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Reuters
SunTrust Banks Inc sued a Connecticut-based hedge fund on Wednesday to block arbitration of a $13 million dispute over mortgage-backed securities. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. district court in Manhattan, is the latest one brought by a bank to challenge claims by investors that their disputes can be heard and decided by a Financial Industry […]
Forbes
On television, actor Larry Hagman played Texas wheeler-dealer J.R. Ewing on the hit show Dallas. No one ever got the better of lyin’, cheatin’ J.R. Ewing. In real life Hagman, who died Friday at the age of 81, was not so lucky. According to MetLife, one in five Americans over the age of 65 will either be […]
Wall Street Journal
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority explained Thursday how it will open its arbitration forum to registered investment advisers, a group it doesn’t have any enforcement power over–at least not yet. Wall Street’s self-regulator now oversees only brokers and not investment advisers, who are supervised directly by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Traditionally, its arbitration system […]
InvestmentNews
U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff shook the securities establishment to its core in 2009 when he refused to sign off on a $33 million settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Bank of America Corp. The SEC had sued the bank for not disclosing an agreement to pay up to $5.8 billion in […]
Reuters
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has reinstated three securities arbitrators that it crossed off its roster following a 2011 decision they made against Merrill Lynch, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters on Wednesday. FINRA’s removal of the three arbitrators between mid-2011 and early 2012 raised questions among lawyers and others about whether the influence […]
Wall Street Journal
When Michael Goldfeder took an exam in 1994 that allows brokers to sell securities, he says his goal was simple: pass the test. The Melville, N.Y.-based adviser succeeded—not by much, he concedes—but never dreamed his clients, or future prospects, might one day see his actual grade. “I’m not ashamed by any means, but it’s preposterous […]
USA Today
Citigroup’s tab for reimbursing clients who said the financial giant misled them into investing in risky hedge funds marketed as the safety equivalent of municipal bonds has soared to at least $85 million. And counting. The payments, awarded since 2008 in 59 arbitrations or settlements, represent just part of a continuing legacy of the nation’s […]
New York Times
For baseball — not unfamiliar with scandal and bankruptcies, ugly divorces and criminal trials — this promises to be something new: the owners of a marquee team in federal court to face accusations that they enriched themselves and ran their team with illegitimate profits from one of history’s greatest scams. Imagine, for instance, what jury […]
Reuters
In an ideally-transparent world, you’d know as much about your broker as you know about the ingredients in packaged junk food label: All of the bad stuff would be instantly on display. But in the U.S., some of the most important information about a broker is off limits to individual investors. At present, you can […]
Business Week
Vikram Pandit knows one way to make big money in hedge funds: sell them. In July 2007, Pandit sold Old Lane Partners LP to Citigroup Inc. for $800 million and pocketed $165 million for his stake. Then he took over the bank’s in-house hedge-fund group, now called Citi Capital Advisors, or CCA. He became chief […]
Reuters
Ongoing efforts by regulators to give the public more details about financial advisers’ backgrounds still haven’t solved a key problem — getting more investors to use that information. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority recently took a step toward resolving that issue. In a notice on Tuesday, FINRA invited suggestions from the public on possible improvements […]
New York Times
BACK in 1940, a popular book about Wall Street asked, “Where are the customers’ yachts?” Investment firms, it lamented, always seemed to win, even when their customers lost. True then and, all too often, true now – with rare exceptions. One of them was the case of Gerald D. Hosier and Jerry Murdock Jr., who […]
Reuters
*Federal Judge Finds That FINRA panel is Correct *Investors’ losses were tied to risky municipal bond funds *FINRA panel ruling among largest to individual investors A U.S. judge on Wednesday denied a request by Citigroup to overturn a $54.1-million arbitration ruling in favor of a group of investors for losses incurred in a series of […]
Fox News
Newly uncovered emails and documents from Citigroup (NYSE:C) that FOX Business has obtained reveal that Citi executives were in open insurrection against top management over risky, speculative investments that failed in spectacular fashion in early 2008, even though Citi’s sales force had touted them as plain-vanilla, safe funds to its richest clients. That means […]
Investment News
Clients of David Lerner Associates Inc. holding shares in nontraded REITs created by Apple REIT Cos. Inc. received account statements at the end of last month in which the longtime value of the shares was shown as “not priced.” For years, shares of the real estate investment trusts were listed at $11 on client account […]
New York Times
Two individual investors just scored a remarkable win against Citigroup. A few weeks ago, the pair was awarded a total of $54.1 million in a securities arbitration case against the Smith Barney unit of the company – the largest amount ever awarded to individuals in such a case, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. […]
Boston Globe
Citigroup Inc., the third-biggest US bank, was ordered to pay more than $51 million to a group of investors in its MAT and ASTA municipal bond hedge funds, which regulators began examining more than two years ago. The ruling by arbitrators at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, which oversees US brokerages, includes $17 million in […]
