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Maddox Hargett & Caruso, P.C. is frequently quoted in the media. To read news articles in PDF format, click on the “Read” link (requires Adobe Reader). Check back as articles are always being added.

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2020 FINRA Priorities Letter

Each year, FINRA publishes its Annual Regulatory and Examination Priorities Letter to highlight issues of importance to FINRA’s...

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2019 FINRA Priorities Letter Released

Each year, FINRA publishes its Annual Regulatory and Examination Priorities Letter to highlight issues of importance to FINRA's...

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Putting a Lid on Ponzi Schemes

Since 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has brought more than 100 enforcement actions against nearly 200 individuals...

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SEC’s Examination Priorities for 2014

Many of the items found on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s annual list of examination priorities for the new year echo...

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FINRA Releases 2014 Regulatory and Exam Priorities

Non-traded REITs, elder fraud, complex structured products, private placements and other alternative investments will be among...

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One-Time Major REIT Player Leo Wells Closes His Broker/Dealer

Following abysmal deals involving non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) and fraudulent private placement offerings...

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Serving as a ‘Fiduciary’ for an Older Adult

(On Jan. 23, from 1-2 p.m. EST, Mark Maddox of Maddox Hargett & Caruso P.C. will be a featured guest on NPR/WFYI's No Limits...

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FINRA Says National Planning Corp. Liable for $6.2M Arbitration Award

A top independent broker/dealer has been ordered to pay a $6.2 million arbitration award to two Minnesota investors in a claim...

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UBS, Puerto Rico Bonds & Elderly Investors

The question on many investors’ minds these days is why advisers with UBS Financial Services of Puerto Rico recommended municipal...

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Euro Pacific Capital: Trouble Ahead?

Peter David Schiff is a respected author and frequent financial commentator. He’s also the founder and CEO of Euro Pacific Capital,...

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Five Years Later, Little Progress Has Been Made

In the latest issue of the Indianapolis Business Journal, I’ve written an article on how the financial services industry...

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Puerto Rico Debt Has Been a Big Payday for Wall Street

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal reports on the financial woes facing Puerto Rico over its troubled bond deals...

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Trouble Brewing From Puerto Rico for OppenheimerFunds Bond Funds?

Big bets on Puerto Rican debt has sent the value of the Oppenheimer Rochester Virginia Municipal Bond Fund (ORVAX) reeling. As...

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Investigation into UBS Puerto Rico Closed-End Funds

Maddox, Hargett & Caruso P.C. currently is investigating potential claims on behalf of investors against UBS Puerto Rico for...

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UBS Gears Up for Legal Bout Over Plummeting Puerto Rico Bond Funds

A group of proprietary closed-end bond funds created by UBS and which were heavily invested in Puerto Rico municipal debt is plummeting...

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Morgan Stanley Agrees to Pay $100,000 in ETF Settlement

Morgan Stanley & Co., LLC has agreed to pay $100,000 to the New Jersey Bureau...

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Tricks of the Trade: Outsmarting Investment Fraudsters

Investment fraud is big business - and senior investors are unfortunately prime targets. Scammers often single out seniors for...

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Technical Glitch Shuts Down NASDAQ

Trading at the NASDAQ stock exchange came to a screeching halt on Thursday afternoon, following what is being called a "technical...

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Alternative Investments on Regulators’ Radar

Complex investments like non-traded REITs, structured notes and private placements are increasingly capturing the attention of...

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FINRA Amps Up Inspection of Arbitrators

An Aug. 8 article by Reuters reports that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) may be stepping up efforts...

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Burned by Bad Brokers

An Illinois investor named Sergio Alvarado was recently awarded nearly $750,000 in damages following a dispute with his brokerage...

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Oxford Financial Loses Big to Reid Hospital

Timing is critical - something Reid Hospital & Health Care Services knows first hand. In 2011, the Richmond, Indiana, hospital...

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Sales of Complex Investments to Elderly Lead to Inquiry

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin has subpoenaed 15 brokerage firms as part of a new investigation...

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Former Baseball Player Says Broker Cost Him $5M After Investing in Failed Private Placements

Five-time Major League baseball player Mike Sweeney is suing UBS Financial Services and his former broker, Ralph A. Jackson III,...

