Posts belonging to Category Raymond James



Pension Plans Victimized by Morgan Keegan Kickback Scheme

 

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has ordered Morgan Keegan to pay $633,715 to 10 pension plans that were victimized by a scheme in which Morgan Keegan received kickback payments for recommending funds of hedge funds to plan clients, according to an (See InvestmentNews article entitled “Morgan Keegan ripped by DOL over kickbacks”). Morgan Keegan’s […]

Is the SEC Too Soft on Major Wall Street Firms?

 

Questions continue to arise regarding the too-cozy relationship between the SEC and Wall Street. Recent reports claim that the SEC, when settling with big Wall Street firms, has a practice of granting waivers that preserve special privileges enjoyed by those firms, and protect them from serious consequences that would otherwise result from their wrongdoing. For […]

Raymond James’ Affiliates Gouge Investors

 

Raymond James affiliates have been ordered to pay $2.1 million in fines and restitution to more than 15,500 of its customers for overcharging them in 27,000 transactions. Raymond James customers paid nearly $1.7 million in excess commissions, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). In addition, FINRA found that Raymond James’ supervisory systems were […]

Morgan Keegan for Sale?

 

Regions Financial Corp. is trying to find a buyer for Morgan Keegan, but the clock is ticking, and the longer it takes, the greater the likelihood that its most valuable asset, the advisor reps, will leave, thereby reducing the value, and making a sale unlikely to happen at all, according to Andrew Osterand’s InvestmentNews article […]

Raymond James Settles Auction Rate Securities Dispute with Regulators

 

Raymond James Financial has agreed to buy back $300 million in auction-rate securities from clients and pay a fine of $1.7 million as part of a settlement the Securities and Exchange Commission and the states of Florida, Texas, Indiana, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, according to Bruce Kelly’s InvestmentNews article entitled […]

Auction Rate Securities Update – Raymond James

 

Raymond James Financial claims that it would face a loss of $25 million to $50 million if it is forced to immediately repurchase auction-rate securities that it sold to clients, according to an InvestmentNews article by Bruce Kelly entitled “ARS mess could cost Raymond James up to $50M.” That would cut into the firm’s total […]

Are Brokerage Firms Really the Trusted Financial Advisers that Their Advertisements Claim that They Are?

 

Expecting licensed professionals who provide investment advice to act in their clients’ best interests “should be a basic tenet of the business,” but brokerage firms and their brokers don’t want that fiduciary yoke, says Karen Blumenthal in her InvestmentNews article, “When Your Adviser Can’t Be Trusted.” Moreover, they don’t want the public to know that […]

Victims of Investment Malpractice or Other Financial Misconduct During the Recent Financial Crisis May Be on the Verge of Losing Legal Rights

 

If you are an investor who lost money in the financial crisis, your stockbroker or investment advisor may owe you money. There are a variety of legal claims that can be brought for investment malpractice, ranging from fraud and misrepresentation to making unsuitable investment recommendations. But there are also legal deadlines for bringing such claims, […]

Wall Street Whistleblower Program Already Paying Off

 

The new whistleblower program that pays big cash rewards for tips about investment fraud has already resulted in a large number of high quality tips to the SEC, according to a news story this week on CNBC. According to the report, the SEC expects to receive 30,000 tips this year?just one year after the program […]

Large Investors Who Have Sustained Losses on Auction Rate Securities Investments Need to Take Action

 

While many investors who lost money when the auction rate securities market collapsed in 2008 have now been made whole by regulatory settlements and redemptions, others have not been as fortunate and are still holding on to illiquid securities. Because regulatory settlements focused on the worst offenders in the industry, not all firms that sold […]