Investor Lawyers Blog

Fidelity Investments Settles Class Action Lawsuits Over 401(K) Plan for $12 million

Published on: September 5, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Fidelity Investments has consented to pay $12 million to settle two class action employee lawsuits. The plaintiffs contend that the retirement plan provider was self-dealing in the FMR LLC Profit Sharing Plan and making money at their expense by offering employees high-cost fund options and making them pay excessive fees.

Over 50,000 ex- and present employees are eligible to receive from the settlement. Fidelity is accused of providing just its own funds in the retirement plan for its workers, with certain investment options having little (if any) track record, while failing to use an impartial process when choosing the investment options.

As part of the agreement, Fidelity Investments will now give employees a choice of non-Fidelity and Fidelity mutual funds, increase auto-enrollment to 7%, and allow participants of non-Fidelity mutual funds to benefit from revenue sharing, just like the participants of Fidelity mutual funds and collective trusts. The company also will keep offering a default investment alternative, the Fidelity Freedom Funds-Class. The Portfolio Advisory Services at Work program will be provided for free.

SEC Charges Immigration Attorneys with Securities Fraud Involving EB-5 Immigration investor Program

Published on: September 4, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The SEC is charging a Los Angeles-based immigration lawyer, his wife, and his law firm partner with securities fraud that targeted investors who wanted to gain U.S. residency through the EB-5 Immigration investor program. The program lets immigrants apply for U.S. residency if they invest in a project that helps create jobs for workers in this country.

According to the Commission, Justin, his spouse Rebecca Lee, and Thomas Kent raised close to $11.5 million from more than twenty investors that wanted to join the program. They told investors that they would qualify to join if they invested in an ethanol plant that was going to be constructed in Kansas.

The three of them are accused of taking the money and misappropriating it for other uses. Meantime, the plant was never constructed and no jobs were created. Yet Justin, Rebecca, and Thomas allegedly continued to deceive investors so that they kept believing that the construction project was in the works.

Securities Lawsuit Accuses Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Credit Suisse, and Other Banks of Manipulating ISDAfix

Published on: September 4, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The Alaska Electrical Pension Fund is suing several banks for allegedly conspiring to manipulate ISDAfix, which is the benchmark for establishing the rates for interest rate derivatives and other financial instruments in the $710 trillion derivatives market. The pension fund contends that the banks worked together to set the benchmark at artificial levels so that they could manipulate investor payments in the derivative. The Alaska fund says that this impacted financial instruments valued at trillions of dollars.

The defendants are:

• Bank of America Corp. (BAC)

Study Assesses How Much Investment Advisory Firms Would Pay for SEC Exams

Published on: September 3, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

According to a study released by compliance consultant RIA in a Box, some investment advisory firms could end up paying millions of dollars in users fees each year to finance exams conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The study addresses a bill that would let the regulator charge fees to cover exam costs. The agency has said that it needs more money to hire more RIA examiners.

The proposed measure is intended to help the SEC enhance its yearly examination rate. Right now, the exam rate is just 9% of the about 11,500 investment advisers that are registered with the agency.

Under the bill, the SEC would determine user fees according to how much it would cost to increase the amount and frequency of registered investment advisers. A firm’s assets under management, risks characteristics, and the number and kinds of clients would also be factored.

US Banks May Need $644B in Collateral Under Revised Swaps Rules

Published on: September 3, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The revised rules for non-cleared swaps could require banks to have $644 billion in collateral to offset risks involved in swaps trading among themselves. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Reserve adopted a proposal for collateral requirements for swaps traded between firms, manufacturers, banks, and others this week. However, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission still have to vote on the regulations.

The proposal seeks to lower risk and improve transparency by mandating that swaps be guaranteed at central clearinghouses and are traded on platforms. It also looks to limit the effect on global liquidity and smaller companies, as well as free end-users from requirements.

Ever since the 2008 economic crisis, when unregulated trades played a part in the financial meltdown, regulators have wanted to enhance oversight of the global swaps market. Under the proposed rules, banks would need to finance collateral and hold custody accounts that might not be as profitable as other uses they could engage in instead.