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LPL Has Regulators’ Attention

LPL Financial has more than 13,000 brokers, 6,500 offices and some 4.3 million customers. It’s also got a lengthy list of issues...

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‘Alt’ Funds: What Investors Need to Know

Alternative, or “alt funds,” are not your typical mutual fund. As reported June 11 by USA Today, the past three years...

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An Investment Blast From the Past: Synthetic CDOs

Synthetic collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). They’re those risky, complex financial products that many blame for causing...

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Investigating Bad Brokers: Ronald Nichter

Maddox Hargett & Caruso, P.C. regularly reviews the Broker Check Web site of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)...

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Non-Traded REIT Sales Land Five BDs in Hot Water

Five independent broker/dealers will pay $8.6 million in restitution to investors, as well as fines of $975,000, as part of settlements...

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VSR Fined Over Alternative Investments

Alternative investments continue to garner the wrath of regulators and more trouble for broker/dealers. Last week, the Financial...

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Education Is Key to Preventing Elder Fraud

Elder investment fraud is big business. Every year, fraudsters scam older Americans out of billions of dollars. What makes the...

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Foiling the Reforms of Dodd-Frank

Three years ago, on July 21, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or, as it's...

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Some Bond Funds Not What They Appear

The number of bond funds that own stocks has increased dramatically - and could be yet another sign of investors’ willingness...

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Wells Fargo to Pay $105M in Medical Capital Fraud Case

Medical Capital Holdings investors who lost millions of dollars in a failed private-placement deal that turned out to be a Ponzi...

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Lawmakers to SEC: End Mandatory Arbitration Agreements

A number of lawmakers want an end to mandatory arbitration clauses in brokerage contracts and are calling on the Securities and...

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Investors Should Proceed With Caution in Investments That Promise ‘Bond-like’ Features

As investors grow increasingly leery of bonds and the potential increase in interest rates, many are turning to alternative investment...

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FINRA Panel Orders MML Investors Services to Pay $1.1 Million to Investor

A Los Angeles Financial Industry Regulatory Authority arbitration panel has ordered MML Investors Services, LLC - which is part...

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‘Senior Designations’: Don’t Take Credentials of Financial Advisers at Face Value

When it comes to investing your money, it’s hard to know whom to trust. That’s especially true for older Americans. A new...

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DBSI Top Execs Indicted

Four top DBSI executives - Douglas Swenson, Mark Ellison and two sons of Swenson, David and Jeremy - were indicted this week by...

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The Willow Fund: Hard Lessons on Pitfalls of Credit Default Swaps

A year ago, investors in a UBS sponsored closed-end fund called the Willow Fund learned that the fund - which had assets of nearly...

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LPL Financial Contends With Ongoing Regulatory Battles

LPL Financial may be rapidly expanding its business model, but it no doubt could do without some of the attention it is receiving...

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Broker to NFL Players Barred From Securities Industry

Broker Jeffrey Rubin has been barred from the securities industry after leading 31 NFL players to invest in a controversial Alabama...

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Bond Buyers: Proceed With Caution

The economy may be improving, but there’s a new fear on the horizon for many investors: A bond market crash. As reported March...

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Variable Annuities on FINRA 2013 Product ‘Watch List’

In 2012, 220 variable annuity claims were filed by investors with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) - an 8%...

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Is Your Adviser Mishandling Your Assets?

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is warning investors that it has found “significant deficiencies” in the way...

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Alternative Investments, Elder Fraud Among SEC’s 2013 Examination Priorities

Fraudulent sales practices of broker/dealers, alternative investments, elder financial abuse, private placements, unsuitable recommendations...

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Online Brokerage Accounts: What Investors Can Do to Safeguard Their Money, Personal Information

Let's hope this never happens to you: You have a few free minutes so you decide to go online to check your brokerage account information....

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Chasing the Yield in Alternative Investments Can Prove Risky

In recent years, retail investors have been pouring money into alternative investments by the droves. From 2008 to 2009, that...

