The Reuter’s piece says that despite the pledge, Ritter “dismissed the idea” of unloading Morgan Keegan. The bank suffered when its investment arm, headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., was the target of numerous lawsuits claiming misrepresentation of funds. Thousands of investors sued Regions Morgan Keegan, claiming certain investment funds were represented as low risk, when they were in fact tied to the high-risk mortgage bond market. When the bottom fell out of the housing market, many investors – which include individuals as well as companies and organizations – lost the majority of their money almost overnight.

A similar report in the Wall Street Journal says Ritter is open to “finding a partner for brokerage subsidiary Morgan Keegan & Co.” The question was posed during the recent Goldman Sachs & Co. U.S. Financial Services Conference in New York. According to the WSJ, while Ritter emphasized that he still feels Morgan Keegan is of “strategic importance” to Regions, he also vowed to stay open to any possibilities, and suggested a joint-venture for the brokerage would be appealing.

Arbitration of pending lawsuits against Regions Morgan Keegan is being handled by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and most settlements to date have gone in favor of the Plaintiffs. There are many lawsuits still currently pending.

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › Regions Financial eyes ‘any and all’ options to raise capital

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › RMK losses still piling up in arbitration rulings

This week, Morgan Keegan & Co., a subsidiary of Regions Financial Corp., was ordered to pay $950,000 to investor Jerome Woods, whose claim included allegations of fraud, negligence and a breach of fiduciary duty by Morgan Keegan. Woods  is a former NFL defensive back, playing for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1996-2005.

According to a report in the Investment News, Woods was involved in four RMK investment funds: The RMK High-Income Fund, the RMK Advantage Fund, the RMK Strategic Income Fund and the RMK Multi-Sector High Income Fund.

Arbitrators have awarded RMK investors more than $1.6 million to date.

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › Investors, 6 Morgan Keegan, 0

Regions Morgan Keegan is defending hundreds of arbitration lawsuits regarding the funds, which were backed by risky mortgage-related assets. Investors allege the funds were represented as low-risk securities, but when the mortgage crisis hit beginning in the middle of 2007, the funds suffered staggering and sudden losses. Some funds dropped between 62 and 82 percent almost overnight.

After Hyperion aquired the RMK funds, several of them were rebranded under the Helios name. Funds set for liquidation are Helios Select High Income (HIFAX), Helios Select Intermediate Bond (HSIBX) and Helios Select Short Term Bond (MSBIX).

Source: Morningstar Fund Times

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › Helios bond funds set for liquidation

Hundreds of investors lost significant amounts of money nearly overnight as a result of monies invested in mortgage-backed funds that collapsed in the subprime lending crisis. Lawsuits against Regions Morgan Keegan allege the funds were represented to investors as low-risk preferred stocks and corporate bonds, when in fact they were some of the most risky investments available.

According to the CNNMoney report, this is the fifth straight Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration award against Morgan Keegan for these proprietary bond funds. Previous award have included $50,000 to an Alabama retiree who lost his savings, and $187,000 to compensate a farmer with losses of $100,000 in the funds.

The most recent verdict sets a precedent for remaining pending arbitration lawsuits against the company.

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › RMK investor awarded more than $250,000 to cover bad fund losses

The Memphis native best known for his Major League career with the St. Louis Cardinals wanted to work with his hometown brokerage firm when he selected Morgan Keegan – based in Memphis and owned as a subsidiary of Birmingham, Ala. based Regions Financial Corp. – for his investments, the News says. However, his funds were placed in high-risk funds, resulting in unusually fast and severe losses.

The troubled funds were shifted to Hyperion Brookfield Asset Management in the summer of 2008, and the company has rebranded the funds under the Helios name.

Although McCarver received much less than his reported losses, the News quotes him as being happy with the result of the case, saying, “Morgan Keegan was found liable. I am delighted.”

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › McCarver gets $100,000 in RMK claim

The deal is pending approval by Regions shareholders, but if approved will remove the financial company from the mutual funds business entirely, according to the Journal.

This news follows on the heels of other efforts by Regions to divest itself of investment funds following a series of lawsuits filed last year by investors who claimed RMK investment funds had been misrepresented. The suits allege investment portfolios were presented as low risk, when in actuality they were tied to the high-risk subprime mortgage market. Investors suffered steep and immediate losses as a result.

Just a few months ago, Regions transferred management of a group of its bond funds from Morgan Keegan to Hyperion-Brookfield Asset Managment, Inc., and most of those funds changed to the brand name Helio to reflect the new brand name. Six of those funds also received new trading symbols.

According to the Birmingham Business Journal, the transaction with Pioneer involves a separate group of funds than those now managed by Hyperion.

Bloomberg recently reported that Regions Financial Corp. reported a 23-year-low in New York trading after reporting a record $6.24 billion loss. According to the news report, the losses are blamed largely on bad debt resulting from the collapse in the mortgage-lending industry, with a record number of loan defaults and foreclosures.

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › Regions selling off RMK Select Funds

Hyperion took over management of the Morgan Keegan investment arm of Regions after several funds suffered steep and sudden drops in value as a result of their connection to the subprime mortgage securities market.

On Dec. 30, the Daily News announced that Hyperion had changed the names of seven former RMK investment funds, now calling them Helios funds, reflecting the change in management, and of course removing the stigma of the RMK investment debacle.

Sales of the Select Short Term Bond Fund shares to new investors will stop effective Jan. 23.

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › RMK fund set for liquidation

The Commercial Appeal quotes Marion Hayes, a spokesperson for Hyperion, as saying, “It’s not right for these funds to be named Regions Morgan Keegan funds when they’re managed by us.”

