Financial Firms

Female Executive Accuses Bank of America of Misleading Trading Clients, Including Citigroup and Blackstone

Published on: June 1, 2016 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Megan Messina is suing Bank of America (BAC). She is a managing director at the bank’s structured credit products division. In her lawsuit, Messina claims that the bank tried to get rid of her when she questioned the way some clients were treated and complained about the sexism she allegedly experienced. She also contends that clients such as Citigroup (C) and Blackstone Group LP (BX) were misled by her employer.

According to Bloomberg, in her complaint, Messina provides examples of alleged misconduct at the bank, including coworkers front-running trades made by clients, such as Citigroup, while keeping information from other clients, such as Blackstone. Messina claims that Bank of America apologized to client Anchorage Capital Group after the bank purposely provided the firm with false information. Bank of America also purportedly apologized to Pimco for “doctoring” trading records.

Texas Appeals Courts Upholds $2.1M Mortgage-Backed Securities Ruling Against Morgan Keegan

Published on: May 28, 2016 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The Texas Court of Appeals for the Fifth District has upheld a $2.1M judgment for a client of Houston Securities Fraud Attorney Sam Edwards of Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas. The ruling ordered Morgan Keegan to pay $2.1M for not telling investors about the actual risks involved in a mortgage-backed securities stake.

It was in October 2014 that a Dallas state court judge determined that the wealth management and capital markets firm had violated the Texas Securities Act by not accurately representing the risks involved in securities in which Purdue Avenue Investors LP and its principals Dana and Robert Howard had invested. These were MBS purchased by bond funds that Morgan Keegan underwrote and Morgan Asset Management managed. The purportedly undisclosed risk was that the funds were heavily involved in lower than investment grade structured finance.

The Howards invested more than $2M in the RMK Strategic Income Fund and the RMK Advantage Income Fund. The funds would go on to lose more than $2B.

Raymond James to Pay $17M Fine for Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Failures

Published on: May 26, 2016 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is fining Raymond James Financial Inc. https://www.securities-fraud-attorneys.com(RJFS) and Raymond James & Associates (RJA) $17M. The self-regulatory organization is accusing the company of widespread failures related to anti-money laundering compliance.

According to FINRA, from 2006 to 2014 the processes that the firm had in place to stop money laundering failed to line up with its business growth. The SRO said that the company instead depended on “patchwork” systems and procedures to identify suspect activity. Because of this, Raymond James was unable to notice certain “red flags” that arose.

FINRA also said that both firms did not perform the mandated due diligence and risks reviews for foreign institutions. RJFS is accused of not putting into place and maintaining a Customer Identification Program that was adequate.

It was just in 2012 that Raymond James Financial Services was subject to sanctions for its inadequate procedures related to anti-money laundering. The firm said that it would evaluate its AML procedures and programs.

Also sanctioned and fined is former Raymond James Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer Linda Busby. She is suspended for three months and must pay a $250K fine. FINRA said that along with the two firms, she did not succeed in setting up AML programs geared toward the two companies, respectively.

By settling, Raymond James Financial Services, Raymond James & Associates, and Busby are not denying or admitting to the FINRA charges.

It is important that financial firms have systems in place to identify suspect transactions that may be signs of money laundering.

FINRA Bars Broker From Industry For Allegedly Bilking Older Woman He Met at Church

Published on: May 24, 2016 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Former Thrivent Investment Management Inc. broker Miguel Angel Hernandez is now barred from the brokerage industry. According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc., he defrauded an older woman whom he met at church. He allegedly took $25K in ’10 but paid her back in ’15 after the misconduct was exposed.

Hernandez is accused of telling the customer that he needed the money to pay for expenses related to his tax business even though he doesn’t own that type of business. Instead, he allegedly used her funds for his own spending.

Hernandez purportedly promised the woman a 2% stake in this supposed business in five years in addition to quarterly payments of nearly $1100 for 3-to-10 years. Even though he is settling, Hernandez is not denying or admitting to the charges.

In other elder fraud news, U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) is asking state securities regulators to help her move forward a bill that would make it easier for professional industry members to report when they suspect an older person is being financially exploited. Collins chairs the Senate Aging Committee. She made her request at a recent North American Securities Administrators Association conference.

