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Our experts frequently write blog posts about the findings of the research we are conducting.

Displaying 91-100 out of 189 results

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - July 13th, 2012

(Jul 2012)

Court Issues Final Judgment Enforcing Prior Order of the Commission Against Rodney R. Schoemann
July 12, 2012, (Litigation Release No. 22414)
On July 11, 2012, the District Court ordered Rodney R. Schoemann to pay over $1.3 million in disgorgement and pre-judgment interest. Rodney R. Schoemann had violated "the registration provisions of the federal securities laws in connection with his sales of stock in Stinger Systems, Inc. in November 2004" and had been ordered to pay disgorgement and...

Big Wall Street Firms Pressure Their Salesmen to Favor House-Brands

(Jul 2012)

Financial advisors and brokers are bound by ethical guidelines to analyze and recommend investment products that are suitable and appropriate for their clients' investment objectives and tolerance for risk. In general, they are obliged to put their clients' best interests ahead of their own.

The New York Times reported Monday on the recent admission from a former JPMorgan mutual fund advisor that he sold JPMorgan funds over similar offerings from outside JPMorgan for no other reason than to...

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Report on Reverse Mortgages

(Jul 2012)

Most American investors are likely aware of the SEC, and may also be aware of FINRA as an important regulatory institution (certainly, readers of this blog should be). But they may be less aware of the relatively new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which also has a mandate to protect consumers from financial malpractice. The CFPB was created out of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, and President Obama appointed its first director in January...

Another ETN Halts New Share Redemptions, Creates Premium

(Jul 2012)

In March we reported on TVIX, the leveraged volatility-linked exchange-traded note (ETN) which started trading at a very large premium to indicative value after its issuer halted the creation of new shares. Bloomberg's Matt Robinson is reporting that AMJ, a JPMorgan ETN linked to oil partnerships, has also limited new share creations and is developing a similar premium.

JPMorgan limited new share creations on June 14, and the premium to indicative value (the value of the underlying index) has...

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - July 6th, 2012

(Jul 2012)

SEC Freezes Assets of Missing Georgia-Based Investment Adviser
July 3, 2012, (Litigation Release No. 22409)
According to the complaint (opens to PDF), Aubrey Lee Price has gone into hiding after allegedly "orchestrating a $40 million investment fraud." Price, who started his scam in 2008, not only raised money from more than 100 investors by "selling shares in an unregistered investment fund" but also made illiquid investments in South American real estate and a failing bank. Price then...

LIBOR Manipulation

(Jul 2012)

An ongoing investigation into the manipulation of LIBOR has exploded recently with the revelation that Barclays was actively manipulating LIBOR since 2005, possibly at the behest of Paul Tucker (a leading candidate to become the next governor of the UK central bank). As evidenced by several forms of electronic communication, some employees were submitting false data to boost profits.

Such accusations of LIBOR rate manipulation are not new. In 2008, the British Bankers Association (BBA) ...

Variable Annuity Regulation: Speech by Susan Nash

(Jul 2012)

Last Tuesday, Susan Nash, Associate Director of the Division of Investment Management at the SEC, gave an interesting speech at the URI 2012 Government, Legal & Regulatory Conference regarding variable annuities. Variable annuities continue to grow in sales -- according to Ms. Nash's comments, sales of variable annuities grew by approximately 12% in 2011 -- but have been the subject of numerous FINRA Investor Alerts and Regulatory Notices due to their high costs and complex risks.

Ms. Nash...

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - June 29th, 2012

(Jun 2012)

SEC Shuts Down Mortgage Fund Ponzi-like Scheme
June 28, 2012, (Litigation Release No. 22406)
According to the complaint (opens to PDF), Small Business Capital Corp. ("SB Capital") and Mark Feathers ("Feathers"), its principal, are operating an "alleged Ponzi-like scheme." $42 million have been raised by SB Capital and Feathers through selling securities issued by their mortgage investment funds, Investors Prime Fund, LLC and SBC Portfolio Fund, LLC ("Funds"). The Funds attracted more than 400...

401(k) Fees Can Drastically Reduce Nest Egg

(Jun 2012)

A recent report conducted by Demos -- a New York City-based public policy organization -- points out that the high fees charged by 401(k)'s can cut nest eggs by 30% for median-income two-wage family.

Company-sponsored 401(k) plans often include a list of mutual funds in which employees can invest. Although these fees are disclosed on the individual fund prospectuses, the account statements from 401(k)'s generally do not include such fees (only the result of the fund performance net of fees)....

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - June 22nd, 2012

(Jun 2012)

SEC Charges Massachusetts Investment Adviser with Fraud and Obtains Asset Freeze
June 20, 2012, (Litigation Release No. 22396)
Earlier this week, the SEC charged Gary J. Martel with defrauding investors through his companies Martel Financial Group and MFG Funding. According to the complaint), Martel defrauded at least a dozen investors of millions of dollars. Martel allegedly told his clientele (including retirees) that he would invest in fixed-income securities. Martel allegedly composed...

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