Articles Posted in Investor Education

In a recent ruling by the United States Supreme Court in Gabelli et al. v. SEC, the SEC now must file cases seeking civil penalties for securities fraud within five years of the alleged incident. This decision now puts a premium on quick action by the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, particularly since there likely are many cases…

In 2012, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired Morgan Keegan from Regions Financial Corp. Raymond James, ahead of schedule, has completed the integration of Morgan Keegan advisors and their clients to the company’s technology platform and simultaneously announced.

On February 26, 2013, it was announced that the merger between the non-traded REIT American Realty Capital Trust III and the traded REIT American Realty Capital Partners Inc. was approved. This merger was first announced in December 2012. As a result of the merger each outstanding shareholder of American Realty Capital III common stock can choose…

On February 22, 2013 we posted a blog entitled FINRA’s Ruling in Charles Schwab Case “Kills” Customer Class Actions, which detailed FINRA hearing panel’s decision to uphold Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.’s use of arbitration agreements that force customers to bring all disputes into FINRA arbitration forums, and effectively precluding customers from pursuing class claims. On…

Howard G. Judah and Gergory F. Jablonski, former executives at National Life Settlements LLC, were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for their parts in a $30 million investment scheme that utilized insurance agents to sell products. In 2009, the Texas Securities Board uncovered their securities fraud and selling of unregistered securities. They have since pleaded…

On February 21, 2013, a FINRA hearing panel dismissed two of three causes in a February 2012 complaint against Charles Schwab & Company. The complaint focused on Charles Schwab’s amendment to its customer agreements to prohibit customers from bringing class actions in court. FINRA brought its disciplinary proceeding that alleged that the provision violated FINRA’s rules…

On February 22, 2013 the SEC released the results from its recent study which suggests that investor confidence in the markets rose in 2012. The study, conducted by the SEC’s Division of Risk, Strategy, and Financial Innovation, showed that money raised through registered investment offerings rose 22% from 2011 to 2012. In addition, over the past two…

On February 21, 2013, the SEC released its 2013 examination priorities for a range of issues at financial institutions. Carlo V. di Florio, Director of the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations, stated “we are publishing these priorities to promote compliance and communicate with investors and our registrants about areas that we perceive to have heightened…

On February 19, 2013, FINRA announced it fined five affiliates of ING $1.2 million for failing to retain or review millions of emails for periods ranging from two months to more than six years. The five firms include: Directed Services, LLC; ING America Equities, Inc.; ING Financial Advisers, LLC; ING Financial Partners, Inc.; and ING Investment Advisors,…

On February 11, 2013, we posted a blog entitled Interesting Points From the S&P Lawsuit, which detailed the interesting aspects to watch in the wake of the recent S&P lawsuit. It specifically detailed how the U.S. Government has insisted on an admission of guilt from S&P and has not backed down, which is in contrast to…