On October 21, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced its decision to fine UBS Securities $12 million in securities arbitration. The fine is for charges of Regulation SHO violation and failure to supervise. UBS Securities did not properly supervise short sales and the result was millions of mismarked short sale orders, some of which…
Continue reading ›Citigroup settled charges brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and has agreed to pay $285 million to do so. According to the SEC, Citigroup defrauded investors by betting a toxic housing-related debt would fail, but selling the CDO to investors anyway. According to an article by Reuters, “The SEC said the bank’s Citigroup…
Continue reading ›According to a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, FINRA cannot enforce disciplinary actions by taking its members to court. The court’s decision comes after a long legal battle against Fiero Brothers, a penny stock brokerage firm, and John J. Fiero, the firm’s owner. In 2001, FINRA ordered Fiero and…
Continue reading ›Principal Protected Notes, or PPNs, are structured investments, meaning they connect the performance of commodities, equities, currencies and other assets to fixed income notes and CDs. PPNs are legitimate investments, though they have received a lot of negative attention lately. PPNs may have a full principal protection, but only partial principal protection is possible as…
Continue reading ›A press release from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Investor Education Foundation on October 6 announced FINRA’s support of the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden’s “Joining Forces” initiative. “Joining Forces is a comprehensive national initiative to mobilize all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support…
Continue reading ›Once again, Wall Street insiders win and retail investors lose. The outside advisers handling Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy – mostly bankers and lawyers – have made over $1.4 billion for their services since Lehman Brothers went bankrupt three years ago. If you’re a Wall Street insider, Lehman Brothers, which is bankrupt and out-of-business, is a fantastic…
Continue reading ›Both Lehman Brothers and UBS have had more than their fair share of bad press over the last three years, but are they cut from the same cloth? A recent article in Forbes makes the argument that they are. September marked the three-year anniversary of Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy and the arrest of a UBS trader…
Continue reading ›The biggest concern for many retired people, as well as those nearing retirement, is establishing and protecting their nest egg so that they are able to feel secure financially and enjoy their retirement. Market Watch recently featured an article that offered four tips for retirees and pre-retirees to protect their nest egg. With the numbers…
Continue reading ›The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has introduced a proposal in which bets made by securitization participants and underwriters against ABS, or asset-backed securities, that cause a conflict of interest will be barred. The hope is that this bar will prevent possible harm to investors that are caused by these conflicts of interest. According to…
Continue reading ›On October 4, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced its decision to fine Merrill Lynch a total of $1 million. In an investigation conducted under the supervision of FINRA’s Enforcement Chief Counsel, Susan Light, investigators Brian Vincent and Richard Chin found that Merrill Lynch did not have an adequate supervisory system that would monitor…
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