As noted in a February 5, 2016 article in The Wall Street Journal (“The Oil Rout’s Surprise Victims”), the epic collapse in the price of oil, from more than $100 per barrel less than two years ago to below $30 last week, has “crushed investors in the futures market, energy partnerships, high-yield corporate bonds and […]
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced enforcement actions against 14 municipal underwriting firms for violations in municipal bond offerings. The actions conclude charges against underwriters under the Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation (MCDC) Initiative. In all, 72 underwriters have been charged under the voluntary self-reporting program targeting material misstatements and omissions in municipal bond offering […]
The New York Attorney General’s office is announcing parallel actions against the two firms. Barclays agreed to settle the charges by admitting wrongdoing and paying $35 million penalties to the SEC and the NYAG for a total of $70 million. Credit Suisse agreed to settle the charges by paying a $30 million penalty to the […]
A Merrill Lynch investment adviser who handles money for high-profile union pension accounts won a $500,000 arbitration award last month against his former employer whom he had accused of trying to ruin his reputation in the wake of his departure. The victory comes seven years after the adviser was sued in federal court by Wachovia […]
According to the SEC’s order instituting a settled administrative proceeding, broker-dealers such as Goldman Sachs are regularly asked by customers to locate stock for short selling. Granting a “locate” represents that a firm has borrowed, arranged to borrow, or reasonably believes it could borrow the security to settle the short sale. The SEC finds that […]