If passed, the legislation would implement protections so that financial abuse could be reported across the states. While the bill already has several bipartisan cosponsors, it needs additional support to make it through the Senate Banking Committee and the Senate.

Older investors suffer $2.9B in losses yearly as victims of financial scams, and state regulators are ramping up their efforts to combat this type of elder abuse. Sometimes the fraudster is a member of the securities industry. There are also family members, caregivers, and friends that have been known to bilk senior investors.

If you or someone you love is a senior investor and you suspect that he/she is the victim of fraud, contact our elder financial fraud law firm today.

Former Thrivent broker barred from securities business for defrauding woman he met at church: Finra, InvestmentNews, May 17, 2016

FINRA

Senate Aging Committee

Investors Can Sue Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch For Illegal Short Selling in State Court, Rules U.S. Supreme Court

Published on: May 23, 2016 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a unanimous ruling allowing investors to sue Bank of America Corp’s Merrill Lynch (BAC) and other brokerage firms in New Jersey state court even though the lawsuit cites federal laws. The plaintiffs, who are Spectrum Group International Inc. investors, claim that they sustained investment losses because the brokers engaged in illegal short-selling. They are invoking NJ’s RICO statute in their case. RICO is the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. It is a federal law that allows for victims of organized crime to seek civil damages. It also provides provisions for other extended penalties. Bank of America Merrill Lynch claims that this naked short selling case is meritless.

The plaintiffs are accusing Merrill Lynch and other broker-dealers of playing a part in causing Spectrum’s market capitalization to drop by $800M in 11 months. The investors said that the firms did this by helping naked short sellers who bet against the company, causing its share price to plunge.

Naked Short Sales
A short sale involves the use of borrowed shares to bet that a security’s price with drop. The short sale is naked if the trader doesn’t borrow the shares required to make the transaction happen. Under Regulation SHO, naked short sales cannot be used to manipulate a security. Still, lawsuits over illegal naked short selling haven’t done too well in federal court.

Former UBS Trader is Helping Prosecutors Pursue Forex Rigging Cases Against Individuals

Published on: May 19, 2016 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Bloomberg reports that according to sources, Matt Gardiner, a former UBS Group AG (UBS) trader who was part of the instant-messaging group the federal government identified when obtaining guilty pleas from Barclays PLC (BARC), Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), UBS, Citigroup (C), and JPMorgan Chase & Co.(JPM) over currency-rate manipulation, is working with prosecutors to pursue certain individuals over the rigging allegations. The Cartel chat room to which Gardiner belonged existed from at least 12/07 through 1/013.

According to prosecutors, traders who were part of the chat room communicated in code to share information about orders made by clients and to coordinate euro-dollar trades so that they could make more money. Having someone like Gardiner working with the government could help prosecutors understand what the traders were doing together. It’s unknown at this time whether his cooperation is part of a prosecution deal he may have reached.

His former firm, UBS, was granted immunity from antitrust charges because it was the first financial institution to report the market misconduct. Meantime, the banks whose traders were in the Cartel have turned over chat transcripts to the U.S. Department of Justice and foreign authorities. A lot of the chats occurred right before daily fixes, which is the short period of time when data providers are able to get a picture of trading in order to establish daily rates.

Wells Fargo to Pay UBS $1M Over Broker Departure

Published on: May 17, 2016 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

A FINRA arbitration panel has ordered Wells Fargo Advisors LLC (WFC) to pay UBS Financial Services Inc. $1.1M to resolve a claim involving financial adviser David Kinnear who went to work for the Wells Fargo & Co. brokerage arm after leaving the UBS Group AG (UBS) unit. UBS claims that Kinnear stole thousands of client and business records, as well as proprietary information, after resigning from the firm.

The Wall Street Journal reports that according to a source, Kinnear downloaded the data and distributed it to clients. UBS contends that the compensation Kinnear received at Wells Fargo was related to his ability to successfully bring UBS clients with him. UBS also claims that Kinnear owes it promissory notes.

Wells Fargo denies UBS’s allegations. It submitted a counterclaim accusing the firm of unfair completion, including preventing clients from moving from UBS to Wells Forgo.

Under the Protocol for Broker Recruiting, brokers are only allowed to bring the names and contact information of clients that they serviced while having worked at a firm when moving to another brokerage firm.

