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Our experts frequently write blog posts about the findings of the research we are conducting.

Displaying 41-50 out of 57 results for "Mutual Fund".

Further Reckoning of UBS Willow Fund's CDS Losses

(Feb 2014)

In previous blog posts we explained how the UBS Willow Fund completed its spectacular multi-year collapse in 2012 largely as a result of its leveraged portfolio of credit default swap (CDS) contracts. See Credit Default Swaps on Steroids: UBS's Willow Fund and Willow Fund's Hedging, Investing and Speculating in Distressed Debt With Credit Default Swaps. Through these CDS contracts, the Willow Fund made a large, highly-leveraged short bet on credit risk contrary to its repeated SEC...

The Inland Group's Non-Traded REITs Destroyed $11.9 Billion of Investor Wealth

(Feb 2014)

Last week we wrote about how investors in a non-traded REIT, Inland Diversified Real Estate Trust, had lost $200 million compared to traded REITs even though it announced a merger with a traded REIT, covered in our blog post"More Non-Traded REIT Carnage: Inland Diversified's Investors Have Lost 40%, Not Gained 31%".

Continuing our blog posts and working papers on non-traded REITs, today we report on how investors fared in five non-traded REITs sponsored by affiliates of The Inland Real...

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - February 14th, 2014

(Feb 2014)

SEC Charges James Y. Lee for Defrauding His Advisory Clients
February 14, 2014, (Litigation Release No. 22927)
According to the complaint, James Y. Lee defrauded his advisory clients in several ways including "charg[ing] some clients fees...based on false performance and conceal[ing] from them that they had actually incurred realized losses," failing to disclose information about his background including "a criminal conviction for embezzlement and an SEC cease-and-desist order for his role in...

More Non-Traded REIT Carnage: Inland Diversified's Investors Have Lost 40%, Not Gained 31%

(Feb 2014)

As we have explained in several blog posts and working papers, non-traded REITs are illiquid, poorly diversified real estate investments that destroy investor's wealth compared to liquid, diversified real estate investments.

Inland Diversified Real Estate Trust, Inc. ("Inland Diversified") is a non-traded REIT that invests in retail properties, office properties, industrial properties, and multi-family properties. Yesterday, Inland Diversified announced that it was merging with Kite Realty...

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - February 7th, 2014

(Feb 2014)

Court of Appeals Denies Stay of Order Compelling Investigative Testimony; Affirms District Court's Exercise of Discretion
February 6, 2014, (Litigation Release No. 22920)
This week the court issued a "summary order denying Edward Daspin's motion for a stay" on a December 2013 order. This means that Daspin is required "to appear for investigative testimony in compliance with an SEC investigative subpoena" and was denied a "request that the SEC be required to pay for Daspin's physician to attend...

Willow Fund's Hedging, Investing and Speculating in Distressed Debt With Credit Default Swaps

(Jan 2014)

In a recent post we demonstrated how the Willow Fund's purchase of credit default swaps evolved from hedging a portion of its distressed debt to swamping the portfolio with enormous short positions in distressed debt. In this post, we explain why the Willow Fund's use of credit default swaps was inconsistent with its repeated disclosures that:
... The Fund may use a variety of special investment techniques to hedge a portion of its investment portfolio against various risks or other factors...

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - January 31st, 2014

(Jan 2014)

Court Enters Final Judgment Against Broker in Settlement of Claims Arising from Fraudulent Misrepresentations and the Misappropriation of Funds
January 30, 2014, (Litigation Release No. 22914)
A final judgment was entered this week against David L. Rothman based on charges that "Rothman,...who was the Vice President and minority owner of Rothman Securities, Inc....creat[ed] and issu[ed] false account statements to certain elderly and unsophisticated investor/clients that materially overstated...

Credit Default Swaps on Steroids: UBS's Willow Fund

(Jan 2014)

We previously published a working paper on how investors in Oppenheimer's Champion Income Fund lost 80% in 2008 when peer group funds lost about 25%. Our Champion Income Fund paper is available on our website. Oppenheimer had increased Champion Income Fund's exposure to CMBS through credit default swaps and total return swaps in 2007 and 2008. Figure 1 reproduces a figure from our 2010 paper which demonstrates that the leverage Oppenheimer took on through the swaps fully explained the...

Another Example of Non-Traded REITs' Wealth Destruction: Columbia Property Trust (Wells REIT II) Cost Investors $4.4 Billion

(Jan 2014)

Non-traded REITs are illiquid investments, not listed on public exchanges and with little to no secondary market trading. Their offering documents typically claim that after some period of time, perhaps 5-10 years, the REIT intends to list on an exchange, merge with another company, or in some other way allow investors to sell their shares but for many non-traded REITs, this "liquidity event" never occurs.

However, even if a non-traded REIT lists on a major exchange, that does not mean that...

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - January 24th, 2014

(Jan 2014)

Final Judgments Entered Against Former Hedge Fund Manager and His Company
January 23, 2014, (Litigation Release No. 22908)
Final judgments were entered against Berton M. Hochfeld and his "wholly-owned entity, Hochfeld Capital Management, L.L.C.," for allegedly "misappropriating assets and making material misstatements to investors in the Heppelwhite Fund L.P., a now defunct hedge fund." Previously, the court had ordered injunctions and an asset freeze, and granted "the Commission's motion to...

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