Reverse Convertibles tied to TiVo Stock
(May 2010)
J. P. Morgan's 64% Note Tied to TiVo Stock Shows Risks of Reverse Convertibles
Bloomberg issued a news release reporting on the reverse convertible, a structured product, on TiVo.
A reverse convertible note is a type of structured product that is linked to an equity security or an index. It is a short-term note that pays a relatively high coupon rate compared to traditional notes. The returns of the note at maturity depends on whether the equity, called 'reference asset', falls below a...
FINRA Fines H&R Block Financial Advisors
(Feb 2010)
FINRA Fines H&R Block Financial Advisors $200,000 for Inadequate Supervision of Reverse Convertible Notes Sales, Suspends and Fines Broker for Unsuitable Sales to Retired Couple
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued a press release today announcing that it had
[fined] H&R Block Financial Advisors, Inc., (n/k/a Ameriprise Advisor Services, Inc.) $200,000 for failing to establish adequate supervisory systems and procedures for supervising sales of [reverse convertible...
FINRA Regulatory Notice: Reverse Convertibles
(Feb 2010)
FINRA Reminds Firms of Their Sales Practice Obligations With Reverse Exchangeable Securities (Reverse Convertibles)
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) published Regulatory Notice 10-09 reminding financial firms selling reverse convertibles notes (RCN) to provide fair and balanced sales materials and communications, including proper statement on the risks associated with such notes.
In an upcoming SLCG study on RCN, we have found that investors of RCNs have been...
SLCG Research: Abuse of Structured Finance
(Jan 2009)
SLCG released today 'Regions Morgan Keegan: The Abuse of Structured Finance'.
Six Regions Morgan Keegan (RMK) bond funds lost $2 billion in 2007. In the paper, we argue that the loss was not due to 'flight to quality' or 'mortgage meltdown' but to RMK's portfolio concentration in subordinated tranches of asset-backed securities.
We also find that RMK misrepresented to investors and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in several ways. Firstly, RMK did not disclose to the SEC...
SLCG Research: Collateralized Mortgage Obligations
(Jun 2007)
SLCG released today 'A CMO Primer: the law of Conservation of Structured Securities Risk'.
Recently, the finance industry witnessed the bailout of two Bears Sterns hedge funds and the collapse of Brookstreet Securities. Both had portfolio holdings of collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) and suffered huge losses thereof. We have seen such CMO losses before, when in 1994 interest rates rose, CMOs fell in value and bond mutual funds suffered unexpected losses.
In this paper, Dr....
Registered Rep.: A Tempest Over Structured Products
(Feb 2007)
A Tempest Over Structured Products
Registered Rep. issued a news release today reporting on the state of the structured products market. The sale of structured products has grown by an estimate of 33% from 2005 to 2006. Yet the general features of structured products seem to make these products unattractive: complex, expensive, and illiquid. Financial advisors might favor structured products for it enables portfolio diversification and for its ability to tailor to the specific needs of...
Forbes: Guaranteed to Go Up
(Nov 2006)
Guaranteed to Go Up
Forbes published an article examining structured products sold to retail investors around the world. It describes how a structured product works, the payoffs and risks, using an example of the principal protected note. It then explains how the principal protected note is equivalent to and can be replicated by a combination of traditional securities and derivatives.
A principal protected note returns at least the face value of the note at maturity. If the reference...
FINRA Press Release: Structured Products
(Sep 2005)
NASD Provides Guidance Concerning the Sale of Structured Products
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) published a NASD Notice to Members 05-59 providing guidance to members concerning their sales practice obligations when selling structured protects to retail customers.
The complexity of structured products can often obscure their risks. It is therefore important that investors are protected from unscrupulous sales practices that might arise in an unregulated...
FINRA Press Release: Best Practices
(Apr 2005)
NASD Recommends Best Practices for Reviewing New Products
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) published a NASD Notice to Members 05-26 providing best practices guidelines for firms on "developing and vetting" new structured products. This notice was motivated by the increasing popularity of structured products and the increasing complexity of these products.
Because structured products can be so complex, investors should be careful when considering them. They should...