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ASTA/MAT Debacle Reappears With Treasury Secretary Nominee Jack Lew in ABC’s Nightline Expose

Citigroup and a group of failed fixed-income alternative funds known as ASTA/MAT are back in the news courtesy of Jack Lew, President...

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Financial Fraud Against Seniors Is Growing

Crimes involving elderly victims...

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Apple, Equity-Linked Structured Products and Bondholders

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal underscores the often unforeseen impact of equity-linked structured products...

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SEC to Focus on Four Key Hedge Fund Issues in 2013

The “retailization” of hedge funds has made it easier for unsophisticated investors to invest directly in the products and,...

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Structured Notes: The Devil Is In The Details

It sounds like an investor’s dream investment: You get 150% of the upside of the stock market but only 90% of the downside....

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Ameriprise Financial Clients Suffer Losses Over REIT Investments

Maddox Hargett & Caruso, P.C. is investigating claims on behalf of investors who contend they were misguided by Ameriprise...

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Notice to LPL Financial, LLC Customers: Maddox Hargett & Caruso, P.C. Launches Investigation Into Non-Traded REIT Recommendations of LPLA (NASDAQ: LPLA).

Maddox Hargett & Caruso, P.C. announces the initiation of an investigation into the sales practices of LPL Financial, LLC...

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LPL Financial Faces Charges Over REIT Sales Abuses

Sales abuses tied to non-traded real estate investment trusts, or REITs, have become increasingly front and center for the...

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2012: A Year in Review, Part 2

Exchange-traded notes. 1861 Capital Management Funds. Rochester Municipal Bond Fund. LPL Financial. Morgan Keegan. Tim Durham....

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Maddox Hargett & Caruso, P.C Investigates Investors’ Non-Traded REIT Losses

Maddox Hargett & Caruso, P.C. is continuing its investigation into the sales practices of broker/dealers that recommended...

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Mass. Charges Against LPL Financial Over Non-Traded REITs Could Help Investors

LPL Financial LLC, the largest independent U.S.broker/dealer by revenue, has been accused by Massachusetts securities watchdog...

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Lessons Learned: Confessions of an Investment Scammer

Investment scams are a booming business, and no one is more vulnerable than the elderly. In 2011, elder financial abuse resulted...

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Potential Pitfalls of ‘Crowdfunding’ for Main Street Investors

The murky world of crowdfunding is creating growing concerns among securities regulators and investor advocates for its apparent...

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Cincinnati Man Gets 40 Years in Securities Fraud Scam

A Cincinnati man who conned Indiana investors out of more than $3 million has received a 40-year prison sentence for his role in...

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Whistleblower Program Netting Tips and More

For more than a year, whistleblowers throughout United States and the world have been coming forth with inside information regarding...

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Brokers as Portfolio Managers: What Investors Should Know

An Oct. 14 article by Investment News highlights a growing trend in the investment world: Brokers who do double duty...

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Morgan Stanley Wants to Stop Investor’s Facebook Claim

As reported Nov. 6 by Reuters, Morgan Stanley is trying to stop a securities arbitration case filed by a Facebook investor...

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Fear of Defaults Changes Investors’ Views on Municipal Bonds

For some time now, municipal bonds have been synonymous with conservative, safe investments. But that presumption may be changing...

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Change in FINRA Arbitration to Include RIAs

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is opening up its arbitration system to include registered investment advisers...

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Raymond Lucia and Non-Traded REITs

Nationally syndicated California radio talk-show host Raymond J. Lucia Sr. is garnering more than potential listeners these days;...

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SEC Says Broker/Dealer Advanced Equities, Founders Misled Investors

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Advanced Equities Inc. and its founders - Dwight Badger and Keith Daubenspeck...

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Behringer Harvard REIT I Facing Investor Lawsuit

One of the industry’s largest non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) - Behringer...

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FINRA Panel: Citi to Pay Nearly $1.5M Over Rochester Municipal Fund

An arbitration panel of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has ruled that Citigroup Global Markets Inc. must...

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Securities Regulators Open New Investigations into Citigroup’s ASTA/MAT Municipal Arbitrage Funds and Other Purported Fixed Income-Related Products

As reported by Bloomberg on Friday, August 3, 2012, in footnote 22 to the financial statements for its Form 10-Q for the second...

