In a default decision, San Antonio broker-dealer Pinnacle Partners Financial, Corp. has been expelled by a FINRA hearing officer for Texas securities fraud. The company’s president Brian Alfaro has also been barred. The financial firm and its head are accused of running a boiler room, engaging in the fraudulent selling…
H & R Block (HRB) subsidiary Option One Mortgage Corporation has agreed to pay $28.2 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that it misled investors in over $4B in residential mortgage-backed securities when it failed to let them know that the company’s financial health was deteriorating. According to…
The Securities and Exchange Commission has given accelerated approval to a proposed rule change by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The proposal modifies FINRA’s Dispute Resolution’s Code of Arbitration Procedure for Industry Disputes exempts collective actions from arbitration. The SEC decided to approve the proposed rule change after determining that…
Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) and Rep. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) are calling on the Commodities Futures Trading Commission to crack down on excessive energy market speculation. They believe that this type of speculation on oil that is “based on world events” is “abusive” and has been creating difficulties for Americans. In…
Per BDO Consulting and Network Inc.’s Quarterly Corporate Fraud Index, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s new whistleblower bounty program may be indirectly leading to a resurgence in corporate internal reporting mechanisms. The index recently reported that during 2011’s fourth quarter, there was a jump in internal reports from employees about…
The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Benedict Van with investment fraud. The San Jose, California man is accused of making false promises to get investors to put their money into two of his Internet companies that he claimed would become the “next Google.” The names of the start-ups: eCity,…
This week, the US Supreme Court decided not to hear the most recent appeal filed by Enron Corp’s former CEO Jeffrey Skilling to have his criminal conviction overturned. The justices offered no comment for why they decided not to review the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling that turned…
Many investors of Retail Properties of America, Inc. (RPAI) suffered huge losses after the real estate investment trust’s IPO opened with an $8 offering price. Formerly known as Inland Western REIT, Retail Properties not only made its public debut at an offering price below the expected $10-$12 pre-offering price, but…
Speaking at the Rocky Mountain Securities Conference in Colorado a few days ago, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Daniel Gallagher said that the imposition of an industry-wide bar, which is authorized under Section 925 of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, shouldn’t be applied to misconduct…
Several industry and consumer groups have written a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission asking it to put into effect a uniform fiduciary standard for both investment advisers and broker-dealers. The groups are AARP, National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, Fund Democracy, Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.,…