tampa Tag Archives — Page 2 of 7 — Securities Fraud Lawyers Blog

Coming This December: Federal Rate Hikes… (More in 2018)

Published on: December 1, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

There’s been chatter recently among economic experts that federal rate hikes would likely soon be on the way. Since 2016, the Federal Reserve has risen interest rates three times, but they’ve not not made any definitive announcements on the further hikes, leaving it open to speculation when they’d actually be introduced.

It appears that economists and experts have now been able to reach a consensus. In fact, it appears that the recent Senate tax reform bill passed on Friday may have forced the Fed’s hand. In a recent article, Reuters reports that the recent legislation has forced a shift in risk-forecasting; toward a need for higher federal rate hikes and sooner.

According to the article, experts are projecting three rate hikes between now and 2019. This is actually in accordance with the Fed’s own projections, however the reasoning is up for debate.

With Cordray’s Resignation, What’s Next for the CFPB?

Published on: November 17, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

This week, Richard Cordray handed in his resignation as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The early resignation comes at a time of increased criticism over current financial regulations and an uncertain outlook for many regulatory bodies. The CFPB especially, has been subject of intense criticism from the financial industry as overbearing and stifling.

As Director, Cordray was very much the face and voice of the bureau. Under Cordray, the Consumer Bureau held very close to the guiding tenets under which it was created: to protect financial consumers from unethical behavior. His departure leaves senior officials in the bureau and supporting lawmakers scrambling to secure the future of the CFPB against a regulatory overhaul.

What exactly is the CFPB?

Investors Need to Watch Out for Paid-to-Click Fraud

Published on: November 10, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

Investors Beware: Paid-to-Click Fraud

There’s a new online scam targeting investors. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued an alert to investors to watch out for Paid-to-Click (PTC) fraud. PTC scams involve fraudsters duping investors out of money for purchasing online advertisements.

With Paid-to-Click fraud, investors are targeted by scammers who promise a share of profits for the upfront purchase of ad bundles and packages. Some scams may promise easy financial returns and online advertising space while others simply promise returns in exchange for an upfront fee alone.

Fraud Watch: Beware of Senior Financial Scams

Published on: October 13, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

A recent report shows that senior citizens have become one of the largest demographic groups target by financial scams and investment fraud. In the past, we’ve offered tips for preventing elder financial abuse, but it seems that the problem is much more aggressive than just making sure that you take steps to protect your investments.

According to the recent report, Americans 62 and older are the targets of widespread and rampant financial abuse.

And these scams aren’t being perpetrated by the seedy criminals you’d expect to be preying on the elderly; instead, the report shows that these senior financial scams are perpetuated by the very people that should be helping you make smart and secure financial decisions. People like:

Smart Investing Tips: Cryptocurrency Investing

Published on: October 6, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

You’ve probably heard of the popular cryptocurrency investing platform Bitcoin, but what about Ethereum?

Or Litecoin?

Or Dash?

Tips for Choosing the Right Investment Adviser

Published on: September 29, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

Looking for Investment Advice?

It never hurts to seek out investing advice. Even the most experienced investors get investment advice, either from a single investment adviser or a trusted group. The key term here is trusted. If you’re considering opening an investment advisory account, it’s important to choose the right one.

Choosing the Right Investment Adviser

Who’s Watching the Watchdogs? SEC Hack Exposes Critical Financial Regulation Faults

Published on: September 23, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

SEC Hack Exposes Critical Security Faults

On Thursday, it was announced that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the nation’s top finance and securities regulator, had experienced a critical cyber security breach. The breach, which occurred in 2016, allowed hackers access to the SEC’s EDGAR system, a database which houses corporate filings and announcements for a multitude of Wall Street firms.

The SEC hack has shaken investors and lawmakers as it poses serious questions regarding the SEC’s security measures and protocol. It is also possible that hackers may have profited on the insider info by trading on it. According to a Reuters report, the database contained sensitive, “market-moving information”.

Ahead of Fed Announcement, Financial Investing on Wall Street Rebounds

Published on: September 15, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

Financial Investing Pushes Wall Street Rebound

This week, market analysts and investors saw Wall Street regaining upward traction. Dow and S&P indexes soared to record weekly gains, buoyed by a flurry of trading activity. According to a Reuters report, financial investing has been one of the major drivers, followed by industrial and tech.

Financials

Damages After a Hurricane? Make Sure to Review Your Insurance Settlement

Published on: September 8, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

After a catastrophic storm, the first thing you’ll probably do after making sure your loved ones are safe is to go out and assess your property damage. With Hurricane Irma bearing down on Florida’s coast, many Floridians are taking steps to secure and protect their property.

However, events best storm preparations are not always able to fend off the destructive force of a hurricane. If you are a Florida resident, chances are you’ve been through a destructive storm before. If you’ve lived through a Florida hurricane, than you know just how great the potential for property damage is.

Fortunately, many state residents have home and property insurance for instances like these. Insurance on your home and property should give you the peace-of-mind that, in the event of a catastrophic storm, you will be able to recoup the value of your property due to loss. But what happens when you receive a settlement offer from your insurance company that in no way meets your expected total loss value? Chances are, it’s not that you have over-inflated the value of your property.

More Fake Accounts Discovered in Wells Fargo Sales Scandal

Published on: September 1, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

Last time we wrote about the Wells Fargo fake accounts scandal, the current figure of roughly 2 million customers affected had just been increased to nearly 3.5 million. What we saw was the uncovering of a scandal that was far more deep-seated than previously thought. Through the creation of unauthorized accounts for various consumer services, Wells Fargo had earned millions in fraudulent funds.

Apparently, its even worse than that.

A recent report shows that there appears to be an additional 1.4 million fake accounts, about 190,000 of which accrued fees. The additional accounts were uncovered by a third-party investigator hired by Wells Fargo to uncover the extent of the issue internally.