Todays actions are further evidence that this office is not asleep on the beat and that with our law enforcement partners we will act swiftly to protect investors and bring white collar criminals to justice., These individuals working under the name of Allianz Global Investors, an international management firm, allegedly took advantage of its global recognition when they devised a scheme to mislead investors leading to the loss of billions of dollars, said Inspector-in-Charge Daniel B. Brubaker of the New York Office of the U.S. Allianz on Tuesday announced plans to sell the bulk of the US piece of its Allianz Global Investors business to Voya Financial. As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the indictment and the description of the indictment set forth in this release constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you. We are shocked by the actions of Greg Tournant and his former colleagues.. Their lawyers declined immediate comment. As a consequence of the guilty plea, AGI US is automatically and immediately disqualified from providing advisory services to US registered investment funds for the next ten years, and will exit the business of conducting these fund services. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a parallel civil action today. Feb. 18 Allianz announces bonus cuts for its CEO and board, and a settlement with a vast majority of investors. Also unsealed today are the guilty pleas of Trevor Taylor and Stephen Bond-Nelson in connection with their respective roles in the scheme. Russia takes its war with Ukraine to Londons High Court as battle begins over a soured $3bn bond deal, Worlds top insurers to face aircraft leasers in High Court mega trial over planes seized by Russia. Who has been hit hardest by 21bn of pandemic fraud, and will the taxpayer EVER get it back? Subscribe to the City A.M. newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox. Thank you! Investigators said the misrepresentations began in 2014, and helped Allianz generate more than $400 million of net profit. Careers have been upended. For the second time in under a month, the Department has brought charges in connection with a sophisticated Wall Street scheme that cost victims billions of dollars. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Thank you! Wake up to today's headlines in your inbox. As alleged, Tournant and his co-conspirators misled these investors into believing that the funds were protected from a sudden stock market crash with particular hedges. 137 (PAE), Conspiracy to obstruct justice, 18 U.S.C. Allianz Sets Aside $4.2B to Handle Probes, Lawsuits After Collapse of Investment Funds. It all came crashing down in the early, panicked days of COVID-19, when wild market swings upended an options strategy that was marketed as aiming to generate alpha regardless of market waves. During the first quarter of 2020, five Structured Alpha funds lost between 49% and 97% of their value, performance that investors contend in legal filings was far worse than similar strategies. Get Free Insurance Industry News Updates Delivered to Your Email! Exchange through bilateral agreements - students currently studying at one of the Vilnius University international partner institutions may apply to become bilateral exchange students for one or two semesters.. To find out if you may apply to become a bilateral student at Vilnius University, you must contact the international office at your home institution. End of the road: Why More Than will no longer sell car insurance as insurer RSA quits market, HSBC, SocGen and BNP Paribas raided in France as part of cum cum tax probe, Top City firms pledge to hike contributions to employees pensions pots amid concerns over looming savings crunch. March 25 Allianz announces the liquidation of two hard-hit funds. Mr Tournant, the chief investment officer at Miami-based Structured Alpha, spent years smoothing performance data, lying about hedges against market downturns, and pretending risk managers at Allianz Global Investors US were carefully monitoring his every move, prosecutors charged in an indictment. 149 (DLC), Conspiracy to commit securities fraud, investment adviser fraud, and wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. . <>stream Structured Alpha 1000 and Structured Alpha 1000 Plus targeted returns of 10 per cent above three-month US Treasury bills. Notably, as markets got more volatile, the funds could get more profitable, Allianz told clients, while warning that all investments entail risks. filed with the Department of Justice which did not return an inquiry for comment by presstime Tuesday the U.S. subsidiary of the Germany-headquartered Allianz SE (among the worlds largest financial-advisory and insurance companies) essentially cost mostly American investors more than $5 billion in March 2020. Create an alert to follow a developing story, keep current on a competitor, or monitor industry news. Listen to free podcasts to get the info you need to solve business challenges! At the center of the debacle is Greg Tournant, 55, an equity-options whiz and one-time McKinsey & Co. consultant. Please tell us what we can do to improve this article. At Allianz Global Investors U.S., Tournant and his Structured Alpha team were incentivized to pursue outsized returns. Allianz Fires 2 Asset Managers Who Ran Group of Collapsed Investment Funds Editor's note: This article has been updated to include the statement from Gregoire Tournant's legal team. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. In addition, the complaint seeks an officer and director bar against Tournant. Inbounds slide triggered at Snowmass; no one believed to be caught, FAA official: Changes needed at Aspen airport, Roaring Fork Valley Republican aims to unseat Boebert in primary, Mother Lode commercial space sells for $7M, Yogis and city of Aspen sign on the dotted line. July 20 Arkansas suit is filed with the U.S. Southern District of New York claiming $774 million in losses. (Reporting by Tom Sims; editing by Tomasz Janowski). Allianz, which has denied wrongdoing, said earlier this month that independent advisers its hired to dig into what happened have thus far found no breaches of duty by the insurers management board. Every single time we greatly benefited from the higher levels of volatility and were able to generate much higher returns in the following two or three months after the draw-down, Tournant said in a 2016 marketing video. Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals, Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Tom Sims and Alexander Huebner in Munich "Greg Tournant has been unfairly targeted despite the fact that he was on extendedmedical leave during thesemarket events, and the funds had thrived under his leadership for the previous 14 years. There was an error processing your request. The U.S. The over-the-counter spreads were so great, they couldnt close positions, said Frenkel, who was chief compliance officer for Innovative Options. a massive fraudulent scheme, as described in an SEC press release. Instead of laddering with strike distances from -10% to -25% as represented to investors, the portfolio management team, at Tournants direction, generally purchased cheaper put options with significantly lower strike prices, the SEC complaint notes. <>stream Two other executives with the funds agreed to plead guilty and are cooperating with authorities. Follow us for breaking news and latest updates, The Trend Micro Cybersecurity Knowledge Hub, 10 services and companies to help grow your business, Bank of England wont cut interest rates until Christmas but UK to avoid recession, Shares in Royal Mail owner jump 7 per cent after pay deal with union, UK inflation poised to slip out of the double digits for first time since last summer, Graham Linehan, AKA Glinner, banned from Twitter Again, No firms charged with failure to prevent tax evasion in 6 years heres why. After that firm failed during the financial crisis, they regrouped and were eventually acquired by Allianz, with its global brand and vaunted internal controls. Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals, Reporting by Jody Godoy Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. As star performers at Allianz Global Investors US, Mr Tournant and Mr Taylor each earned $US51.3 million from 2016 to 2020 and Mr Bond-Nelson made $US12 million, according to the SEC. Catch up on the week's most-read stories. Perfect Sunday reading. Structured Alphas troubles continued after his departure. 78j(b) & 78ff (Count Two), Investment adviser fraud, 15 U.S.C. In March 2020, following the onset of market dislocations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the funds lost in excess of $7 billion in market value, including over $3.2 billion in principal, faced margin calls and redemption requests, and ultimately were shut down. The Arkansas pension fund makes an initial investment in Allianzs Structured Alpha funds. More than 100 institutional investors, representing more than 100,000 individuals, were victims of this scheme. Thats according to the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, which in February settled a suit over its Structured Alpha losses for $643 million. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. % But prosecutors said it was barely functional. Gregoire Tournant, the former chief investment officer who created and oversaw the now-defunct Structured Alpha funds, was also indicted for fraud, conspiracy and obstruction, while two other. Even when, in 2017, internal auditors uncovered red flags, they assigned product specialists whose pay was tied to the groups performance to follow up. Investor lawsuits and settlements have piled up. The committee claimed Aon touted Structured Alpha as late as 2019 as one of its "highest conviction strategies," even as it failed to properly monitor the Allianz funds or find fraud under its nose. Washington D.C., May 17, 2022 . Gregoire Tournant, 55, Trevor Taylor, 50, and Stephen Bond-Nelson, 51, all were charged with a massive fraudulent scheme, as described in an SEC press release. The comments come after Allianzs $11bn Structured Alpha funds racked up $6bn in losses at the start of the pandemic, as its risky options strategy faltered in the face of stock market volatility at the start of Covid-19. Additional reporting by Luc Cohen in New York The funds writedown will put a costly end to what Allianz once described as a third way for investors to harvest sustainable alpha.. By the end of March, Allianz announced it was liquidating two Structured Alpha funds. This case once again demonstrates that even the most sophisticated institutional investors, like pension funds, can become victims of wrongdoing. As a consequence of the guilty plea, AGI US is automatically and immediately disqualified from providing advisory services to U.S.-registered investment funds for the next 10 years, and will exit the business of conducting these fund services, the SEC press release explains. June 30 The Arkansas funds board votes to sue Allianz. While the losses are regrettable, they are not the result of any crime. Shares of Allianz closed up 1.7% in Germany, with the payout broadly matching reserves that the company previously set aside. Editing by Nick Zieminski, White Kansas City man, 84, charged for shooting Black teen who went to wrong house, DeSantis escalates battle with Disney in new legislative push, Dominion defamation trial against Fox to proceed Tuesday after delay, US arrests two for setting up Chinese 'secret police station' in New York, Insights in Action: Corporate law departments find their outside firms innovation lagging, but there may be little incentive to change, Messaging platform & personal device use is a firm-wide compliance problem, What a law firm Client Development Manager says about client listening programs, Law firm leaders express the benefit of strategy, culture & adaptability to weather these uncertain times. March 4 Allianzs annual report discloses that Allianz Chief Executive Oliver Baete earned 9% more in 2021 despite a cut in his bonus for the funds saga. Help using this website - Accessibility statement. They included dozens of public and private pension plans for the likes of Blue Cross & Blue Shield and New Yorks Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Mr Tournant and Mr Taylor worked together well over a decade ago when they were at Structured Alphas predecessor, Options Management, which had a similar strategy. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. At the same time, the firm has argued that its clients were sophisticated investors who knew what they were getting into. Covers German finance with a focus on big banks, insurance companies, regulation and financial crime, previous experience at the Wall Street Journal and New York Times in Europe and Asia. