In an InvestementNews.com article from January20,2012, Dan Jamieson writes that in a regulatory notice, Finra outlined characteristics of what it calls “complex products,” which could include structured notes, inverse or leveraged exchange-traded funds, hedge funds and securitized products such as asset-backed securities. Finra stated that brokerage firms should have formal written procedures covering everything from […]

In a January 19th., 2012, article for InvestmentNews.com, Jeff Benjamin writes that when pressed, it seems financial intermediaries will tend to overstate their qualifications and services, according to Cerulli Associates Inc. “Most advisers don't want to say that they don't offer some kind of service, so they are more likely to overstate their capabilities,” said Scott […]

Exposure to the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) has been available since 2004 in the form of futures, and since 2006 in the form of options, but recently new exchange-traded products have offered retail investors an easier way to gain exposure to this popular measure of market sentiment. The most successful of these products so far […]

 Soreide Law Group, PLLC, is currently investigating the following TIC/DST Offerings. If your stock broker or financial advisor recommended any of the following investments, and you sustained a significant loss of your investment. call 888-760-6552 for a free consultation. TIC/DST Offerings - ArciTerra Strategic Retail - Park Lee Bluerock Mesa Ridge Apartments DST PASSCO - […]

Soreide Law Group, PLLC, is currently investigating the following Equipment Leasing/Income/Equity Fund investments. If your stock broker or financial advisor recommended any of the following investments, and you sustained a significant loss of your investment. call 888-760-6552 for a free consultation.   - Equipment Leasing/Income/Equity Funds -   Commonwealth Opportunity Fund II, LLC Cypress Equipment Fund […]

William D. Cohan, a former investment banker and author, for the Bloomberg View, recently wrote that there has been a fair amount written recently about various institutional cartels that are thriving in the U.S. despite antitrust laws designed to prevent their existence. Unbeknownst to the millions of people who interact with Wall Street every day […]

Joseph Alphonse Vitale (CRD #5223467, Registered Representative, Boca Raton, Florida)   has been barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity. The sanction was based on findings that Vitale failed to respond to FINRA requests for information.   (FINRA Case #2009017585202)   This information is from FINRA’s website’s Disciplinary Actions, December, 2011.   […]

Jeffrey Rachlin (CRD #823547, Registered Principal, Pleasantville, New York)   has submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent in which he was fined $10,000, suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for 30 business days, and suspended from association with any FINRA member in any principal capacity for 18 months. The […]

In a November 25, 2011, article in InvestNews.com, Bruce Kelly writes that broker-dealers who sold billions of dollars in allegedly fraudulent private placements failed massively in their due-diligence responsibilities to investors, according to the assessment of forensic accountant and expert witness Gordon Yale, who has worked on more than 50 legal claims brought by investors against […]