Stock fraud lawyers are investigating potential claims on behalf of investors who suffered losses as a result of their investment in BNI Equities LLC, BNI TIC (tenant-in-common) or BNI Notes. In many cases, brokers improperly recommended the purchase of risky real estate and TIC investments offered by BNI. Many brokers were motivated to make these improper recommendations because of the high commission paid to them by real estate private placements. This commission is frequently as high as 10 percent.
FINRA arbitrations involving real estate investments, such as TICs, are not uncommon. In many cases, securities arbitration lawyers were able to prove that the financial professionals that recommended the investments did not perform the necessary due diligence before they made the recommendation to their clients.
According to stock fraud lawyers, a major problem with structured real estate investments is that they often involve liquidity restrictions and high risks. To make matters worse, these risks are often misrepresented by brokerage firms. Instead, many firms focus on the investments’ promised income streams. Retired investors are often attracted to these income streams but don’t realize that because of the high risks involved, the investment could be unsuitable for them. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority rules have established that firms have an obligation to fully disclose all the risks of a given investment when making recommendations, and those recommendations must be suitable for the individual investor receiving the recommendation given their age, investment objectives and risk tolerance. Furthermore, brokerage firms must, before approving an investment’s sale to a customer, conduct a reasonable investigation of the securities and issuer.
If you suffered significant losses as a result of your BNI real estate investment, you may have a valid securities arbitration claim. To find out more about your legal rights and options, contact a securities arbitration lawyer at The Law Office of Christopher J. Gray at (866) 966-9598 for a no-cost, confidential consultation.