As reported today, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has introduced guidance for financial firms related to reporting of their European debt exposure. The SEC issued its recommendations to address the inconsistent approach firms have used to disclose their risk to sovereign and private borrowers: “In response to our comments on their disclosure documents, registrants […]
Years after its collapse, Refco continues to make news. Yesterday, an appeals court overturned the conviction of an attorney, Joseph P. Collins, who had been the chief outside counsel for the futures brokerage and was found guilty of aiding the company’s scheme to hide millions in debt and mask its true financial condition. When the […]
As 2011 disappears in the rear-view mirror, here’s my list of noteworthy risk-takers over the past year. These are the people and institutions that took risks intelligently and won. The list of risk-bumblers – those who mishandled critical situations – is certainly longer (UBS, Olympus, Yahoo, MF Global, I could go on) but their woes […]
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday sued Life Partners (NASDAQ: LPHI), a major dealer in the secondary market for life insurance policies. Life Partners and other financial firms have been at the forefront of the “life settlements” industry, which purchases life insurance policies from individuals, usually seniors, for a lump-sum and collects the […]
Embattled investment bank Jefferies reported stronger-than-expected earnings and a slimmed-down balance sheet, confounding critics and sending the firm’s shares on a surge. The news marks a victory for the firm’s management and vindicates its strategy of aggressive communication during a crisis, as the firm sought to dispel rumors about its trading exposure and liquidity. Of […]
New York’s Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday (12/20) that private parties can pursue claims under the Martin Act – New York’s anti-fraud statute that was used by Eliot Spitzer nearly a decade ago to bring Wall Street to heel. News reports were brief, but the ruling is sure to arouse concern at the large banks, […]
Were it not for the missing customer funds, the collapse of MF Global would be hailed as an example of how well the financial system worked. That’s a very big “if,” of course, and the loss of customer funds is a scandal all its own. But the market worked – and that’s an important lesson. […]
It’s impossible to read about the demise of MF Global and not think about Refco, the futures brokerage that collapsed in scandal in 2005 and whose remains were later bought by MF Global. Like Marley’s ghost, the weaknesses that played a part in Refco’s downfall returned to haunt MF Global. Refco’s problems came to light […]
Tom Glocer today became the latest CEO to be fired, in a year that has seen a score of corporate chiefs get the boot. Glocer, who has led Thomson Reuters since 2001, lost the confidence of the Thomson family, the company’s largest shareholder. Although billed as a retirement, it’s clear that Glocer was forced out […]
I happened to be reading Malcom Gladwell’s excellent book, Outliers, just as MF Global was collapsing, and I came across Gladwell’s discussion about another kind of crash – those involving airplanes. Gladwell offers an interesting observation about the causes of air disasters that could apply to the failures at financial firms, like MF Global, or […]