Investment Advisory Firm Based in Houston, Texas Charged with Securities Fraud Involving Conflicts of Interest

Published on: September 2, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The SEC is charging Robare Group Ltd., an investment advisory firm headquartered in Houston, Texas, with securities fraud. The regulator’s enforcement division says that the firm and co-owners Jack L. Jones Jr. and Mark L. Robare made mutual fund recommendations to clients even though they had a conflict.

According to the SEC, Robare and a broker-dealer purportedly had an undisclosed compensation agreement. The brokerage firm paid Robare Group compensation-a portion of each dollar that every client invested in certain mutual funds-for recommending the investments

The deal gave Robare, Jones, and the firm incentive for favoring these funds over other investments. The firm is accused of making about $440K in compensation over eight years from the agreement.

Texas-Based Halliburton Settles Oil Spill Lawsuit for $1.1B

Published on: September 2, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Halliburton Co. (HAL) has consented to pay $1.1 billion to settle most of the lawsuits related to the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A court must still approve the deal, which covers claims for punitive damages that were filed by the commercial fishing industry and others impacted by the spill.

BP P.c (BP) Spill victims accused Halliburton, which is based in Houston, Texas, of defective cementing on the Macondo well prior to the spill. Halliburton blamed BP Plc., which was operating the rig. This is Halliburton’s most significant payout related to the spill to date.

The oil spill occurred when there was an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. Eleven workers died and millions of oil barrels poured out into the gulf. Hundreds of lawsuits against Halliburton, BP, and Transocean Ltd, (RIG) which owned the rig ,soon followed.

Bond Insurer Says Detroit Pension Debt Lawsuit is Fraudulent

Published on: August 30, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Financial Guaranty Insurance Company is challenging the city of Detroit, Michigan’s efforts to invalidated $1.45 billion in borrowings that were supposed to resolve unfunded pension liabilities. Instead, they have been named as one of the reasons that the city went into Chapter 9 bankruptcy. The bond insurer is asking a bankruptcy judge to turn down the adversary complaint brought by Detroit to nullify debt that is pension-related.

The city maintains that the debt was issued by its former administration’s mayor and violated state law. It contends that the debts, which were viewed as contract payments, were really concealed borrowings that improperly went beyond the municipal debt limits of the Home Rule City Act.

FGIC says that this stance is a switch for the city, which for years insisted that the obligations were valid. The bond insurer wants damages from Detroit and says the city deceived it so that FGIC agreed to guarantee the transactions.

Former LPL Financial Broker Must Pay Almost $2 Million For Bilking Clients, Including Elderly Investors

Published on: August 29, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Blake B. Richards, an ex-LPL Financial (LPLA) broker, must pay close to $2 million in penalties and disgorgement over allegations that he defrauded clients of close to $1.7 million. According to the case, submitted in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Georgia, Richards told at least seven clients to write checks to entities under his control. The clients thought that the money would be invested in variable annuities, fixed-income investments, or equities. Instead, contends the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the funds were used to pay for his personal spending.

According to the SEC, most of the investors’ money came from life insurance proceeds or retirement savings. Two of the investors involved were widowed and at least two others were elderly customers.

Per the regulator’s complaint, Richards won one investor’s trust by delivering pain meds to her husband during a snowstorm. The spouse was suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer at the time.

J.P. Morgan Targeted in Possible Cyber Attack

Published on: August 29, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and up to four other banks were the victims of a possible cyber attack. According to the media, the financial institution is working with law enforcement authorities to figure out what happened.

Reuters reports that sources say the firm began its own probe after malicious software was found in its network, which indicates there had likely been a cyber attack. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking to see whether Russian hackers may have been involved. A possible motive for them could be retaliation for sanctions against Russia because of its role in the Ukraine military conflict. It is not unusual for Russian organized crime to target big financial institutions. Also looking into the matter is the U.S. Secret Service.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the hackers appear to have gotten in through the personal computer of employee and penetrated the bank’s inner systems. Gigabytes of customer and employee data may have been targeted. Authorities are trying to determine whether any data that might have been stolen has been used to move funds.