The U.S. Virgin Islands share many of the same fiscal problems that have made Puerto Rico insolvent: high levels of debt, mounting pension obligations and a declining population. It also has lost several large private employers. The Virgin Islands have a $110 million budget deficit, and recently failed at raising $220 […]
There is a new type of variable annuity called a buffer annuity that is beginning to gain popularity among financial advisors who sell these products. It is highly complex and uses structured products — not mutual funds — in the sub account as the underlying investment. FINRA has started to […]
On November 23, 2016, Zamansky LLC filed a class action lawsuit and has been appointed lead counsel on behalf of all current and former employees of Exxon Mobil Corporation (“Exxon”) who were participants in the Exxon Mobil Savings Plan (the “Plan”). The lawsuit alleges violations of the federal Employee Retirement […]
On December 20, 2016, Blackstone Group LP, the large asset manager, announced that it was shutting down its two-year old Senfina Advisors after it lost 24 percent in 2016. The $1.8 billion Senfina Advisors was an in-house multi-manager fund that was supposed to offer a fund of the firm’s best […]
On October 17, 2016, FINRA, which regulates stock brokers and brokerage firms, announced that it fined Alex Etter and Caldwell International Securities Corp. in New Jersey, for charges that they engaged in risky speculative trading to generate commissions. FINRA charged Caldwell with generating more than $1 million in “shady commissions,” […]
Zamansky LLC announces that it is investigating 13 investment management firms over their investment of client money into AlphaSector Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”). The AlphaSector strategy was developed by F-Squared Investments which has since admitted in an enforcement case brought by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) that […]
The law firm is investigating the Platinum Partners Value Arbitrage Fund (“Platinum”) over its decision to close, and reported losses suffered in Echo Therapeutics. Platinum’s founder Murray Huberfeld was arrested June 8, 2016, and charged with allegedly paying a $60,000 “kickback” to Norman Seabrook, President of the NYC Corrections Officers […]
The law firm is investigating various hedge funds which suffered large losses from investing in Valeant Pharmaceutical International Inc. (“Valeant”) stock. According to public reports, these hedge funds include Pershing Square Capital Management, ValueAct Holdings, Brahman Capital, Brave Warriors Advisors, Okumus Capital and Senzar Asset Management have suffered large losses […]
Zamansky LLC is investigating claims for investors to recover losses suffered by Merrill Lynch brokerage customers who purchased Strategic Return Notes (“SRNs”). In 2010, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America created the Strategic Return Notes which are notes with a maturity which do not pay interest but repay investors a […]
We are investigating the Oppenheimer Commodities Strategy Total Return Fund (the “Fund”) (QRAAX, QRANX, QRACX, QRABS, QRAYX and QRAIX) over the recent shut-down of this two-decade-old fund. The Fund has suffered losses of approximately 27% in 2015, and 22% in 2014, and has seen its assets fall from $250 million […]