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Study: The Impact of Financial Fraud on the Elderly

Older Americans are perhaps the most vulnerable targets of investment fraud, losing more than $3 billion every year to various...

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Churning Lands Firm, Broker in Hot Water

An arbitration panel of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has awarded an investor $1.9 million in a case involving...

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TICs & Investor Losses

Investments in Tenant-in-Common (TIC) 1031 Exchanges have turned sour for more investors, many of whom are retirees who purchased...

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Post-Madoff, Financial Fraud Grows

Bernie Madoff and his $65 billion fraud may have made modern-day Ponzi schemes front-page news, but it did little to eradicate...

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Elder Financial Fraud: Part III

Financial fraud is the fastest-growing form of elder abuse - and one that aging experts and regulators alike predict will become...

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Elder Financial Fraud: Part II

Research shows that the ability to make sound financial decisions lessens with age, as dementia and other types of mental impairment...

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Elder Financial Fraud: Part I

Elder financial fraud does not discriminate. It targets potential victims anywhere in the U.S., in metropolitan cities and small...

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JP Morgan’s $2B Blunder Subject of Probe

JPMorgan Chase & Co. $2 billion trading loss is now reportedly the subject of a criminal probe by the U.S. Department of Justice...

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Non-Traded REITs Can Yield Unpleasant Surprise

Non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) have become a controversial investment - and apparently growing more so by the...

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Financial fraud & elderly parents

Financial fraud against the elderly is growing, and it’s a new reality for many baby boomers and their aging parents. A new...

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Lehman Bankruptcy Follows JP Morgan

Regulators are taking JPMorgan...

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The JOBS Act: What It Means for Investors

A new piece of legislation called Jumpstart Our Business Startups, or JOBS Act, may have good intentions but could wind up harming...

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Two Exchange-Traded Notes Become Unhinged

Exchange-traded notes (ETNs) are a new source of concern for investors, following the recent plunge of two ETNs. Barclays iPath...

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Financial Fraud Can Happen to Anyone

The recent news of Indianapolis Colts football player Dwight...

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Client Pays Price When Advisor Fails to Execute Trades

When a financial advisor with Oxford Financial failed to execute a sale involving securities investments worth millions of dollars...

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Divorce & Annuities: A Potentially Costly Break-Up

Divorces usually come at a cost - and a potentially bigger one if a variable annuity is involved. Variable...

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Congress Looks to Overhaul the SIPC

The recent fraud conviction of R. Allen Stanford comes amid a congressional hearing pitting the Securities and Exchange Commission...

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SEC Calls on Firms to Ramp Up Scrutiny of Unauthorized Trades

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has just issued a risk...

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FINRA Goes Head-to-Head With Schwab Over Client Agreements

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) isn’t impressed by Charles Schwab Corp.’s efforts to try and get a federal...

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Financial Fraud: Self-Defense Moves to Avoid Becoming a Victim

There’s no shortage of unscrupulous financial brokers who are willing and able to con investors out of their money with so-called...

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TIC Deals Come Back to Haunt Some B-Ds

The real estate bust has taken a toll on tenant-in-common investments, and no one knows this better than some of the broker/dealers...

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More Oversight Coming to BDCs?

A turbulent economy often sends investors searching for alternative investments that offer promises of significant yield. Sometimes,...

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FINRA ‘Watch List’ Targets Certain Financial Products

Besides their higher-than-average risks and inherent complexity, non-traded...

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‘Warehoused’ Loans Can Create Wins for Banks, Losses for Investors

A new study from Securities Litigation and Consulting Group (SLCG) investigates the subject of “warehousing” loans and the...

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Elder Americans & Financial Fraud

Financial fraud - including investment, Internet and credit card scams - is on the rise, and the targeted victims are increasingly...

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Capital Financial Buys Back Shares Sold to Pawn Shop

Broker/dealer Capital Financial Holdings has come up with a novel idea to stay financially afloat: go to a network of pawn shops...

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Behringer Harvard Opportunity REIT I: Value Sinks

Like a number of non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), Behringer...

