Yield Plus and the words, Charles Schwab lawsuit, are becoming one and the same these days. Hundreds of investors have filed arbitration claims with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) over charges the San Francisco brokerage made false and misleading statements about the Yield Plus Funds and the extent to which investments were made in high-risk, speculative mortgage-backed securities.
Last week, Charles Schwab announced it had received a Wells notice from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in which the regulator outlined plans to recommend civil enforcement charges against the company over two Schwab bond funds.
Adding to the Schwab’s legal troubles: In August, a federal court in San Francisco certified a class action lawsuit on behalf of about 250,000 Yield Plus shareholders.
The Schwab Yield Plus Funds – the Schwab Yield Plus Funds Investor Shares (SWYSX) and the Schwab Yield Plus Funds Select Shares (SWYPX) – were initially offered as an safe, conservative investment alternative to money market accounts. Contrary to those representations, however, Schwab managers invested more than 45% of the funds’ assets in the mortgage industry. When the housing market crashed, so, too, did the value of the funds.
In May 2007, Yield Plus had more than $13 billion in assets. By March 2008, it was down to $2.5 billion. Today it has about $210 million.
Our lawyers are actively advising individual and institutional investors concerning the Schwab Yield Plus Funds. We have created an alliance with other experienced securities arbitration lawyers. Learn more about your Schwab Yield Plus Funds. Tell us about your Schwab Yield Plus investments by leaving a message in the comment box, or the Contact Us page. We will counsel you on your options.