The change affects four closed-end funds and three open-end funds. Hyperion took over management of the Morgan Keegan investment arm from Regions after several funds suffered steep and sudden drops in value as a result of their connection to the subprime mortgage securities market.

Following is a list of the changes:

Former RMK funds:
Helios Advantage Income Fund: From RMA to HAV
Helios High Income Fund: From RMH to HIH
Helios Multi-Sector High Income Fund: From RHY to HMH
Helios Strategic Income Fund: From RSF to HSA

Former Regions-Morgan Keegan Select funds:
Helios Select High Income Fund: From MKHIX to HIFAX
Helios Select Intermediate Income Fund: From MKIBX to HSIBX
Helios Select Short Term Bond Fund: MSBIX, no change

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › RMK funds change names to reflect new Helios brand

According to its company web site, Burke Capital Group is an independent investment banking firm that provides “superior corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions advisory services to financial institutions and middle market companies.” The company was founded in 1995. In 2006, the SNL Financial’s Bank M&A Scoreboard listed Burke at No. 1 among the Top Southeast regional financial advisers for the third quarter.

Regions Morgan Keegan has been staggering since late 2007 when it was revealed that a number of its investment funds that were presented as low-risk had actually been tied to the volatile subprime mortgage lending market. When the mortgage industry collapsed, investors found their portfolios devalued literally overnight, resulting in massive losses.

In August, Hyperion Brookfield, based in New York, NY, took over the management of three open-end funds and four closed-end funds that had been managed by Morgan Asset Managment, an arm of Morgan Keegan, which is based in Memphis. Morgan Asset Management is owned by Regions Financial Corp.

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › Morgan Keegan buys investment bank

Jaffe placed RMK in the category “Not knowing when to quit,” citing the investment company’s insistence on keeping funds tied to high-risk subprime mortgages active even after they suffered losses topping 80 percent. The columnist already had named RMK’s manager James Kelsoe as the Lump of Coal (Mis)Manager of 2007, when the funds were showing losses of 50 percent, and expresses incredulity that the funds remained in operation despite their plummeting value.

He names two of the funds specifically, RMK’s Select Intermediate Bond fund and Select High Income, which lost, respectively, 80 percent and 85 percent of their value in 2008.

RMK is among  six investors or funds named to the list this week. Jaffe will award more lumps next week, and name the (Mis)Manager of the Year for 2008.

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › Financial columnist fills RMK stocking with coal

The Post says McCarver’s broker represented the investment funds as conservative, similar to CDs and bonds, but instead put his money in high-risk funds tied to the mortgage market. When other funds suffered losses topping out around 6 percent, McCarver’s fund dropped between 70 and 90 percent, the paper reports.

It is estimated that industry investor losses in the Regions Morgan Keegan (RMK) funds totaled approximately $2 billion last year.

The Post says McCarver, 67, was looking for safe investments that would be a cushion for his retirement and provide security for his children.

Ironically, McCarver was born in Memphis, Tenn., the home of Morgan Keegan & Co. He played professional baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, and in 1964 his tiebreaking home run in the 10th inning won Game 5 of the World Series for the team. He would go on to celebrate two World Series championships during his career with the Cardinals. Later in his career, he played for the Phillies, Expos and Red Sox.

He retired from pro ball in 1979 and began his career as a sportscaster. He currently works on the FOX network’s MLB telecasts with partner Joe Buck.

A minor league baseball stadium in Memphis was named after him in 1978, but was replaced by a new downtown stadium in 2000.

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › Baseball hero, sportscaster McCarver lost funds to RMK investments

The RMK litigation involves investment funds managed by a branch of Morgan Keegan & Co., which is based in Memphis. Regions Financial Corp., headquartered in Birmingham, owns Morgan Asset Management, an arm of Morgan Keegan.

According to suits filed on behalf of plaintiffs in these cases, seven RMK investment funds took a nose dive because of their ties to the subprime mortgage lending crisis, and stockholders found themselves holding greatly devalued portfolios. Because the funds had been initially represented as low-risk, when in actuality they were tied to the volatile subprime lending market, stockholders are bringing suit against Regions Morgan Keegan for their losses.

According to the Daily News story, Judge Mays considered five putative class actions that were filed in the local federal court, and two motions to consolidate. The paper reports the judge’s ruling states actions that were included in the motions for consolidation “share both factual and legal issues, arise from the same facts, raise similar legal claims and name substantially the same defendants.”

Judge Mays has not yet named a lead plaintiff in the consolidation. He ruled out one group that had petitioned for the spot as being too large, with 19 individual and institutional investors, according to the Daily Times.

There are many individual claims still pending across the country in this matter.

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › RMK lawsuits may be consolidated in Tennessee

According to a report in the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Hyperion Brookfield, based in New York, NY, took over the management of three open-end funds and four closed-end funds that had been managed by Morgan Asset Managment, an arm of Morgan Keegan, which is based in Memphis. Morgan Asset Management is owned by Regions Financial Corp., based in Birmingham, Ala.

The Commercial Appeal reports that Hyperion investors will reposition the funds and revamp the portfolios in an effort to revive them. New investments will focus on investment grade corporates and high-yield securities, according to Dana Erikson, who is now portfolio manager, the Appeal says.

Hyperion Brookfield has scheduled a conference call for shareholders on Sept. 4 to discuss specific plans of the portfolio restructuring.

SOURCE: Morgan Keegan Investment Fraud › MK funds get new asset manager