Articles Tagged with oil investment fraud attorney

shutterstock_71403175-300x225The investment attorneys of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating investor claims of unsuitable investments in oil and gas related products.  Our firm is currently representing a number of investors who lost substantial savings due to poor advice to concentrate holdings in speculative commodities investments like master limited partnerships (MLPs).  Duff & Phelps Select Energy MLP and Midstream Energy Fund Inc. (NYSE: DSE) is a mutual fund that invests primarily in MLPs.

In the past year the Duff & Phelps Select Energy MLP has returned a -91% return as of March 31, 2020.  In fact, in mid-2015 the fund had a price as high a $14.18 a share and has fallen all the way to a low of $.2 a share.

As a background, MLPs are publicly traded partnerships. About 86% of the total MLP securities market, a $490 billion sector, can be attributed to energy and natural resource companies. There are about 130 MLPs trading on major exchanges that focus on energy related industries and natural resources.

Wall Street loves MLPs because they provide high yields to investors and require companies to pay Wall Street in order to continue to grow.  In 2013 banks earned fees of $890.3 million from MLP issuance.   Bloomberg quoted an analyst stating that “MLPs are Wall Street’s dream,” because “[t]hey’re fee machines.”  Naturally, in order to entice investors to continue to invest in MLPs Wall Street pumps up MLPs every chance they get.  According to Bloomberg, in May 2014 “[a]nalysts predict that 93 of the 114 MLPs in existence will rise in value in the next year…”  Astonishingly, “all but five MLPs are recommended by the majority of the analysts who cover them.”  At that time professionals without conflicts called MLPs “the next great investment debacle” and warned that “many MLP shareholders…may not understand what they’ve gotten into.”

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shutterstock_103476707-300x212According to BrokerCheck records financial advisor Jeffrey Wilson (Wilson), employed by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC (Wells Fargo), has been subject to four customer complaints.  According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Wilson has been accused by a customers of unsuitable investment advice concerning various investment products including energy stocks that likely include master limited partnerships (MLPs).  The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP continue to report on investor related losses and potential legal remedies due to recommendations to investor in oil and gas and commodities related investments.

The most recent claim was filed in August 2017 and alleges that Wilson in or around August 2014, recommended the purchase of unsuitable energy securities. The claim is currently pending.

In May 2016 another customer alleged that Wilson from June 2014 through November 2015 made unsuitable investments in oil and energy investments.  The customer’s claims were settled for $250,000.

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