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

Displaying 11-20 out of 27 results for "CDO".

Oppenheimer to Pay US Airways $30 Million over Auction Rate Securities

(Feb 2013)

Oppenheimer & Co. has been ordered by a FINRA arbitration panel to pay US Airways $30 million in damages related to the purchase of several series of structured auction rate securities (ARS). The story is being covered by Caitlin Nish at the Wall Street Journal, Bill Singer at Forbes, and Keith Goldberg at Law360. You can find the US Airways v Oppenheimer award on our website.

ARS are debt instruments that paid interest rates that reflect the clearing prices of regular auctions. Oppenheimer...

What is a CDO, Anyway?

(Jan 2013)

We've talked a lot on this blog about collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), including a post just last week about how they might be regaining popularity. We thought it might be worthwhile to step back and explain just what a CDO is and why it is considered such a risky investment.

Part of the complexity just has to do with terminology. CDOs are a type of asset-backed security; so like a derivative, the value of a CDO is linked to the value of another asset. Typically, CDOs are linked to an...

What a CDO 'Resurgence' Might Mean for Investors

(Jan 2013)

Kaitlin Ugolik at Law360 had an article on Wednesday discussing the recent "bump in demand for collateralized debt obligations." CDOs are complex derivatives that pool assets together and split the risk of that portfolio into tranches which are then sold to investors. CDOs have been implicated in the financial crisis of 2008 and have seen a strong drop-off in new issuances since, though that tide may now be changing.
According to the article, some lenders are predicting a large increase in...

SEC Charges KCAP Financial with Overvaluing Assets

(Nov 2012)

The SEC alleges that KCAP Financial, a publicly traded business development company (BDC), did not accurately report the fair value of its corporate debt and collateralized loan obligation (CLO) assets during the financial crisis, thereby misleading investors. According to the press release, KCAP valued some of their assets at cost, not at fair market value, overstating the net asset value by over 25% during the peak of the financial crisis.

BDCs are similar to REITs in that they hold...

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - November 23rd, 2012

(Nov 2012)

Brian Stoker Found Not Liable
November 21, 2012, (Litigation Release No. 22541)
On July 31, 2012, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York found Brian H. Stoker, former Citigroup Global Markets Inc. employee, "not liable for violations of the Federal securities laws related to the issuance of a $1 billion collateralized debt obligation (CDO) called Class V Funding III." The SEC did not appeal the verdict, and "the time for appeal has expired." The SEC filed its...

SEC Sues Commonwealth Advisors Over Collybus I CDO

(Nov 2012)

The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a Complaint today against Commonwealth Advisors, Inc. and Walter A. Morales in connection with the Collybus I CDO offering in November 2007. See the SEC Complaint and the Collybus I CDO Offering Document.

The SEC alleges amongst other things that the Defendants used the Collybus I CDO offering to shift losses from its hedge funds by causing the CDO to purchase impaired RMBS from Commonwealth's hedge funds at values which did not reflect recent...

SEC Litigation Releases: Weekly Review

(Sep 2012)

SEC Charges a Solar Panel Manufacturer and Three of its Former Executives with Defrauding Investors
September 6, 2012, (Litigation Release No. 22475)
The SEC charged Worldwide Energy and Manufacturing USA Inc. (WEMU), a San Francisco based solar panel manufacturer, and WEMU executives Jimmy Wang, Mindy Wang, and Jeffrey Watson with "concealing the transfer of nearly half of the ownership stake in its Chinese subsidiary to three individuals in China who manage the subsidiary." According to the ...

Overreliance on Credit Ratings Results in Large Losses for Municipalities

(Aug 2012)

Earlier this week, the SEC charged Wells Fargo's brokerage firm with selling complex securities to institutional investors such as municipalities and non-profits. The Institutional Brokerage and Sales Division, between January 2007 and August 2007, made recommendations to institutional clients to purchase asset-backed commercial paper "issued by limited purpose companies called structured investment vehicles (SIVs) and SIV-Lites backed largely by mortgage-backed securities and CDOs." Already...

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - July 20th, 2012

(Jul 2012)

SEC Obtains Final Judgment in Case Involving Ponzi Scheme and Promotion of China Voice Holding Corp.
July 19, 2012, (Litigation Release No. 22418)
A final judgment was entered against Ilya Drapkin on July 6, 2012, which permanently enjoins him from violating various sections of the Securities Act and ordered Drapkin, along with his companies, MG TK Corp. and SMI Chips, to pay over $5.8 million in disgorgement and penalties. This amount represents "profits gained by Drapkin, MG TK, and SMI...

Abuse of Municipal Finance in Wisconsin

(Mar 2012)

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Stifel Financial has settled with five Wisconsin school districts on charges that they misled these municipal investors with their sale of several complex CDOs. This is just another example of the situation outlined in a previous postwherein a municipality or institutional investor was taken advantage of through the sale of inappropriate investments. The settlement involves $22.5 million in cash, plus $154 million in debt forgiveness. SLCG has been...

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