Legal
UBS Accused Of Misleading US Investors Over Securities Sales - Report
Securities regulators in New Hampshire, US, are accusing
UBS of misleading investors about complex securities issued
by Lehman Brothers before it declared bankruptcy last year,
according to a report by the Associated Press.
The Bureau of Securities Regulation was reported as
saying that UBS Financial Services sold the securities as safe
and didn’t warn investors during Lehman’s slide toward
insolvency. UBS is expected to deny the allegations and request a
hearing about them, the news agency said. The report did not
elaborate on the securities or say how they worked.
The bureau says 42 New Hampshire investors could lose the more
than $2.5 million they invested in “structured products,”
securities which were linked to investments such as foreign
currencies. State law allows for penalties including restitution
and fines.
The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers last year cast a pall over the structured products sector, because firms such as Lehman acted as manufacturers or stood behind the capital guarantees of these vehicles.
Numerous claims have been filed against Lehman, a venerable investment bank before it failed.