Rich, Intelisano & Katz, LLP (RIK) continues its investigation into UBS’ sale of its Yield Enhancement Strategy or the “YES” options program. Many investors around the country have filed arbitrations against UBS alleging that UBS misrepresented the risks of the options program, failed to implement appropriate risk controls, and failed…
The so-called “Yield Enhancement Strategy,” or “YES,” has seen a major rise in popularity at large investment firms, especially UBS, as a vehicle for investors to “enhance” returns relatively safely. “YES” has been pitched as a relatively safe way to generate enhanced returns on a consistent basis, especially when markets are flat. Fairly stable markets have been norm for many years, until recently, making…
RIK filed a FINRA arbitration against TD Ameritrade last week on behalf of a New Jersey family. A former TD Ameritrade broker named Ralph Wood, Jr., acted as an unregistered advisor to numerous customer accounts in the Short Hills, New Jersey branch (including our client’s), and lost tens of millions…
Morgan Stanley, UBS and Citigroup recently left the Protocol for Broker Recruiting (“Protocol”), which established procedures allowing advisors to switch firms and bring their clients with them. The Protocol helped protect such advisors from legal liability to their old firm for soliciting clients and using certain client information, provided the Protocol was followed. It remains…
In a very high profile private share litigation, Theranos, a privately held health-technology and medical-laboratory-services company worth $9 billion as of 2014, has been sued this Monday by one of its largest and trusted financial backers, San Francisco hedge fund Partner Fund Management, LP (PFM). It will be a widely…
This week, a Florida appeals court partially reversed a ruling denying Bank of America’s efforts to arbitrate various claims related to the Scott Rothstein Ponzi scheme. Bank of America, N.A. v. Beverly, Nos. 4D14-3167, 4D14-3168 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. June 10, 2015). The appellate court ordered arbitration in a case…
Deutsche Bank has agreed to pay a fine of $55 million to settle charges by the SEC that it filed misstated financial reports during the height of the global financial crisis relating to a multibillion dollar portfolio of derivatives. The SEC’s multi-year investigation culminated in an Order Instituting a Settled…
In a move intended to emphasize that FINRA’s ultimate mandate is to protect investors, the SRO’s National Adjudicatory Council last week issued newly-revised Sanction Guidelines including tougher ranges of recommended punishments to be meted out against member firms or brokers who commit fraud or make unsuitable recommendations to customers. Since…
What are non-traditional exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs)? Why are independent broker dealers selling these complex products without proper supervision? FINRA wants to know and just slammed LPL Financial for doing such a thing. This week, FINRA censured and fined LPL $10 million for broad…
An increasing issue in investment fraud cases is the liability of commercial banks for aiding and abetting fraud by an investment advisory firm that engages in fraud and then goes defunct. Such firms typically house their investment clients’ accounts with an independent broker dealer clearing firm that clears or processes…