Oppenheimer Shuts Down Its Commodity Strategy Total Return Fund

Published on: May 16, 2016 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

After nearly twenty years, Oppenheimer (OPY) is liquidating its Commodity Strategy Total Return Fund (QRAAX) in mid-July. The reason for the shut down is underperformance.

According to the company’s website, the Oppenheimer Commodity Strategy Total Return Fund lost 49% since it was created in 1997, and average yearly returns have consistently declined by the double digits. The Wall Street Journal reported that the commodity fund has lost money annually since hitting an 8.5% return in 2010. It’s also been up 7.19% since the beginning of 2016. However InvestmentNews reports, the fund’s performance has been poor over the last five years. The Oppenheimer fund’s assets under management is down to $269M from over $2B in 2011.

While Oppenheimer said that it continues to believe in the value of its investment strategy, the firm is now saying that investors would benefit more from a multi-asset portfolio. The Commodity Strategy Total Return Fund is most heavily involved in energy, with agriculture and precious industrial metals also big presences. The decline in their prices have played a factor in the fund’s decline.

Oppenheimer has also been in the spotlight of late because a lawmaker has asked the SEC to look into OppenheimerFunds and whether the firm has complied with securities laws when dealing with Puerto Rico bond investments. NY City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverto believes that the firm helped to make the U.S. territory’s financial crisis worse. OppenheimerFunds is heavily invested in Puerto Rico. The Island owes more than $70B in debt.

Oppenheimer Shuts Down Its Commodity Strategy Total Return Fund, The Wall Street Journal, May 11, 2016

NY City Council Speaker Wants SEC to Investigate Oppenheimer Funds Over Puerto Rico Debt Crisis, Stockbroker Fraud Blog, May 9, 2016

Securities News: $5.95B RMBS Lawsuit Against Moody’s is Reinstated, Barclays Traders Remain on Trial, And Former Bank CEO Enters Guilty Plea to Fraud Charges

Published on: May 13, 2016 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

1st Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Against Moody’s
The First Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated the $5.9 billion residential mortgage-backed securities fraud case brought by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston against Moody’s Investor’s Service, Inc. and Moody’s Corp. The bank claims that the credit rating agency knowingly issued false ratings on certain RMBSs that it had purchased.

A district court judge in Massachusetts had dismissed the lawsuit citing lack of personal jurisdiction. The judge also held that the court could not move the lawsuit to a different court where jurisdiction would be proper because cases dismissed for lack of jurisdiction could only be transferred if the dismissal was for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, not personal jurisdiction.

Now the First Circuit has vacated that ruling and found that transferring a case that has dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction is also allowed. It is moving the RMBS case to the district court, which will decide whether to move the case to New York.

Former Barclays Trader Pleaded Guilty to Libor Rigging
According to prosecutors in the U.K., ex-Barclays Plc. (BARC) trader Peter Johnson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manipulate the London interbank offered rated in 2014. The government announced the guilty plea this week after lifting a court order that had prevented the plea from being reported until now. The disclosure comes as the criminal trial against five of Johnson’s former Barclays co-workers into related allegations is underway.

The defendants on trial are Jay Merchant, Stylianos Contogoulas, Alex Pabon, Ryan Reich, and Jonathan Matthew. They have pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit fraud. The U.K.’s serious fraud office claims that the men acted dishonestly when they turned in or asked others to submit rates for Libor.

JPMorgan to Pay $150M to Pension Funds Over London Whale-Related Losses

Published on: May 12, 2016 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

A U.S. district court judge has approved a settlement reached at the end of last year between JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and pension funds related to trades made by Bruno Iksil, who earned the nickname “London Whale” because of his huge market-moving positions in credit derivatives. In their class action securities case, the plaintiffs accused the firm of using its chief investment office in London as a secret hedge fund and hiding up to $6.2M in losses.

Even though the office was supposed to be primarily for managing risk, the plaintiffs believe that it was making high-risk trades for profit, including trading in complex credit derivatives. Depositors’ money was purportedly used in secret for making certain trades. Shareholders claim that JPMorgan knew about the increased risks it was taking and hiding them.

JPMorgan has not admitted to wrongdoing by settling this deal. However, it was also fined over $1B by regulators in the U.K. and the U.S. for management deficiencies related to the London Whale scandal.