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Judge Has Harsh Words For Finra Arbitration

Dow Jones Compliance Watch

Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. has let anyone who cares know how he feels about the system that obliges investors and employees at brokerage firms to take all disputes to arbitration. Cogburn, a U.S. district court judge in North Carolina, expressed a deep dislike for the mandatory arbitration system managed by the Financial Industry Regulatory […]

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Investor hedge fund claims cost Citigroup $85M and counting

USA Today

Citigroup’s tab for reimbursing clients who said the financial giant misled them into investing in risky hedge funds marketed as the safety equivalent of municipal bonds has soared to at least $85 million. And counting. The payments, awarded since 2008 in 59 arbitrations or settlements, represent just part of a continuing legacy of the nation’s […]

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A New Class-Action Battle

Wall Street Journal

Should investors be allowed to bring class-action lawsuits against brokerages? Discount brokerage Charles Schwab and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or Finra, are in the midst of a dispute over that issue—and it could have wide implications for investors. When investors open brokerage accounts, they’re generally required to agree not to sue the broker. Instead, […]

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Ex-Head Of Collapsed Citi Muni Hedge Funds Comes Out Swinging

FINalternatives

Despite tens of millions in payouts and dozens of claims of wrongdoing, the former manager of a family of Citigroup hedge funds that collapsed in 2008 isn’t apologizing. Quite the contrary: Reaz Islam, who managed the highly-levered ASTA/MAT municipal bond hedge funds, wouldn’t do anything differently. According to Islam, speaking out for the first time […]

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Citigroup Ex-Manager Islam Has No Regrets From Hedge-Fund Crash

Business Week

Reaz Islam, who ran Citigroup Inc. (C) hedge funds that lost most of their value in 2008, has “no regrets” about his performance and said “ambulance-chasing” lawyers are behind claims that he and the bank misled clients. Investors in the ASTA/MAT municipal bond funds knew how volatile they were, Islam said in interviews and e-mails […]

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