Blog
January 28, 2010
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 […]
January 20, 2010
The debate over the inclusion of a single fiduciary standard in financial reform legislation is now being hit with a new lobbyist assault under the guise of legislator education. The insurance industry lobbyist machine, perhaps the most vehement opposition to sweeping fiduciary reform, now wishes for the Senate to authorize a study over the implications […]
January 18, 2010
Investors who placed their money in unlisted REITs, including Behringer Harvard, have been awakened to the myriad of issues related to the nature of these products. Unlisted, or non-traded, REITS differ from listed REITs in that they are not traded on an open market. Rather, non-traded REITs are sold to investors who then hold the […]
December 14, 2009
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 […]
December 4, 2009
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 […]