Posts belonging to Category Fairness/Just & Equitable Conduct



Massachusetts’ Action Reveals the Dangers of Crowdfunding Investments

 

Massachusetts has filed fraud charges against two out-of-state companies, Prodigy Oil and Gas LLC and Synergy Oil LLC, in connection with their sale of unregistered securities to Massachusetts investors. Prodigy raised at least $464,000 from one Massachusetts investor and Synergy raised $35,000 from two investors, according to Commonwealth Secretary William Gavin’s complaint.

More Experts View Bonds as High Risk

 

Many experts believe that fixed income has become a high-risk asset class, more so than at any time in recent years. Demand has pushed bond prices way up and yields way down. Bond sales for 2012 are expected to break the 2009 record of $1.024 trillion. Investors’ average allocation to fixed income is 26%, double […]

Investors Lose Big in Variable Annuities that Invested in Hedge Funds

 

At least a half a dozen independent broker-dealers sold variable annuities reportedly issued by Sun Life Financial, Inc. that lost substantial monies investing in hedge funds. The hedge funds, which used a combination of put and call options to bet that the S&P 500 stock index would not vary outside of a certain range, lost […]

Some Warning Signs of Elder Financial Abuse

 

Financial exploitation of the elderly is a serious and growing problem that has affected, and sometimes devastated, many lives. We hear most often about exploitation by scam artists who are, at least initially, strangers to the victim. What may come as a shock is the fact that exploitation by trusted family members and others close […]

Many ETF Investors May Not Be Buying What They Think They’re Buying

 

Exchange traded funds’ names can be misleading. Many have names that suggest that they make certain types of investments when, in fact, they contain only a nominal amount of such investments. Examples provided by the Wall Street Journal include a an ETF called “Middle East & Africa” that invests only 5% of its funds in […]

Affinity Frauds Continue to Victimize Investors

 

Affinity fraud cases continue increase. Investors should be particularly careful when dealing with financial advisers with whom they share a common characteristic or interest. While that may sound counterintuitive, affinity fraud, which is based on such commonalities, has devastated many trusting investors. The affinity often involves something that has been an object of discrimination ? […]

It is Important for Investors to Know about their Broker’s Recruitment Compensation Package

 

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is considering a rule change that would require firms to disclose brokers’ recruitment compensation packages to transferring customers. Brokers who are recruited to change firms often receive financial incentives that may subtly encorage them to engage in unlawful sales practices, such as churning and unsuitable sales, in order to generate […]

Brokers Unload More Structure Notes on Investors

 

Investors are urged to be cautious about purchasing structured notes. Brokers are on track to sell more than $10 billion of structured notes linked to the S&P 500 stock index this year. In fact, sales will reach the highest levels in at least three years, according to Bloomberg (“Structured Notes Tied to S&P 500 Set […]

The SEC Shuts Down Another Georgia Investment Scam

 

The SEC has busted operators of a prime bank fraud (a type of ponzi scheme) that took in $15 million from at least 220 investors in more than 20 states, primarily Georgia. The operators were Billy W. McClintock, a Florida resident, Dianne Alexander aka Linda Dianne Alexander, a California resident (formerly of Georgia), two entities […]

JP Morgan and Credit Suisse Pay Over $400 Million to Settle Mortgage-Backed Securities Actions

 

The SEC has settled two mortgage-backed securities actions against J. P. Morgan Chase and Credit Suisse for over $400 million. The enforcement actions arose out more than $1 billion in losses by investors during the financial crisis. Critics say that the settlements are just a cost of doing business and will not deter similar Wall […]