Securities fraud attorneys continue to investigate claims on behalf of investors who suffered losses in nontraded real estate investment trusts purchased from LPL Financial between 2006 and 2009. The recent announcement that LPL is being sued by the State of Massachusetts over sales practices related to nontraded REITs has helped inform investors about the issues concerning the sales of these risky, illiquid products.
Cole Credit Property Trust II and Dividend Capital Total Realty were named in the list of complaints filed by investors, in addition to REIT giant Inland American Real Estate Trust. Shares of these nontraded REITs were purchased through LPL-affiliated financial advisors. Currently, there are 13,170 financial advisors who are LPL-affiliated advisors. Stock fraud lawyers say Wells Real Estate Investment Trust II, Cole Credit Property III, 1031 Exchange and W.P. Carey Corporate Property Associates 17 were also named.
LPL compliance documents state that the broker-dealer “cannot make exceptions to prospectus suitability requirements or the regulatory imposed limit of 10 percent of net worth in public managed futures.” However, the state regulator alleges that advisors affiliated with LPL “frequently made transactions in violation of product prospectus and Massachusetts requirements.” In addition, the complaint alleges that a LPL supervision employee was “completely unaware of Massachusetts’ requirements concerning the sale of non-traded REITs” for a minimum of two years.
Securities fraud attorneys are also investigating the suitability of these investments for individuals who received recommendations from their broker or advisor. For more information, see the previous blog post, “The Fight Against LPL Financial Nontraded REIT Fraud Continues.”
If you purchased shares of Cole Credit Property Trust II, Dividend Capital Total Realty or another risky nontraded REIT, you may be able to recover your losses through securities arbitration. To find out more about your legal rights and options, contact a stock fraud lawyer at The Law Office of Christopher J. Gray at (866) 966-9598 for a no-cost, confidential consultation.