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Lawsuit Says NRP Financial Ignored Fraud Scheme

Minneapolis attorney R.J. Zayed, who also is the appointed receiver responsible for helping victims recover assets lost in a $194...

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Five Tips for Investors in 2012

Out with the old and in with the new. For many investors, 2011 was a year of lessons learned as a number of financial products...

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Securities Fraud: 2011 in Review

Some familiar and some not-so-familiar names, topics and trends became prime fodder for securities-related fraud in 2011. Among...

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Non-Traded REITs: Pass Go, Proceed With Caution

The myth that non-traded REITs are safe investment vehicles is just that - a myth. In reality, non-traded REITs are high-risk,...

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Seniors & Financial Fraud

Investors of any age can become a victim of financial fraud at the hands of unscrupulous investment advisers or scam artists,...

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5 Common Investment Scams

A combination of a volatile stock market and plunging home sales is a fraud scammer’s paradise, creating a prime opportunity...

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Pacific West to Close Doors

Another broker/dealer is closing up shop. Pacific West Securities will make its exit 2012, joining some 20 other broker/dealers...

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FINRA Sanctions More B-Ds That Sold Private Placements in Medical Capital, Provident Royalties

Soured deals involving private placements in Medical Capital Holdings, Provident Royalties and DBSI, Inc., have come back to haunt...

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Wells REIT Fine Stirs Controversy Over Non-Traded REITs

A recent $300,000 fine against the Wells REIT is raising red flags among investors and regulators alike regarding the risks of...

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MF Global: A Crisis of Confidence

It’s the latest Wall Street “whodunit,” as regulators and the FBI search for $600 million in missing customer cash from...

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Citigroup: A Repeat Offender and Then Some

Citigroup is no stranger to accusations of fraud. It’s faced such charges five times since 2003 when the Securities and Exchange...

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Does the Punishment Fit the Crime?

The Occupy Wall Street movement has shed much-needed light on the fact that big banks have never been held properly accountable...

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The So-Called ‘Absolute Return’ of Mutual Funds

An Oct. 23 article by Investment News highlights the potential problems caused by mutual funds that tout the term “absolute...

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SEC Levies $285M Fine Against Citigroup Over CDO Deal

Citigroup will pay $285 million as part of a deal with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to settle civil fraud charges...

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Provident Royalties Sales Claim Another B-D

Private placements in Provident Royalties have caused the demise of yet another broker/dealer. Florida-based Boogie Investment...

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Elder Financial Abuse Claims Billions From Victims

Elder financial abuse is a rarely talked epidemic that claims billions of dollars each year from its victims.  No one is immune...

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Pensions Plundered By Corporate Greed, Says Author

Many Americans have been forced to put their retirement dreams on hold in recent years - their benefits essentially “robbed”...

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Elder Financial Abuse: A $2.6 Billion Crime

Elder financial abuse is one crime that just keeps getting bigger. Every year, financial abuse costs older Americans more than...

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ETFs and the UBS Trader Scandal

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are again back in the news. This time it’s their connection to the $2 billion in losses that incurred...

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The Problem With Non-Traded REITs

Risk, risk, risk…that’s the reason why a growing number of broker/dealers say they are cutting back on sales of non-traded...

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UBS CEO Abruptly Resigns

UBS CEO Oswald Gruebel resigned on Saturday over fallout from the $2.3 billion loss that occurred in an alleged trading scandal...

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Bank of America’s Structured Note Woes

Bank of America structured note sales have fallen to their lowest level since at least January 2010, following concerns by investors...

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Atlas Energy: Another Provident Royalties?

Doomed investments in private placements connected to Provident...

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Risky Investments Garner Warnings From FSA

Complex and often risky investments such as private...

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Ohio Pension Funds Challenge Fannie, Freddie Loss Rule

The Ohio Public Employees Retirement System and the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio are asking a federal judge to throw...

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Auction-Rate Securities Update

What is new on the auction-rate securities (ARS) front? Plenty. For one, investors still hoping to win back part of the $330 billion...

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Reverse Convertibles Feel Wrath of SEC

Reverse convertible notes are at the center of a sweep examination conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into...