The Washington Post
Securities regulators have ordered Citigroup Inc. to pay $54 million to two investors who suffered hefty losses in several municipal bond hedge funds between 2002 and 2007. An arbitration panel of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority in Denver awarded the investors $34.1 million in compensatory damages and $17 million in punitive damages in an order […]
Associated Press
Securities regulators have ordered Citigroup Inc. to pay $54 million to two investors who suffered hefty losses in several municipal bond hedge funds between 2002 and 2007. An arbitration panel of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority in Denver awarded the investors $34.1 million in compensatory damages and $17 million in punitive damages in an order […]
Wall Street Journal
A securities arbitration panel has ordered a unit of Citigroup Inc. to pay a group of investors about $54 million for losses they incurred in a municipal-bond arbitrage fund that lost about 80% from mid 2007 through March 2008. Three investors, including Brush Creek Capital, filed the claim in 2009, seeking damages related to MAT […]
Reuters
An arbitration panel ordered Citigroup Inc to pay a group of investors $54.1 million for losses from municipal securities funds that cratered between 2007 and 2008, the biggest award yet involving the funds in a long series of legal claims against the bank. Three investors — Gerald Hosier, Brush Creek Capital and Jerry Murdock — […]
InvestmentNews
Citigroup Inc., the third-biggest U.S. bank, was ordered to pay more than $51 million to a group of investors in its MAT and ASTA municipal-bond hedge funds, which regulators began examining more than two years ago. The ruling by arbitrators at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, which oversees U.S. brokerages, includes $17 million in punitive […]
Law360
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority on Monday ordered a Citigroup Inc. unit to pay three investors more than $54 million for its mismanagement of poorly performing municipal bond hedge funds. Gerald D. Hosier, Brush Creek Capital LLC and Jerry Murdock Jr. filed the claim in June 2009, alleging Citigroup Global Markets breached its fiduciary duty […]
Wall Street Journal
Citigroup Inc. has been ordered to pay $54.1 million to two wealthy investors for losses they suffered on a series of risky municipal bond funds that lost 77% of their value in the midst of the financial crisis. The award by an industry arbitration panel is the largest ever levied against a major Wall Street […]
Wall Street Journal
‘Reverse Convertible Notes’ Can Tumble Along with Stock Securities regulators have broadened their probes into whether Wall Street sold a complex type of bond without fully disclosing the drawbacks to individual investors. Known as “reverse convertible notes,” the product pays interest but also is tied to the performance on an underlying stock, so if the […]
InvestmentNews
Judge combines private-placement arbitration claims with class actions; plaintiff’s attorney decries decision Securities America Inc. scored a huge legal victory this morning when a federal judge in Dallas halted three upcoming Finra arbitration cases against the firm and its brokers over the sale allegedly bogus private placements. Judge W. Royal Furgeson Jr. of U.S. District […]
Wall Street Journal
Two units of Citigroup Inc. have been ordered to pay $6.4 million to a group of investors, including the head of a Chicago-area investment-banking firm, for losses they incurred in a family of municipal arbitrage funds. The award by a divided securities arbitration panel represented a partial victory for the investors, who included D. Theodore […]
Ignites
In what is being hailed as an historic change to the securities arbitration process, the SEC has approved a rule that allows investors to choose only public arbitrators to hear and decide their claims against brokers. Previously, in cases with three arbitrators (those involving claims over $100,000), the panels have been made up of two […]
Wall Street Journal
A unit of Citigroup Inc. (C) must pay a group of investors a total of $2.43 million for losses they incurred in a municipal arbitrage fund that lost about 80% during a period between 2007 and 2008. Five Memphis-based investors filed the claim in 2009, seeking damages related to MAT Five, which is among a […]
Investment News
Dozens of plaintiffs suing brokerage firms this month and last have seen a veritable gusher of multimillion-dollar awards – leaving some plaintiff’s attorneys anticipating a continued stream of such arbitration rulings. The awards, all decided by Financial Industry Authority Inc. arbitration panels in September and October include: Larry “J.R. Ewing” Hagman’s $11.5 million award vs. […]
New York Times
When he played the oil tycoon J. R. Ewing Jr., in “Dallas,” the long-running, ’80s-era nighttime soap opera, Larry Hagman didn’t get mad at his adversaries. He got even. Last week, Mr. Hagman, 79, got even once again. This time it was against his broker. A securities arbitration panel awarded Mr. Hagman and his wife […]
Bloomberg
Larry Hagman, who played the conniving oil baron J.R. Ewing in the prime-time soap opera “Dallas”, has learned that the star broker hired to run your money can turn out to be a flop. Over the course of 15 hearing sessions in Los Angeles in August and September, Hagman, 79, and his lawyers told a […]
Forbes
Lisa Detanna was a newcomer to the Barron’s Top 100 Women Financial Advisors list this year. Odds are she won’t make the cut in 2011, after being hit with an $11.5mil arbitration settlement yesterday in relation to the accounts of actor Larry Hagman. Hagman, 79, is best known for his role as the villainous J.R. […]
The Hollywood Reporter
