The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. Wins $6 Million Plus Award Against UBS and UBS Puerto Rico

In an arbitration proceeding against UBS Financial Services, Inc. and UBS Financial Services, Inc. of Puerto Rico, the Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. won $4.25 million in compensatory damages plus interest at 6.25% from February 28, 2014 and costs of $170,000 for one of the firm’s clients last month. This arbitration arose out of a series of unsuitable recommendations by a UBS-PR and UBS financial advisor that our clients purchase and then hold an excessive concentration of Puerto Rico Bonds and UBS-PR Closed-End Funds.  As a result, our clients’ investment portfolios were not diversified from not only an asset allocation standpoint but also overly concentrated in securities from a single geographic area – Puerto Rico.  The excessive concentration in Puerto Rico securities and leverage strategy implemented made the accounts highly speculative, which was inconsistent with not only our clients’ investment objectives but also the UBS-PR and UBS financial advisor’s representations.  UBS and UBS-PR, through their representatives, disseminated false and misleading information to our clients about the nature, mechanics and risks of owning leveraged and concentrated positions in Puerto Rico Bonds and UBS-PR Closed-End Funds and the investment strategy employed in their accounts.

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UBS Ordered to Pay Investor $1M in Damages for Unsuitable UBS Puerto Rico Funds

UBS Wealth Management and UBS Puerto Rico have been ordered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to pay $1 million in damages to a 66 year old investor. According to the arbitration panel, UBS brokers encouraged the investor to keep and hold 100% of his investment portfolio in risky Puerto Rico closed end bond funds despite the fact that the investment was extremely over-concentrated and completely unsuitable for him. According to the arbitration award, this conservative, frugal investor lost $737,000 of his nearly $1 million portfolio. When the investor approached UBS with his concerns about the decline in the value of his investment portfolio the UBS branch manager allegedly stated that “even a skinny cow could give milk.” The FINRA arbitration award went on to note that UBS provided the investor with brochures and monthly statements in English, despite the fact that he spoke very little English and had requested the documents be sent in Spanish. Unfortunately, this investor did not know that UBS brokers were allegedly under pressure to sell these risky closed-end bond funds and to encourage investors to hold the bonds even when their value collapsed in the fall of 2013.

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