From Investment Fraud Blawg, Securities Fraud Blawg, and Stockbroker Fraud Blawg:
In a July 31, 2009 article, Sam Mamundi of Marketwatch.com discussed the hidden sales fees charged by mutual funds. As noted in the article, “[t]he majority of retail funds are sold through brokerages, and each brokerage firm levies a range of charges to the fund for every sale. The cost of these agreements is passed on to investors.” These charges come in a variety of forms, including “revenue sharing agreements” …

From Investment Fraud Blawg, Securities Fraud Blawg, and Stockbroker Fraud Blawg:
On August 4, 2009, the Wall Street Journal reported that Fidelity Investments had joined other broker-dealers in warning its customers about the risks of investing in Leveraged ETFs (see other blawg posts on this topic here and here). The article, written by Daisy Maxey, states that Fidelity’s website warned investors that “Leveraged products are complex, carry substantial risks and are intended for short-term trading,” and that “[m]ost reset daily and …

From Investment Fraud Blawg, Securities Fraud Blawg, and Stockbroker Fraud Blawg:
Only weeks after Edward D. Jones, Ameriprise, Linsco Private Ledger (LPL) and UBS announced that they were restricting the sale of leveraged ETFs (see here), two more broker-dealers have decided to take action related to their sales of these risky, and often misunderstood investments.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney announced that it is reviewing its sales procedures related to leveraged ETFs. In addition, Charles Schwab …

From Investment Fraud Blawg, Securities Fraud Blawg, and Stockbroker Fraud Blawg:
According to an article on InvestmentNews, Massachusetts securities regulators have subpoenaed four brokerage firms for information related to their sales practices of leveraged ETFs. The subpoenas come only a few weeks after Edward D. Jones, Ameriprise, Linsco Private Ledger (LPL) and UBS restricted the sale of the products or stopped selling leveraged ETFs altogether. This also comes approximately three weeks after FINRA advised firms that leveraged ETFs “typically are unsuitable …

From Investment Fraud Blawg, Securities Fraud Blawg, and Stockbroker Fraud Blawg:
Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that while the four major Wall Street brokerage firms experienced an outflow of $8 billion of assets in 2008, Registered Investment Advisers brought in more than $108 billion in new assets during the same period. This activity likely reflects a shift in investor preference from transaction-based broker relationships to fiduciary relationships.
Investors generally choose to have their financial affairs handled by someone they …

From the Securities Fraud Blawg
On July 21, 2009, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Morgan Keegan & Company. In its Complaint, the SEC seeks an injunction for violation of the federal securities laws, as well as equitable relief for Morgan Keegan investors. Included in this equitable relief is a request for a court order requiring Morgan Keegan to repurchase illiquid ARS from its customers. More about the SEC’s case, including a link to the Commission’s Litigation Release and Complaint …

From the Securities Fraud Blawg
In a much anticipated move, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) made permanent a rule that it hopes will curb abusive “naked” short selling practices in the securities markets.
Short selling is the practice of selling a security that a person does not own. In essence, the person (the “short seller”) “borrows” the security from their broker (or another third party) and sells it to a buyer. This strategy is implemented where the short seller anticipates that …

From the Stockbroker Fraud Blawg
On June 11, 2009, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed two fraud actions against different financial/investment advisers.
Morgan European Holdings ApS, et al.
On June 11, the SEC obtained an emergency court order and asset freeze to shut down a fraudulent prime bank scheme. The action was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Flordia against Morgan European Holdings ApS, a/k/a Money Talks, Inc. ApS, John Morgan, Marian Morgan, Bowman Marketing Group, Inc., …

From the Stockbroker Fraud Blawg
This morning, U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin sentenced Bernard Madoff to the maximum sentence of 150 years of prison for his role in a “historic” multi-billion dollar fraud.
Judge Chin stated “Here the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff’s crimes were extraordinarily evil and that this kind of manipulation of the system is not just a bloodless crime that takes place on paper, but one instead that takes a staggering toll.”
Mr. Madoff’s “error of judgment” …

From the Stockbroker Fraud Blawg
The New York Times published an informative article by Tara Siegel Bernard on December 16, 2008 that discusses a lot of the basics of mutual funds.
This is a great article for anyone who is unfamiliar with mutual funds, but who has or is considering incorporating mutual funds into their investment portfolio.
Too often, investors are misled as to key features of the investments they are sold. Having a fundamental understanding of how different investments work serves two …