September 29, 2008
On Wall Street
Elizabeth Wine
Under a new FINRA pilot program starting this month, customers who bring arbitration claims against the firms of their financial advisors will be able to choose to have their cases heard by a panel of three of their peers, a switch from the current norm of two public panelists and one industry arbitrator. The new […]
September 24, 2008
The Public Record
Jason Leopold
Last March, Scott Coren and Michael Nannizzi, analysts at Bear Stearns, issued a report upgrading the stock of New Century Financial, a company that provides sub-prime mortgages to low-income homebuyers, from “underperform” to “peer-perform.” California-based New Century’s stock rallied on Coren and Nannizzi’s research note to investors, rising 3% in afternoon trading on Thursday March […]
September 17, 2008
Bloomberg
Susan Antilla
It isn’t the bull market Wall Street might have wished for, but it’s barreling along all the same. Striking it rich on the blunders of the financial world: The lawyers who represent investors looking to sue their brokerage firm. “Bad markets expose bad portfolios,” says Vincent Imbesi, who handles securities cases at the New York […]
August 28, 2008
Bloomberg
Susan Antilla
Ben S. Bernanke last week floated the notion of “macroprudential regulation,” government-speak for “an attempt by regulators to develop a more fully integrated overview of the entire financial system.” Good luck, Mr. Federal Reserve chairman. If integration, broker oversight or speedy reporting of trouble are among the goals you’re shooting for, you had better brace […]
August 25, 2008
Financial Week
Hilary Johnson
Recent regulatory settlements by Citigroup and other big banks have set the tone for what corporate investors can expect out of the auction-rate securities mess. Bottom line, advisers say: Wait and see, but keep your lawyers on speed dial. Citi said earlier this month that it will buy back $7.5 billion in ARS from retail […]