse range of investors seeking tailored financial solutions. The increasing interest […]
In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Securities America Inc, the United States is seeing the first instance of a state regulator bringing an enforcement case against a company over private placement deals. This case stands as a significant turning point in the scrutiny of financial dealings and the responsibilities of investment firms and underscores the […]
James Shorris, executive director of enforcement at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has been quoted by Investment News as saying that enforcement cases on multiple private placement deals can be expected to begin by next year. Private placement memorandum (PPM) deals, also known as Reg D offerings, have come under increased scrutiny after enjoying […]
According to the WSJ today: In what will likely be a closely studied ruling, a retail investor was awarded $200,000 after a Financial Industry Regulation Authority arbitration panel decided the investor’s UBS AG (UBS) broker inappropriately sold her risky Lehman Brothers principal protected notes. The case is one of the first involving the Lehman notes […]
Richard Ketchum, Chairman and Chief Executive of FINRA, testified before the House Financial Services Committee today in support of allowing the SEC to ban mandatory arbitration clauses in securities contracts. It is common practice for broker dealers to stipulate a mandatory dispute resolution forum in the event of a broker/client dispute. Such clauses, normally found […]
The law firm has been contacted by numerous investors who have suffered significant financial losses and is preparing to file additional FINRA arbitration claims against broker dealers for losses incurred based on the recommendation to purchase Medical Capital securities, including those from Securities America. It is essential for investors to understand the implications of these […]
Investment advisers and consumer advocates have applauded President Obama’s proposal to establish a fiduciary duty for broker-dealers offering investment advice. Diahann Lassus, chairwoman of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors in Arlington Heights, Ill., stated, “We think it’s great. There should be a fiduciary standard for all advisers.” This sentiment echoes the growing recognition […]
2008 marked many memorable controversies in the financial world. From Bernie Madoff’s $50 billion ponzi scheme to the crash of the financial markets, and let’s not forget the collapse of the auction-rate securities (ARS) market, often referred to as the Auction Rate market. As a result, individual and institutional investors of ARS have now found […]
Last week, an Indiana charity that “makes wishes come true” for children with life threatening illnesses filed arbitration claims over sub-prime related losses it allegedly suffered in a bond fund managed by Regions Morgan Keegan. The Indiana Children’s Wish Find claimed that it lost $48,000 or 22% of its $220,000 investment in the Regions Morgan […]
A Bear Stearns investment fund, significantly impacted by the decline in the subprime mortgage market and facing creditors’ complaints regarding its management, has requested permission from a Delaware judge to dissolve and liquidate its assets. Bear Stearns High-Grade Structured Credit Strategies Enhanced Leverage Fund LP, linked to a Cayman Islands-based fund, is seeking to shut down […]
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced today that its Board of Governors approved rule amendments designed to limit significantly the number of dispositive motions – more commonly known as motions to dismiss — filed in its arbitration forum and to impose strict sanctions against parties who engage in abusive motions practices. These changes aim […]
The hedge fund industry is estimated to be a $875 billion business and growing at about 20% per year, with more than 8,000 active hedge funds. Most hedge funds are highly specialized, relying on the specific expertise of the manager or management team. A hedge fund manager might employ investment strategies, some of which use […]
Putting another nail in the coffin of the troubled High-Grade Structured Credit Strategies hedge fund, lenders at Bear Stearns Cos. have seized most of the fund’s collateral following its failure to meet a recent margin call. Bear’s move, which according to someone close to the situation came after more than a week of waiting for […]
Bear Stearns Cos. told investors in its two failed hedge funds that they’ll get little if any money back after “unprecedented declines” in the value of the securities used to bet on subprime mortgages. “This is a watershed,” said Sean Egan, managing director of Egan-Jones Ratings Co. in Haverford, Pennsylvania. “A leading player, which has […]
Lately, more and more seniors are hearing about opportunities to sell their existing life insurance for cash in transactions known as life settlements. A life settlement, or senior settlement, as they are sometimes called, involves selling an existing life insurance policy to a third party—a person or an entity other than the company that issued […]
Firm Also Charged by NASD with Falsely Claiming that Millions of Emails in its Possession Had Been Lost in 9-11 Terrorist Attacks NASD announced today that it has charged Morgan Stanley DW, Inc. with routinely failing to provide emails to claimants in arbitration proceedings as well as to regulators – and with falsely claiming that […]