Former Broker Is Subject of Numerous Securities Claims If you are an investor who sustained losses after purchased real estate investments trusts with the help of former broker Jerry McCutchen, you may have grounds for a securities claim. According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s BrokerCheck Report, McCutchen is accused…
Investor Lawyers Blog
Aequitas Lays Off More Employees in the Wake of Faulty Subprime Bets
In the second round of layoffs, Aequitas Capital Management announced that it is letting of even more workers in the wake of financial problems. A week after disclosing that it would lay off about a third of its workers, the investment firm told employees that almost everyone else would have…
Bondholder Group with $17.3B in Puerto Rico Debt Proposes Debt Restructuring Plan
The Puerto Rico Sales Tax Financing Corporation (COFINA) has submitted a plan to restructure the financially beleaguered island’s debt. COFINA, which is comprised of investors who possess debt backed by sales-tax revenues, has issued $17.3 billion in Puerto Rico debt-$7.5 billion in senior debt and $9.7 billion in second lien…
Judge Refuses to Overturn Conviction of UK Traders for Rigging Libor
U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in New York has upheld the guilty convictions of former Rabobank (RABO) traders Anthony Conti and Anthony Allen for wire fraud and conspiracy. They are accused of involvement in the scam to rig the yen Libor rates and the U.S. dollar to benefit Rabobank’s trading…
Chesapeake Energy Corp. Stops Investor Payouts After Its Shares Plummets
U.S. natural gas driller Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CYC) has been halting investor payouts and cutting jobs to keep its cash flow from drying up. Now, with its shares dropping 51% following reports by Debtwire that the company has hired restructuring attorneys to help deal with its $9.8 billion debt, investors…
UK Regulator Fines Ex-JPMorgan Executive $1.1 Over London Whale Debacle
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority is fining former JPMorgan Chase (JPM) executive Achilles Macris approximately $1.1M for failing to cooperate and communicate properly with regulators during the agency probe into the London Whale fiasco. Although Macris is now agreeing to settle the securities charges, he continues to defend himself. He…
Texas Hedge Fund Manager Accuses United Development Funding IV of Ponzi Scam
J. Kyle Bass, the hedge fund manager who runs the Dallas-based Hayman Capital, has set up a website accusing Texas-based REIT United Development Funding IV of running a Ponzi-like real estate scam. On the site, Bass published a letter to readers, claiming that his firm had conducted research and found…
FINRA Cases: Firms To Pay $1.2M Over UIT Sales, Broker Charged for Lying to a Native American Tribe, and Morgan Stanley Ordered to Pay Clients $825K
Brokerage Firms to Pay $1.2M for Not Applying UIT Discounts The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has charged Next Financial Group Inc., Stephens Inc., and Key Investment Services with failing to grant sales charge discounts when certain customers that were buying unit investment trusts were eligible for the reduced rates. The…
SEC News: Brokerage Firm Fined $1M to Resolve Anti-Money Laundering Violations, Ocwen Financial to Pay $2M Over Misstated Financial Results, and Software Company is Accused of FCPA Violations
E.S. Financial Accused of Anti-Money Laundering Violations The Securities and Exchange Commission is charging E.S. Financial Services, now called Brickell Global Markets, with violating anti-money laundering rules. To resolve the charges, the Miami-based firm will pay a $1M penalty. According to the regulator, on two occasions E.S. Financial did not…
SEC Files Fraud Charges Against American Growth Funding II
The Securities and Exchange Commission is pursuing a securities fraud case against American Growth Funding II, LLC. The regulator contends that the company, which raises money for business loans, lied to investors that bought high-yield securities. Also subject to charges is brokerage firm Portfolio Advisors Alliance, Ralph Johnson, Kerri Wasserman,…