Investor Lawyers Blog

Net Asset Value of Tony Thompson’s Former Nontraded REIT Strategic Realty Trust Plunges

Published on: July 22, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Investors in Strategic Realty Trust Inc. have been notified that the NAV of the nontraded real estate investment trust has dropped almost 30% from $10/share to $7.11/share. The REIT, previously known as TNP Strategic Realty Trust Inc., has a portfolio that includes over a dozen shopping centers.

Shareholders received a letter telling them that while the REIT has experienced significant property appreciation, different transaction costs have offset gains. This includes transaction costs at $1.54/share, organization and offering expenses at $1.23/share, capital returned to investors via distributions at $1.04/share, and other expenses.

Tony Thompson was the REIT’s head until last year when he was forced to step down as president and co-chief executive officer by the board. Several months ago, he relinquished his director position and stopped a proxy battle against the board. The real estate investment trust consented to purchase his more than 130,000 shares at $8/share.

Bank of America Settles RMBS Allegations with AIG for $650M

Published on: July 18, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Bank of America Corp. (BAC) has paid American International Group Inc. (AIG) $650 million to settle residential mortgage-backed securities fraud claims. The insurer had originally asked for $10 billion when it filed its RMBS fraud lawsuit in 2011.

According to the complaint, Bank of America’s mortgage company Countrywide Financial, misrepresented the quality of mortgage securities it was selling to investors. The settlement resolves the securities fraud litigation brought by the insurer against the bank. This includes lawsuits in California and New York accusing Bank of America of fraudulently causing billions of dollars in losses.

It also takes away the largest obstacle to Bank of America’s $8.5 billion mortgage securities settlement with institutional investors over the financial instruments that Countrywide issued. The investors in that case are 22 institutions, including BlackRock Inc. (BLK.N), and MetLife Inc. (MET.N).

FINRA Wants To Delay Implementing Rule Impacting Nontraded REIT Customers’ Statements

Published on: July 17, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority wants the Securities and Exchange Commission to grant a delay in the implementation of proposed changes to rule 2340, which impacts customer account statements. The self-regulatory organization had originally asked for the modifications to go into effect six months after the SEC approves the rule change. Now, FINRA wants to give nontraded REIT sponsors and brokerage firms 18 months to adjust to the revised guidelines.

Nontraded REITs are currently not required to show an estimated per-share valuation until 18 months after the sponsors cease to raise funds. Under the proposed rule change, broker-dealer client account statements would eliminate the existing practice of listing at $10 the value, for every share, of a nontraded REIT. This is usually the price that registered representatives sell them at.

The rule change would factor the different commissions and fees that dealer managers and brokers get. It would lower the price per share for every private placement or nontraded REIT found on the account statement of a customer.

Barclays and Deutsche Bank Under Scrutiny Over Barrier Options Transactions

Published on: July 17, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations plans to conduct a hearing over what it believes are abusive transactions made by financial institutions. Bloomberg is reporting that Deutsche Bank AG (DBK), Barclays PLC (BARC), and hedge fund manager Renaissance Technologies LLC will have representatives testifying at the hearing.

The July 22 hearing is expected to focus on barrier options transactions between the banks and the hedge fund manager. There are tax benefits that allegedly came from the options, which the Internal Revenue Service and Renaissance are in dispute over.

Bloomberg reports that the transactions let the hedge fund manager’s Medallion fund borrow up to $17 for every dollar the fund owned, which is more than it could have in a traditional margin-lending relationship. Under Federal Reserve rules, stockbrokers are not allowed to lend over $1 for each client money dollar. Usually, hedge funds can borrow no more than $5 or $6 for each dollar it has and only if there is a special agreement with the banks.

Natural Blue Resources Inc. & Microcap Stock Scammers Accused of Hiding Previous Violations

Published on: July 16, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed charges against microcap company Natural Blue Resources Inc. and four persons for purportedly hiding from investors that two of them had previously broken the law. The regulator has suspended trading in Natural Blue stock.

Natural Blue’s mission was to acquire, establish, or invest in companies that are environmentally friendly. However, investors weren’t told that Joseph Corazzi and James E. Cohen were running the operations.

Cohen had previously served time for financial fraud and Corazzi was charged with federal securities law violations. He is permanently barred from acting as a director or officer of a public company.

FINRA May Expel Ex-Broker For $6M Hedge Fund

Published on: July 15, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Dean Mustaphalli, an ex-Sterne Agee Financial Services Inc. broker, could be barred from the industry over allegations that he ran a $6 million hedge fund on the side. According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc., Mustaphalli founded and got commissions from Mustaphalli Capital Partners in 2011 but did not tell his brokerage-firm.

