Investors in Puerto Rico bonds – in particular, retail investors located in the U.S. Territory who invested in various proprietary closed-end funds (“CEFs”) structured and marketed by firms including UBS Puerto Rico, Santander Securities, and Popular Securities — have suffered massive losses since late 2013 when Puerto Rico’s bond prices witnessed significant deterioration following years…
Continue reading ›If you have invested in HMS Income Fund (“HMS”) upon the recommendation of your financial advisor, you may be able to recover your losses through arbitration before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). A Maryland corporation formed in 2011, HMS is sponsored by Hines Interests Limited Partnership (“Hines”). HMS is structured as a closed-end management…
Continue reading ›Investors who purchased shares in a leveraged inverse ETF or mutual fund upon the recommendation of their financial advisor may have arbitration claims. In today’s investment environment, many retail investors have been coaxed into investing in financial products beyond the traditional universe of stocks, bonds, and bank deposit products such as CDs. One such alternative…
Continue reading ›On June 30, 2017, the former CFO of American Capital Properties Inc. (“ARCP”), Brian Block, was found guilty of securities fraud and related crimes in connection with reporting false numbers in quarterly filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The verdict was handed down following a nearly three-week trial held in the U.S. District…
Continue reading ›Investors who purchased shares in the publicly registered non-traded REIT Hospitality Investors Trust, Inc. (“HIT”) upon the recommendation of their financial advisor may be able to recover their losses in FINRA arbitration. HIT owns a portfolio of hotel properties throughout North America, including various Hilton-, Marriott- and Hyatt- branded hotels, within the select service and…
Continue reading ›On May 15, 2015, the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Securities (the “Division”) entered an Order against Respondent insurance agents Jace McDonald, Peter Viater, and Derek Anderson, in connection with private placement sales of life settlements to Wisconsin investors. Additionally, the Division named Conestoga Life Settlements, Conestoga International, Conestoga Trust, and Conestoga Member…
Continue reading ›Investors in certain REITs based in Las Vegas may have arbitration claims against brokers or financial advisors if a FINRA-registered broker dealer that recommended the investment did not live up to its obligations under applicable rules. As members and associated persons of FINRA, brokerage firms and their financial advisors must ensure that adequate due diligence…
Continue reading ›Recently, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) ordered Wells Fargo & Co. to pay a $3.4 million fine in connection with sales practice issues related to recommendations of volatility-linked exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and volatility-linked exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) to customers. Specifically, FINRA determined that between July 2010 and May 2012, some Wells Fargo brokers affiliated with…
Continue reading ›Investors in Atlas Resources 28-2010 L.P. (“Atlas 28-2010” or, the “Partnership”) may be able to recover investment losses through FINRA arbitration. Atlas 28-2010 is a Delaware limited partnership formed on April 1, 2010, with Atlas Resources, LLC serving as its Managing General Partner and Operator (“Atlas Resources” or “MGP”). Atlas Resources is an indirect subsidiary…
Continue reading ›Hospitality Investors Trust Inc. (formerly known as ARC Hospitality Trust, Inc.) is a non-traded real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on ownership of hotels and other lodging properties in the United States. As a publicly registered non-traded REIT, Hospitality Investors Trust was permitted to sell shares to the investing public at large, oftentimes upon the…
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