California Securities Fraud Lawyer Blog

The Bay State has stepped up its investigation into the fraudulent sale of private placements by securities brokers. Today, the Massachusetts Securities Division announced that it issued 6 subpoenas to National Securities; QA3 Financial; CapWest Securities; Independent Financial Group; Investors Capital; and Centaurus Financial seeking information related to the sale of Medical Capital Holdings Inc. and Provident Royalties. Earlier this year, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts filed a securities fraud lawsuit against Securities America charging the firm with misleading investors in the sale of Medical Capital Notes. [See Massachusetts Regulators Charge Securities America With Securities Fraud]

Although the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is primarily concerned with the sale of Provident Royalties and Medical Capital Notes to residents of that state, the fraudulent sale of risky private placements has affected thousands of investors across the nation and is now the subject of intense scrutiny. Several of the brokers that were subpoenaed by Massachusetts have been subjected to an influx of customer arbitration claims and securities class action lawsuits. [See: Medical Capital Class Action or Arbitration: Investors Should Consider Their Options and related blog postings discussed therein.]

In my California-based securities law practice, most of my clients that own a home qualify as "accredited investors" within the meaning of Regulation D which exempts private placements from federal securities registration requirements. Rule 501 of the Securities Act of 1933 defines an accredited investor as any person with a net worth (or joint net worth with a spouse) in excess of $1,000,000 at the time of purchase.

Financial advisors or stockbrokers who sell private placements are subject to the rules and standards promulgated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). According to FINRA, stockbrokers who act as selling agents for private placements are required to conduct a due diligence investigation of the offering so that they understand the nature of the investment and its risks. Also, before recommending a private placement to a particular customer, the stockbroker must perform a suitability analysis by examining the customer's overall financial situation and investment objectives. Because a home can represent an investor's largest asset, net worth alone should never be used to determine whether an investment is suitable. A customer's status as an accredited investor does not release a stockbroker from the suitability requirements.

Recently, there has been a surge in investor complaints involving private placements that were sold by broker-dealers who were acting as selling agents. Private placements that are creating a lot of investor complaints include: Medical Capital, IMH Secured Loan Fund, Provident Asset Management, Striker Petroleum and DBSI. Some of the broker dealers who actively sold one or more of these private placements are Securities America, QA3 Financial, National Securities, CapWest, Independent Financial Group, just to name a few. Please contact us if you have any questions about unsuitable private placements.

Related Blog Posts:

Investor Home Equity to be Excluded from $1 Million Minimum Net-Worth Requirement for Accredited Investors

It's Time to Change the Accredited Investor Rule for Private Placements