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SEC Supports Investors Who Say Merrill Lynch Rigged ARS Market

Auction-rate securities holders may have reason to smile. A new legal brief from the Securities and Exchange...

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Apple REITs: A Thorn in Investors’ Side

Apple REITs, sold by David Lerner & Associates, are causing investors to stay awake at night. The non-traded illiquid real-estate...

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FINRA Comes Down on Non-Traded REITs, Private Placements

Non-traded real...

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Reeling From Legal Troubles, Morgan Keegan to be Sold

Morgan Keegan is up for sale, according to news reports from both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times....

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Provident Royalties and Fidelity Investments

Failed deals involving private placements in Provident Royalties are now dogging National Financial Services, a unit of Fidelity...

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WFP Securities Closes Shop Over MedCap Private Placements

The list of independent broker/dealers closing up shop over failed private placements in Medical Capital Holdings and Provident...

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Rogue Reps Often Retain Insurance Licenses

Neal Smalbach was fired in 2008 by a broker/dealer for selling securities while unregistered. It was the second time that a securities...

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Securities America Sued By Wells Fargo, BNY Mellon Over MedCap Private Placements

Securities America and other broker/dealers that sold private placements in Medical Capital Holdings are now facing even more...

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Regulator Calls For Tougher Diligence By B-Ds, Private Placements

Failed deals involving private placements in Medical Capital Holdings and Provident Royalties are yielding calls from regulators...

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J.P. Turner/Provident Royalties Update

A legal rarity occurred recently concerning investor lawsuits and arbitration claims over private placements in Provident...

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Life Partners Holdings Receives Well Notice

Waco, Texas-based Life Partners Holdings, which buys life-insurance policies at a discount and then sells shares to investors,...

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Unauthorized Spousal IRA Withdrawals: A Growing Trend?

An Indiana Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel recently ruled against Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner...

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Securities America Posts $115M Loss

Ongoing legal battles and arbitration claim losses over private placements in Medical...

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Capital Financial Faces Cease-and-Desist Order Over Provident, Medical Capital Private Placements

Yet another broker is facing the wrath of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over sales of private placements in Provident...

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Structured Investment Products: Buyer Beware

Born out of the financial engineering of Wall Street, structured products are a buzzword in the investment world. Structured investment...

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MAT/ASTA Award Creates New Day on Wall Street

A precedent-setting arbitration award against...

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Pinnacle Partners, Brian Alfaro Suspended By FINRA

On Dec. 3, 2010, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) filed a complaint against Pinnacle Partners Financial Corp....

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Judge’s Approval Sought in Securities America Case Involving Medical Capital, Provident Royalties

The parent company of broker/dealer Securities...

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Securities America: Update On Med Cap/Provident Royalties Settlement

Apparently a potential $200 million settlement between Securities...

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Private Placements In FINRA Hot Seat

Private placements tied to issuers like Medical Capital Holdings and Provident Royalties have caused a firestorm of lawsuits and...

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Reverse-Convertibles Back In News

Reverse-convertible notes are once again making headlines. This time, it’s the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)...

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Securities America Update

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) has leveled stinging criticism at a federal judge and his decision...

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Securities Fraud Cases Increase: Class-Action Settlements On The Rise

Securities fraud lawsuits are growing - in part because of the involvement of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As...

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Investors In Securities America Class Action Could Have Long Wait

Proposed class action settlements involving Securities America and private-placement sales of Medical Capital Holdings and Provident...

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Considering Private Placements? Think Twice

Independent broker/dealers that sold private placements Medical Capital Holdings and Provident Royalties LLC - both of which were...

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Durham Committed ‘Fraud of Shocking Proportions,’ Claims Trustee In Lawsuit

Fair Finance's bankruptcy trustee Brian Bash filed a lawsuit on Feb. 15, accusing disgraced businessman Tim Durham of perpetrating...

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JP Morgan & The Bernie Madoff Connection

The trustee in charge of liquidating the business dealings of Bernie Madoff says JPMorgan Chase & Co. had long suspected that...

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Regulators Step Up Actions Against Securities Fraudsters

Securities fraudsters take note: State and federal regulators are watching you. Crimes involving securities fraud have skyrocketed...

