The North American Securities Administrators Association announced that a number of its members are continuing to probe complaints about auction-rate securities (ARS). They are also coordinating efforts to help investors whose money was placed by brokers in these complex investment products get access to their funds. An ARS Task Force,…
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) conjures thoughts of jack-booted cops looking to “perp-walk” those who take advantage investors. Yet, FINRA is just the new name of the National Association of Securities Dealers. The NASD was, and FINRA is, a non-profit organization of all securities dealers, with a structure similar…
Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin is subpoenaing Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner, & Smith Inc., UBS Securities, and Bank of America Investments because it wants information about the companies’ involvement in selling auction-rate market securities to retail investors. The companies are all registered Massachusetts broker dealers. Galvin issued the…
After weeks in limbo, some holding auction rate securities may gain some insight about their fate this weekend as UBS reports it will be “pricing” ARS securities in its customers’ accounts. Brokerage firms and other financial institutions sold many ARS securities as comparable to money market funds, commercial paper and…
Some closed end funds which issued preferred shares in the auction rate market suggest they might obtain liquidity in Auction Rate Preferred Securities (ARPs) using leverage and Variable Rate Demand Preferred Securities. Such statements may give hope to those holding ARPs, yet we believe that these solutions unlikely create the…
An SSE Exclusive: Provided below is a link to a comprehensive expose explaining how Wall Street firms and banks may have convinced investors it was safe to place over $300 billion into “auction rate securities” by promising that these were safe and liquid investments. During the week of February 11,…
This week, Goldman Sachs told a number of investors that they could not withdraw money from their auction-rate securities investments. This move by Goldman came as a shock to investors-but the firm was not alone. Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, and other banks have also found themselves notifying their investors that…