In Texas, a Houston judge has ruled that a would-be class securities lawsuit filed against JP Morgan Securities, Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith and a number of other defendants can move forward. The plaintiffs were investors in Superior Offshore International Inc., a company that collapsed following a failed…
The Securities and Exchange Commission wants feedback about the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s proposal on new financial responsibility rules. Critics have expressed concern that the rules give FINRA wide discretion but without certain safeguards. The Financial responsibility rules let FINRA make sure that some 5,000 brokerage firms have enough liquidity…
Last week, Agape World Inc and Agape Merchant Advance LLP owner and founder Nicholas Cosmo was arrested and charged with running a $370 million mail fraud scheme. According to US authorities, Cosmo ran his alleged Ponzi scam from October 2003 to December 2008, taking money from over 1,500 individual investors.…
Last month, Merrill Lynch & Co. reached a $550 million settlement with investors and employees over losses related to investments in subprime mortgage-backed assets. A court must approve the proposed settlements. In the securities class action case, the plaintiffs have accused Merrill Lynch of using statements on collateralized debt obligations…
The Texas State Securities Board has issued an emergency cease and desist order telling oil and gas companies Golden Triangle Energy Corp. and Vision Asset Development Co. to stop selling securities. The board is accusing both companies of lying to investors about certain payments and selling unregistered stock shares. The…
Investment firms pretend that they did not know until a year ago that mortgage backed securities were not safe and secure. Yet, many experts were sounding warnings that many of the mortgages, which made up these investments, were ‘toxic waste.’ Thus, Wall Street firms cannot use the “stupidity” defense” to…
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority says that between 2007 and 2008, the number of securities arbitration claims increased by 85%. While Investors filed 1,985 claims against brokerage firms in 2007, last year, 3,667 cases were filed. Between November 30 and December 31, 2008, 462 securities arbitration claims were filed with…
Earlier this month, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected a motion by the federal government to put investment adviser Bernard Madoff in jail. Madoff is charged with securities fraud over his involvement in a $50 million Ponzi scheme. Federal prosecutors had claimed that the…
Investors who lost money in Bernard Madoff’s $50 billion Ponzi scam may have a better chance of recouping their losses through tax strategies rather than filing lawsuits. Under US tax law, Madoff clients are allowed to take income deductions for losses that occur due to theft. The claim can be…
Congressman Spencer Bachus (R – Ala) says the Securities and Exchange Commission should have done more to probe alleged wrongdoings in the municipal securities market. Bachus issued a statement noting that the SEC knew as far back as 1997 of a potential “pay to play” scam involving water and sewer…