Frankowski Firm Investigating UDF REITs
The Frankowski Firm is continuing its investigation into United Development Funding III and IV (UDF) on behalf of investors in the company’s real estate investment trusts (REITs). The FBI recently raided the company’s offices in Texas, and immediately afterward UDF IV’s price dropped to $3.20 per share, more than 81% lower than its December 2015 […]
Texas REIT Subpoenaed Following FBI Raid
Management of real estate investment trust United Development Funding IV, a hedge fund accused of operating as a Ponzi scheme, has been subpoenaed to turn over company documents to a grand jury. Last week, the FBI raided the REIT’s offices outside of Dallas. While performing their search, “law enforcement officers served executive officers of the trust […]
Texas REIT Offices Raided By FBI
The FBI raided the office of a Texas REIT, United Development Funding IV, this week. The firm saw its stock price drop 81% in the past two months after a hedge fund alleged it was operating for years like a Ponzi scheme. “The FBI is lawfully present and conducting law enforcement activity” at the UDF […]
Broker Lies About Charging $11M In Commissions For Nontraded REITs and BDCs
FINRA charged a broker for lying to a Native American tribe about the $11 million in commissions he charged when he sold the tribe $190 million in nontraded real estate investment trusts and business development companies. Between June 2011 and January 2015, broker Gopi Krishna Vungarala “regularly lied to his customer, a Native American tribe, regarding […]
Top Investor Threats
The following is a list compiled by the North American Securities Administrators Association of the top financial products and practices that threaten to trap unwary investors and small business owners: Unregistered Products / Unlicensed Salesmen: The offer of securities by an individual without a valid securities license should be a red alert for investors. Con artists […]
FINRA December 2015 Disciplinary Actions: Part II
Wunderlich Securities, Inc. (Memphis, TN) submitted an AWC in which the firm was censured and fined $50,000. FINRA found that it failed to establish, maintain, and enforce an adequate supervisory system and written procedures regarding the preparation and dissemination of consolidated reports. The findings stated that although the firm’s WSPs expressly permitted the preparation and dissemination […]
Texas REIT Plummets Following Ponzi Allegations
Stock in United Development Funding IV has gone into a free fall following a report published on an investor website that alleged the real estate investment trust has operated for years like a Ponzi scheme. Harvest Exchange, an online professional network for investors, published an anonymous post about UDF called “A Texas-Sized Scheme: Exposing the […]
AR Capital Halts Creation Of New Nontraded REITs
AR Capital, the massive real estate investment trust sponsor established by Nicholas Schorsch, will cease creating and selling new alternative investment products. “As a result of regulatory and market uncertainty affecting capital raising for both new and existing offerings in the direct investment industry,” AR Capital will stop taking new investor funds for the programs […]
Cetera Stops Selling AR Capital REITs
Cetera Financial Group, which is a network of retail brokerages owned by RCS Capital Corporation, has stopped selling ARC-branded real estate investment trusts and other alternative investments. All ten of Cetera’s broker-dealers ceased the sale of all AR Capital products until a review of the products is completed. AR Capital products are distributed by Realty […]
FINRA Fines Six IBDs For Failing To Discount Large REIT Sales
Voya Financial Advisors Inc., Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. and four other independent broker-dealers failed to give clients appropriate discounts on large sales of nontraded real estate investment trusts and business development companies. In turn, FINRA fined the six over $500,000 combined. The fines comes as part of FINRA’s crackdown on firms not properly giving their customers […]