As An Individual Investor What Can You Do?

Because of the collapse of the auction rate securities market ("ARS") many investors have been left with no way to sell or convert the investments they own. The market is frozen because of an inability to hold successful "ARS" auctions. This, in turn, has paralyzed the stocks and bonds purchased by the individual investor. At this point, no one can even guess when the "ARS" market will recover.

The fall in the "ARS" market can, in many ways, be attributed to the recent dip in the national economy. The mortgage crisis and the credit crunch were precursors to the February 2008 collapse of the "ARS" market. Major broker-dealers backed out, declining to take the role of bidder-of-last-resort as they had in the past. Without bids from broker dealers to establish the clearing rate, "ARS" auctions began failing at an alarming rate. Faster then they ever had before.

Investors soon realized this left them with illiquid securities that they could not convert or sell. With these auction rates securities impossible to sell, investor's are now locked into an investment they no longer want.

The government has intervened with mandated deadlines for major brokerages to refund investors money at par. This may be unacceptable to individual investors who have been the victim of aggressive broker sales tactics, lack of truthful information about the product they were advised to purchase and other deceitful practices of brokerage firms. Most investors were told "ARS" were risk-free, liquid, short-term investments with a higher post-tax yield than, as an example, money market options.

If you feel deceived by the broker and the firm that advised you into entering the auction rate securities market you may want to consider the legal remedies that are available. Let the securities litigation and arbitration attorneys at Charlip Law Group, LC help you sort out your options. We will take your case on a contingency basis. We will seek to recover your investment, and consequential damages, whenever possible.

At Charlip Law Group, LC our attorneys will represent your matters with the full consideration and respect you deserve. The lawyers at our firm bring many years of training and experience to the practice of law. Our multi-lingual staff will deal with your issues promptly. We are conveniently located in Broward County. Our South Florida location allows us to serve our clients in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties; throughout Florida and the United States. Contact Charlip Law Group, LC at our Hollywood, Florida offices toll-free at 1-800-773-1955 or 954-921-2131. You can send us a confidential email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it