Posts belonging to Category REITs



KBS REIT I Wreaks Havoc on Retirees and Other Investors

 

Much to their dismay, investors in KBS Real Estate Investment Trust I (“KBS REIT I”) recently learned that shares which they purchased for $10 per share now have an “estimated” value of only $5.16. In his March 26, 2012 letter to shareholders, chief executive Charles Schreiber, Jr. also told them that they would no longer […]

Another Non-Traded REIT Collapses

 

Investors in the Cornerstone Core Properties REIT Inc. were recently told by the company that the shares, once valued at $8, are now worth $2.25 (see article in InvestmentNews by Bruce Kelly). The article references a letter from the REIT’s chairman and chief executive Terry Roussel, as saying “The estimated per-share value has been adversely […]

Chasing Higher Yields Involves Taking Greater Risk

 

The prospect of several more years of extremely low interest rates is causing people who depend on interest income to accept Wall Street’s recommendations to purchase relatively illiquid and opaque alternative investments like structured products, non-traded REITs, hedge funds and variable annuities. (“Itchy Investors Ramp Up the Risk,” Wall Street Journal). Regulators worry that the […]

Securities Regulators Set High Standards for Firms Selling Complex Investments

 

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has issued a Regulatory Notice (12-03, Jan. 2012) to “remind” its member firms of their sales practice obligations with regard to complex products, and to provide them “guidance” in exercising heightened scrutiny and supervision over marketing and sales of complex products. Complex products are not defined in the Notice, but […]

Most Financial Advisers Don’t Understand Alternative Investments According To John Hancock Survey

 

Given the array of exotic alternative investments being sold to the public, it’s logical that many investors often don’t understand what they are buying. What is even scarier is that it is likely their professional investment adviser doesn’t understand the alternative investment either. Investment advisers ? 75 percent of them ? admit they do not […]

The News Regarding Nontraded REITs Keeps Getting Worse

 

Brokerage firms that sell nontraded REITs reportedly “cringe” at Investor Alerts posted by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) warning of the dangers of those products. They know that such alerts cause investors “anxiety and concern,” as they learn about the risks that were not disclosed to them by their brokers. Brokerage firms routinely fail […]

Is There a Future for NonTraded REITs?

 

The four top selling nontraded real estate investment trusts have either closed or say they intend to close soon. This has left industry participants wondering whether new players will be able to fill the void. “As top nontraded REITs close, doubt over new ones,” InvestmentNews). Industry participants apparently believe the $9 billion nontraded REITs market […]

Brokerage Firms Beginning to Grow Leery of Non-Traded REITs

 

Registered Rep Magazine, a publication geared to brokers, reports that the securities industry is beginning to shun non-traded real estate investments trusts (REITs). Well-publicized disciplinary actions and investor arbitration claims, as well as the hundreds of independent brokerage firm that were forced to close their doors as a result of improper sales of non-traded REITs, […]

High Correlations Among Asset Classes Means There’s No Place To Hide

 

When world markets move significantly in apparent response to major macroeconomic news, even supposedly “uncorrelated assets” move in unison with them, according to Jason Zweig’s Wall Street Journal article, “Caging Raging Contagion.” Such a significant move occurred last week when the Italian government and bonds collapsed over its fiscal problems, and everything else fell, too.

Wells REIT II Finally Reports That Share Values Have Dropped More Than 25%

 

Wells Real Estate Funds, a major nontraded REIT seller, has announced that shares of its Wells REIT II, which investors purchased at a share price of $10, are actually worth an estimated $7.47 per share (“Share value of popular Wells REIT sinks,” InvestmentNews). Clients will see the reduction in the estimated account value on their […]