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Fair Finance, Tim Durham Update

It’s been almost a year since a bankruptcy...

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SEC Investigates Illinois Over Pension Woes

Illinois’ underfunded pension fund is now facing scrutiny by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which has launched...

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Taxpayers Foot Legal Bills For Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac

Following the 2008 takeover of mortgage giants Fannie...

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FINRA Panel Rules In Claim Involving QA3 and TICs

First it was private-placement sales involving Medical...

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Punitive Damages Win In Securities America/Medical Capital Case Big Victory For Claimants

A recent $1.2 million investor award involving Securities...

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Peoples State Bank of Ellettsville Takes Issue Over ARS Sales

The Peoples State Bank of Ellettsville says it was misled by Stifel...

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FINRA Rules In Favor Investor Over Securities America, Medical Capital Claim

The new year has not been kind to Securities...

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‘Fool-Proof’ Investment Lands SEC Charges For William Harrison, Eddie Sawyers

William Harrison and Eddie Sawyers are entering the new year facing securities fraud charges. On Dec. 17, the Securities and Exchange...

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Missouri Stockbrokers Make Bad Call With Improper Investment Offers

Stockbrokers in the state of Missouri may want to reconsider who’s on the receiving end of their cold calls. Recently, Missouri...

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Ernst & Young Accused Of Hiding Lehman’s Financial Troubles

Accounting giant Ernst & Young has been accused by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo of deceiving the public about the...

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Muni Rigging Settlement At Bank of America Just the Beginning?

Bank of America’s recent $137 million deal with federal regulators for its alleged role in a nationwide bid-rigging conspiracy...

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CDO Probe Heats Up

In recent weeks, Wall Street banks have come under fire from regulators over sales of collateralized...

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Goldman Sachs Faces Lawsuit Over Hudson CDOs

First it was Abacus CDOs, and...

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Financial Lobbyists Try To Garner Reform Bill Exemptions

Wall Street couldn’t prevent an overhaul of the financial industry, but it’s doing all it can to influence how regulatory...

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Private-Placement Guide Zeros In On Due Diligence of Broker/Dealers

Following the Medical Capital Holdings debacle and...

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CDO Fraud Allegations Haunt Morgan Stanley

A group of Singapore investors are crying foul at Morgan...

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Non-Traded REIT Claims Growing

The number of arbitration claims involving non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) is growing, with investors alleging...

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Structured Note Sales Booming, But Do Investors Understand The Risks?

Sales of structured investment products are bigger than ever. The problem is many brokers are selling structured...

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All-Public Arbitration Panels May Be New Option For Investors

Investors who file arbitration claims against a broker or investment firm may soon have the option of getting their case heard...

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Complaints Growing Over Suitability Of Leveraged, Inverse ETFs

Investor complaints about leveraged...

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Law Firm, Two Men Fined Over Lehman-Backed Structured Products

Thorntons Law LLP, which provides investment advice to customers under the brand name, Thorntons Investment Services, and one...

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The Hartford Raising Red Flags Over Variable Annuity

New York insurance regulators are joining ranks with Connecticut’s insurance commissioner to determine if The Hartford made...

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Structured Notes: A Flawed Investment Product?

Structured notes may soon be the “next investment bubble” on Wall Street, according to some analysts. The products, which...

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Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac: The Saga Continues

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were supposed to make the American Dream of home ownership an affordable reality for millions of hard-working...

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Denver Schools: Derivatives Don’t Make The Grade

Denver has a derivative problem - a big one. In 2008, Denver’s public school system sought the assistance of JPMorgan Chase...

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Derivatives Put Denver Schools In Peril

When the Denver public school system needed to eliminate a $400 million pension gap, it turned to JP Morgan Chase and the bank’s...

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Morgan Stanley, Other Firms Face FINRA Inquiry Over CDO Sales

Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse Group and other brokerages are reportedly facing questions from the Financial Industry Regulatory...

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Deutsche Bank Securities Hit With $7.5M For Misrepresentation

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has levied a $7.5 million fine against Deutsche Bank Securities for allegedly...

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