On October 23, The House of Representatives passed Bill H.R. 2868, which allows the American Stock Exchange (Amex) to move forward with plans to create a second tier market for smaller companies that have less restrictive listing standards. The plan will hopefully improve the global competitiveness of U.S. financial markets.…
FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) is warning investors to look out for “pump-and-dump” scams focusing on energy stocks. FINRA says that these scams involve energy stocks that are thinly traded issues from companies that are not well known. In the alert that it issued on October 23, FINRA says that…
The North American Securities Administrators Association announced a series of investment adviser best practices that it is recommending after it conducted investment adviser tests that showed 2135 deficiencies in 13 compliance areas. 418 investment advisers in 43 states and provinces participated in the tests, which were overseen by NASAA’s Investment…
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. has been charged by The New Hampshire Bureau of Securities Regulation of forging and tampering with documents. The complaint also alleges that the firm failed to deliver nearly 500 financial plans, conducted unapproved sales contests and intentionally limited compliance oversight. Furthermore, Minneapolis-based Ameriprise was accused of…
A $2.4 million NASD Arbitration Award to a former UBS financial adviser, who was fired in 2003 by the company that preceded UBS PaineWebber Inc. is being upheld by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. The court said that it did not agree with UBS’s…
In the Galleria area of Houston is Guardian Wealth Management LLC, a Registered Investment Advisory Firm with an interesting business model: To provide a home for stockbrokers who want to retire or pursue another career – and continue to get paid! Securities regulators report over 660,000 registered representatives, with about…
The other shoe is dropping on mortgage securities holders who have already suffered devaluations on what many were told were low risk investments. Monthly interest payments are now falling and in some cases have ended on securities backed by risky home loans. Large numbers of collateralized debt obligations (CDO’s) and…
Wood Rivers Partners LP Founder John Whittier has been ordered to serve 36 months in federal prison. The former hedge fund manager pled guilty to charges that he defrauded investors of about $88 million over a two-year-period. Whittier admitted to deceiving investor clients and making them think that he would…
A Florida jury has ordered Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. to pay $6 million to the daughters of a New Jersey philanthropist and his wife. The claims against Merrill Lynch included that its broker took advantage of the elderly couple’s deteriorating mental condition in order to convert their money into…
The New York Stock Exchange Regulation Inc. is disciplining nine companies and eight people for numerous violation. The firms disciplined include: Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith: Fined $100,000 for violating rule 123c about 480 times when it cancelled or submitted securities orders after the mandatory cutoff period. Citigroup Global…