J.R. Ewing would have been all smiles. Larry Hagman, who portrayed the rich fictitious oil baron Ewing in the CBS cult TV show “Dallas,” won an arbitration panel ruling in a securities case against a unit of Citigroup that will earn him $1.1 million and $10 million in punitive damages for charities of his choosing, […]
MarketWatch
An arbitration panel has ordered Citigroup Inc. to pay out more than $11 million following allegations that it mishandled the accounts of “Dallas” actor Larry Hagman. Arbitrators told Citi to pay Hagman around $1.1 million in compensation and to hand a further $10 million to the charity of his choice. Hagman, best know for his role […]
TheStreet
Larry Hagman, the actor who played Texas oilman J.R. Ewing in the popular 1980’s TV series Dallas won $12 million in an arbitration case against Citigroup on Wednesday. The ruling by a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority arbitration panel requires Citigroup to pay $1.1 million in compensatory damages to Hagman, punitive damages of $10 million to charities the actor will […]
Wall Street Journal
An arbitration panel ruled in favor of actor Larry Hagman in a securities case against a unit of Citigroup Inc., which was ordered to pay $1.1 million to the former star of the TV show “Dallas,” and another $10 million to charities of his choosing. Mr. Hagman, along with various trusts and IRA accounts titled […]
NBC
Larry Hagman, the actor who played the villainous J.R. Ewing in the 1980s TV show “Dallas,” has won his case that he was victimized by Citigroup Inc, and the bank was ordered to pay over $11 million in damages. The total award includes $10 million in punitive damages that Citi must pay to charities selected […]
CNBC
The actor who played the villainous J.R. Ewing in 1980s TV show “Dallas,” became a victim of fraud and misconduct at the hands of Citigroup, a FINRA arbitration panel ruled this week. The total award includes $10 million in punitive damages that Citi must pay to charities selected by Hagman, $1.1 million in compensatory damages and […]
DealBook
Call it J.R. Ewing’s revenge. The actor Larry Hagman, who played the rapacious oil baron in the 1980s hit series “Dallas,” won $11.6 million in a securities arbitration case against Citigroup, according to a ruling from a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority panel. The ruling against Citigroup Global Markets, released on Wednesday, includes $1.1 million in compensatory […]
The Washington Post
Larry Hagman, who those of us born before 1975 may remember as the diabolical J.R. Ewing from TV’s “Dallas,” today won a massive payday from Citigroup Inc. In 2009, Hagman accused the company of “a breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract, fraud by misrepresentation and omission, failure to supervise and violation of federal […]
Bloomberg
Citigroup Inc., the third-largest U.S. bank by assets, lost an arbitration ruling that will force it to pay almost $12 million in damages in a case against actor Larry Hagman. A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority arbitration board ruled that Citigroup must pay $1.1 million in compensatory damages and must donate $10 million of punitive damages to […]
Financial Times
Citigroup was ordered to pay more than $11m to resolve allegations that it mishandled the accounts of Larry Hagman, the actor best known for his portrayal of the conniving Texas oil baron JR Ewing in the television soap opera Dallas. Arbitrators from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority found Citi liable in the case and directed the bank […]
Reuters
Larry Hagman, the actor who played the villainous J.R. Ewing in the 1980s TV show “Dallas,” has won his case alleging that he was victimized by Citigroup Inc., with the bank ordered to pay more than $11 million in damages. The total award includes $10 million in punitive damages that Citi must pay to charities […]
Dow Jones
Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and one of its brokers must buy back $925,000 in auction-rate securities from a Texas-based couple, a securities arbitration panel has ruled. Rex and Sherese Glendenning, of the Celina area in Texas, originally sought $1.4 million in the case they filed in February 2009, against Raymond James & Associates, a […]
Bloomberg
Citigroup Inc. was ordered by brokerage-industry arbitrators to pay more than $1 million to three investors in its municipal-bond funds. The clients had accused the New York-based bank’s global markets unit of breaching fiduciary duty and other misconduct tied to their investments in funds known as MAT Five and MAT Three, according to an Aug. […]
Wall Street Journal
Two years after the credit-market meltdown hit a once-booming sector of the municipal-bond market, Wall Street brokerage firms are being ordered to pay millions to investors who lost big on what some thought were low-risk investments. This month, an investor arbitration panel awarded a California family $2.1 million, the full amount of its losses on […]
A Los Angeles based Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel awarded $550,504 to a married couple. The award represents a return of 100 percent of the client’s losses as a result of their purchase of Mat Three. Mat Three was a leveraged municipal arbitrage hedge fund launched by Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. and sold […]
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., May 12, 2010 – A Los Angeles based Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel awarded more than $1.7 million to three clients in connection with their purchases of Mat Five. Mat Five was a leveraged municipal arbitrage hedge fund launched by Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. and sold through Smith Barney, part […]
The Tribune
The more than $8.8 million judgment awarded to clients of Jeffrey Forrest has been paid, six months after a financial regulatory agency determined that the former San Luis Obispo investment adviser had misrepresented a risky hedge fund as being safe. Forrest, who owned WealthWise LLC, and Associated Securities, an El Segundo-based broker-dealer with which his […]