Recovery options for investors following FBI Raid of United Development Funding (UDF) offices in Dallas, Texas

Recovery options for investors following FBI Raid of United Development Funding (UDF) offices in Dallas, Texas

The Furgison Law Group securities lawyers are also investigating a number of brokerage firms’ sales practices involving recommendations for investors to invest in United Development Funding I, United Development Funding III, United Development Funding IV, United Development Funding V, or other investment programs sponsored by UDF. According to offering materials, all UDF REITs were sold by brokerage firms. Those firms include, but are not limited to IMS Securities Inc., Berthel Fisher & Co., Financial Services Inc., Centaurus Financial Inc., VSR Financial Services, Inc., Geneos Wealth Management, and Realty Capital Securities, LLC. Brokerage firms, like those listed above, reportedly sold over $1 billion of UDF REITs to individual investors.

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FINRA Sanctions Santander Securities LLC $6.4 Million for Supervisory Failures Related to Sales of Puerto Rican Bonds

FINRA Sanctions Santander Securities LLC $6.4 Million for Supervisory Failures Related to Sales of Puerto Rican Bonds

FINRA ordered Santander Securities LLC to pay approximately $4.3 million in restitution to certain customers who were solicited to purchase Puerto Rican Municipal Bonds (PRMBs). Additionally, the firm will pay restitution of $121,000 and make offers of rescission to buy back the securities sold to certain customers impacted by the firm's failure to supervise employee trading. FINRA also censured and fined Santander $2 million for supervisory failures.

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FINRA Fines Merrill Lynch a Total of $6 Million for Reg SHO Violations and Supervisory Failures

WASHINGTON — The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced today that it has censured and fined Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp. (Merrill Lynch PRO) $3.5 million for violating Regulation SHO, an SEC rule that established a regulatory framework to govern short sales and prevent abusive naked short selling. FINRA also censured and fined its affiliated broker-dealer, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (Merrill Lynch), $2.5 million for failing to establish, maintain and enforce supervisory systems and procedures related to Regulation SHO and other areas.

In addition to curtailing naked short selling, among other things, Regulation SHO also aims to reduce the number of instances in which sellers fail to timely deliver securities. Regulation SHO requires a firm to timely "close out" any fail-to-deliver positions by borrowing or purchasing securities of like kind and quantity. Additionally, Reg SHO permits firms to reasonably allocate fail-to-deliver positions to its broker-dealer clients that caused or contributed to the firm's fail-to-deliver position.

FINRA found that from September 2008 through July 2012, Merrill Lynch PRO did not take any action to close out certain fail-to-deliver positions, and did not have systems and procedures in place to address the close-out requirements of Regulation SHO for the majority of that period. FINRA also found that from September 2008 through March 2011, Merrill Lynch's supervisory systems and procedures were inadequate and improperly permitted the firm to allocate fail-to-deliver positions to the firm's broker-dealer clients based solely on each client's short position without regard to which clients caused or contributed to Merrill Lynch's fail-to-deliver position.

FINRA's investigation was conducted by the Departments of Enforcement and Market Regulation.

If you lost money after investing with Merrill Lynch, or any other related financial adviser, you may be able to recover your losses through securities arbitration. Our securities fraud law firm is here to help our clients recover their losses. Our investment fraud lawyers have recovered millions of dollars from the largest banks, insurance companies and brokerage firms in the world on behalf of investment fraud victims. You may have certain legal rights that require your immediate attention. Contact us TODAY for a FREE Consultation and case evaluation.