Recent Articles

Whoever Wins, Chill A Bit

November 04, 2008 14:25

Great commentary from conservative blogger and University of Tennessee Professor Glenn Reynolds at Forbes.comYou don't have to love the "other guy." You don't have to hold back on fighting against policies you don't like. You don't have to pull punches. But once someone is duly and legally elected...

Lehman Note Sales Under Fire

November 03, 2008 12:59

And they are out of the gate. Claimants' attorneys are preparing to file arbitrations against brokers and firms for sales of Lehman structured notes. The cases are being filed against Lehman brokers, and UBS since it appears that for some unknown reason, UBS brokers were selling Lehman notes....

Defense Lawyers See Bonanza From Lehman, Bear

October 28, 2008 13:31

Bloomberg is reporting what securities defense attorneys have experienced - the demand for defense counsel is on the rise. The article focuses on the criminal side of the equation, and the civil side - in regulatory investigations and arbitrations - is running right along with it. Great quote from...

What's Going On At Ameritrade?

October 28, 2008 13:20

A caller to my office alerted me to this bit of news. First, we have been getting tons of calls about the online brokers (specifically E-Trade, Ameritrade and TD Waterhouse) and margin liquidations. Callers are complaining that their positions are being sold out for margin calls, without ever...

Merrill's Retention Bonuses Come in Low

October 25, 2008 13:45

Looks like we will see a flood of Merril reps leaving. With competitors offering 200% of trailing 12 to change firms, how does BoA expect to keep assets...excuse me, representatives...at the firm? Sure, they are loyal to Mother Merrill, but this deal, a reported 1x trailing 12 for a top producer is...

Is Morgan Stanley Next?

October 24, 2008 15:14

Morgan Stanley in talks as fear grips financials According to a report this morning from Reuters, Morgan Stanley is discussing a deal with Wachovia, and CNBC said HSBC Holdings and China's CITIC Group were also eyeing Wall Street's second-largest investment bank.We lost #3, #4 and #5 in the last...

Republicans and Democrats Angry Over Bailout

October 24, 2008 15:14

With Bernanke and Paulson speaking today, there is quite a bit of news out there about the bailout, and it seems pretty clear that some members of Congress are pretty angry with the proposal to allow the executive branch of government to use $700 billion to maybe, bolster the economy.The AP story...

Paulson Says Bailout's Exec Pay Provisions Will Be Addressed

October 24, 2008 15:14

Bailout: Accord on chiefs' pay, Bush on TV tonight: "Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said he was agreeing to demands from critics in both parties to limit the pay packages of Wall Street executives whose companies would benefit from the proposed bailout."No word on the attempt to end-run the...

New Issue for Federally Registered Advisers

October 24, 2008 15:14

With the markets down 40% or so in the last few months, federally registered investment advisers are facing a new issue - the potential loss of the ability to maintain their federal registration.Investment advisers with over $30 million in assets under management must register with the SEC....

Citigroup to buy Wachovia

October 24, 2008 15:13

Citigroup to buy Wachovia banking operationsThis might be the end of the crisis - Wachovia is gone.