Already, Mustaphalli has been named in at least two arbitration claims. He ran the hedge fund through Mustaphalli Advisory Group. It is not known time whether any of the 25 investors he solicited were Sterne Agee clients. Over a four-month period, he was paid about $41,800 in management fees.

Mustaphalli was fired from Sterne Agee in 2011. After he was let go, he purportedly kept soliciting clients for his hedge fund through the investment adviser.

Citigroup Settles Mortgage-Backed Securities Probe with DOJ for $7 Billion

Published on: July 14, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Citigroup (C) has reached a $7 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations it misled investors about mortgage-backed securities in the time leading up to the 2008 financial meltdown. The settlement includes a $4 billion penalty to be paid to DOJ, $2.5 billion in consumer relief, and $500 million to a number of states and the Federal Deposit Insurance Group.

According to the U.S. government, Citigroup knew it was selling mortgage-backed securities with loans that had “material defects” and hid this information from investors. Attorney General Holder called this misconduct “egregious.” He said the bank played a role in spurring the economic crisis.

The government released a statement of fact to which Citibank consented. In it are details about how the bank ignored its own warning signs that certain mortgages were subpar and made misrepresentations about the loans that were securitized. One U.S. attorney told The Wall Street Journal that the DOJ discovered 45 mortgage-backed security deals between 2006 and 2007 where inaccuracies about underlying loans’ and their quality were made.

SEC Accuses California School District of Misleading Municipal Bond Investors

Published on: July 11, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The Securities and Exchange Commission is accusing Kings Canyon Joint Unified School District of not giving municipal bond investors the financial data and notices to which they were entitled. The California school district settled the SEC’s findings without denying or admitting to the charges. Kings Canyon has consented to an order to cease and desist from future violations of the Securities Act’s Section 17(a).

During a 2010 bond offering, Kings Canyon affirmed to investors that the school district was in compliance with previous continuing disclosure duties. In three bond offerings totally more than $30 million between ’06 and ’07-of 419 million, $4.5 million, and $6.7 million, respectively-Kings Canyon had a contractual duty to disclose specific yearly financial data and notices about certain bond-related events.

For example, says the SEC, when Kings Canyon performed a $6.8 million bond offering in 2010, the school district was obligated to describe whenever it hadn’t materially complied with previous disclosure duties. With its 2010 offering documents in a fourth, muni bond offering-this one of $6.8 million-the school district made statements that were inaccurate when it affirmed that in the last five years it had always complied materially with past ongoing disclosure duties. She SEC said that since Kings Canyon did not turn in certain contractually mandated disclosures related to the 2006 and 2007 bond offerings, the bond offering document in November 2010 had a statement about a material fact that wasn’t true.

SEC Prepares Money-Fund Rules, Will Review Alternative Mutual Funds

Published on: July 10, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Sources tell The Wall Street Journal that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is getting ready to vote on rules that are supposed to stop investors from bailing out of money-market mutual funds, which is the reason that corporate lending became imperiled during the 2008 financial meltdown. Under the plan, certain money funds that cater to big institutional investors would have to lose the fixed price of $1/share an float in value the way other mutual funds do.

Municipalities, businesses, and individuals use money funds. Under the new rules, money funds would be allowed to place a temporary block on investors to keep them from taking their money out during stressful times. They would also be allowed to ask for a fee for share redemption.

The rules are set to make the money-fund industry less at risk of investor runs when the market is tumultuous. They would get investors accustomed to value fluctuations in their investments while making sure that funds are able to stop any outflows from turning into a flood.

Some Advisers Choose Alternative Investments Using Poorly Suited Benchmarks, Says Morningstar

Published on: July 9, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

According to a survey issued by Morningstar Inc., financial advisers may be using the wrong benchmark when evaluating and choosing alternative investments. The research firm and Barron’s magazine questioned 301 advisers and 372 institutional investors.

Right now, the most popular way that advisers assess their investments’ performance is with a standard benchmark index and not by measuring performance against customized benchmarks, competitor funds, or risk-adjusted analysis. While about 25% are using the Russell 2000, the S & P 500, or similar benchmarks, the rest of those who were surveyed work with different methods.

Now, however, there are industry executives and analysts who are saying the index benchmarks are not up to the job of assessing the funds’ performance. Alternative investments typically employ different strategies and may have distinct goals.