Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc has reached a $1 million settlement agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over charges that the broker-dealer misled its pension consulting clients by neglecting to disclose conflicts of interest. By agreeing to settle, Merrill Lynch is not denying or admitting wrongdoing. The…
Wachovia Securities, LLC and the Securities and Exchange Commission have reached a finalized settlement to resolve charges that the company mislead investors when selling billions of dollars worth of auction-rate securities. Under the terms of the agreement, Wachovia would purchase ARS from non-profit organizations, individuals, and clients with accounts worth…
Thousands have lost in investments into annuities issued by AXA Equitable Life Insurance Co., Nationwide Life Insurance Co., AIG SunAmerica Life Assurance Co., and Variable Annuity Life Insurance Co. A class action was filed on these investors’ behalf, but, as has happened to millions of investors in the last decade,…
In the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, UBS AG was named as a defendant in a class action lawsuit alleging that the company engaged in a tax scam designed to help rich US investor avoid federal taxes. The plaintiff in the case is the New…
In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Shira Scheindlin said that TGS- GS-NOPEC Geophysical Co failed to convince the court that the institutional investor would suffer irreparable harm if Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Inc. continues redeeming clients’ ARS under the investment firm’s…
In Texas, a Houston judge has ruled that a would-be class securities lawsuit filed against JP Morgan Securities, Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith and a number of other defendants can move forward. The plaintiffs were investors in Superior Offshore International Inc., a company that collapsed following a failed…
The Securities and Exchange Commission wants feedback about the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s proposal on new financial responsibility rules. Critics have expressed concern that the rules give FINRA wide discretion but without certain safeguards. The Financial responsibility rules let FINRA make sure that some 5,000 brokerage firms have enough liquidity…
Last week, Agape World Inc and Agape Merchant Advance LLP owner and founder Nicholas Cosmo was arrested and charged with running a $370 million mail fraud scheme. According to US authorities, Cosmo ran his alleged Ponzi scam from October 2003 to December 2008, taking money from over 1,500 individual investors.…
Last month, Merrill Lynch & Co. reached a $550 million settlement with investors and employees over losses related to investments in subprime mortgage-backed assets. A court must approve the proposed settlements. In the securities class action case, the plaintiffs have accused Merrill Lynch of using statements on collateralized debt obligations…
The Texas State Securities Board has issued an emergency cease and desist order telling oil and gas companies Golden Triangle Energy Corp. and Vision Asset Development Co. to stop selling securities. The board is accusing both companies of lying to investors about certain payments and selling unregistered stock shares. The…