Posts belonging to Category Tenant-in-Common Interests



Expert Contends that Brokerage Firms are Failing to Satisfy their Due Diligence Obligations.

 

Broker-dealers that sold billions of dollars in fraudulent private placements, such as Medical Capital and Provident Royalties notes, “failed massively in their due diligence responsibilities to investors” according to Gordon Yale, a CPA and expert witness in securities fraud cases. (See “Private-placement due diligence ‘sloppy,’” Investment News). They grossly misrepresented investigations into the investments and […]

Alternative Investments – High Risk ‘Pigs in a Poke’

 

Many investors in alternative investments are in for unpleasant surprises. Alternative investments are very popular these days, as traditional stock and bond investments are not doing well. Alternative Investments include a wide variety of investments that fall outside the traditional stock and bond categories. Examples include structured products (such as principal protected notes and reverse […]

Alternative Investments Are Very Complex and Involve Significant Risks

 

Many registered investment advisors and brokerage firms have increased their use of alternative investments for clients, many of whom are retired and lack the knowledge and sophistication to understand the complex investments, according to Liz Skinner’s InvestmentNews article entitled “Clients clamoring for alternative investments and advisers obliging.” But are alternative investments suitable for most investors? […]

Securities Cops Issue Warnings about Current Investment Scams

 

The association of state securities regulators known as NASAA has released its top 10 investment traps. NASAA finds that scam artists are peddling various get-rich-quick schemes to take advantage of the economic uncertainty. According to NASAA, investments that investors should be particularly wary of include distressed real estate schemes, energy investments, gold and precious metal […]

Investor Alert – Non-Traded (Private) REITs Involve a Dangerous Mix of Risks for Retail Investors

 

Many non-traded (private) REITs are very dangerous for retail investors. These investments typically charge extremely high fees, are illiquid and are virtually impossible to value. Many non-traded REITs have routinely been valued at their original cost on reports provided to investors when such valuations are highly suspect given the tumultuous conditions that have existed in […]

SEC To Investigate Nontraded REITs

 

The Securities and Exchange Commission is scrutinizing of the selling of real estate investment trusts that are private placements, that is, are not traded on an exchange, according to an Wall Street Journal article by Anton Troianovski and Craig Karmin entitled “Nontraded REITs Are Put on Notice by SEC.” The SEC is inquiring into the […]

Private Offerings Scuttle Another Brokerage Firm

 

The drum beat goes on for broker-dealer closings, as MCL Financial Group Inc. of Santa Ana, California, another small broker-dealer that sold a lot of illiquid alternative investments, has gone the way of QA3 Financial Corp., Jesup & Lamont Securities Corp., GunnAllen Financial Inc., Securities Network LLC, Omni Brokerage Inc., and WFP Securities, according to […]

Reg D and Other Private Offerings are Dangerous for Brokerage Firms as well as their Clients

 

The list of independent broker-dealers that sold private offerings and are now out of business, is impressive. The private offerings include Provident Royalties LLC, Medical Holdings Inc., and DBSI Inc. So far, the list of B-Ds that have closed since 2010 includes, but is not limited to, QA3 Financial Corp., Jesup & Lamont Securities Corp., […]

Reg D and Other Private Placement Offerings are Often Plagued by a Lack of Due Diligence

 

Richard Ketchum, chairman and chief executive of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) admonished broker-dealers that sell risky private placements under the Regulation D exemption to conduct more vigorous due diligence, following up on red flags and “pushing and pulling” for information about the products, according to Bruce Kelly’s InvestmentNews article entitled “Finra’s Ketchum: B-Ds […]

Affinity Fraud Generally Occurs When People Least Expect It

 

Fraudulent acts make headlines nearly every day. But when fraud occurs amongst friends and family, the violation really “hits home” ? perhaps even in the most literal sense. Unfortunately, it is surprising how callous or devious some people can be, even the people trusted the most.