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Bond-Nelson declined to comment. Deep-pocketed investors piled in. This case is being handled by SDNYs Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Gregoire Tournant, the former chief investment officer who created the now-defunct Structured Alpha Funds, accused the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell of helping Allianz, also a client, make him. Allianz was confident enough in Tournants team that it let them charge a performance fee alone of 25% to 30% of net capital appreciation above a benchmark. Get alerted any time new stories match your search criteria. Mr Tournants group used equity-based options to market what he said was an all-weather strategy that would protect investors from losses in good times and bad. read more. Other corporations should take note that the results here are driven in part by the fact that this company failed to self-report their crimes. 6LinkedIn 8 Email Updates. It fired Tournant and another fund manager, Stephen Bond-Nelson, in December, accusing them of violating compliance policies, according to public records filed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. All three men were also sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Allianz subsequently moved about $120 billion of investor assets to Voya Financial Inc (VOYA.N) in exchange for a 24% stake in Voya's asset management business. At a news conference, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan said more than 100,000 investors were harmed, and that while American prosecutors rarely bring criminal charges against companies it was "the right thing to do. surge" that had occurred in February 2018, Allianz said that "Structured Alpha's option portfolio is positioned for a strong improvement in the event of another February 2018-type move." Unfortunately for ATRS, Allianz departed from the Alpha Funds' investment mandate and disregarded the risk management protocols it was required to . See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. In the complaint, the SEC describes Tournant as a resident of Miami, Florida except he also is a resident of Basalt, per reports in the Washington Post and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. Tournant, who is fighting the charges, was ordered released on a $20 million bond at a hearing Tuesday afternoon, where his lawyer told the judge that prosecutors had been investigating for more than a year. The result was a massive fraud that cost investors $US7 billion ($10 billion), they say. How Do I Establish My Value with Prospects? Allianz agreed to pay more than $6 billion in a settlement with U.S. authorities in May, and the German company's U.S. asset management unit pleaded guilty to securities fraud. Pensions funds for so many retirees, religious organizations and essential workers from laborers in Alaska, to teachers in Arkansas, to bus drivers and subway conductors here in New York City invested with AGI because they were promised a relatively safe investment with strict risk controls. Two years after the spectacular collapse of the insurance giants Structured Alpha hedge funds, a low-profile business registered in Florida, 5,000 miles from the Munich headquarters, the shock waves continue to reverberate. NEW YORK/MUNICH, May 17 (Reuters) - Germany's Allianz SE (ALVG.DE) agreed to pay more than $6 billion and its U.S. asset management unit pleaded guilty to criminal securities fraud over the collapse of a group of investment funds early in the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the firm has argued that its clients were sophisticated investors who knew what they were getting into. Williams said the fine was significantly reduced because of Allianz's compensation to investors. The board alleged that when the pandemic started fueling wild volatility in February, Structured Alpha made a fateful bet against further market declines. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Tournant himself was heavily invested in the funds he managed and lost money along with clients, according to a person familiar with the matter. Pensions funds for so many retirees, religious organizations and essential workers from laborers in Alaska, to teachers in Arkansas, to bus drivers and subway conductors here in New York City invested with AGI because they were promised a relatively safe investment with strict risk controls. To avoid disruptions to these funds and for the protection of the fund investors, the SEC will allow a brief transition period solely to transition these services to another investment adviser.. An indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of New York charging Gregoire Tournant, the Chief Investment Officer and co-lead Portfolio Manager for a series of private investment funds managed by Allianz Global Investors U.S. LLC (AGI), with securities fraud, investment adviser fraud and obstruction of justice offenses in connection with a scheme to defraud investors. Mr Tournant, 55, now faces charges that are upending his career and could send him to prison for a decade or more if he is convicted. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon. Sept. 10 Reuters reports that the DOJ was looking at possible misconduct by fund managers and misrepresentation of risk to investors. Gregoire Tournant, 55, Trevor Taylor, 50, and Stephen Bond-Nelson, 51, all were charged with . Instead of employing the usual formula for hedge-fund fees the 2 and 20 mix of management charges and a cut of profits they were compensated for one thing alone: performance. The department stands ready to keep bringing these kinds of charges to assure the public that no one is above the law.. At Allianz Global Investors U.S., Tournant and his Structured Alpha team were incentivized to pursue outsized returns. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. "We have faith that the justice system will reject this meritless and ill-considered attemptby the governmentto criminalize the impact of theunprecedented,COVID-induced market dislocation of March 2020," Tournant's counsel, Seth Levine and Daniel Alonso, said in a joint statement on behalf of their client, who they say also had investment in the fund. United States v. Gregoire Tournant, 22 Cr. Disaster struck in 2008 when the collapse of Lehman Brothers rocked global finance, freezing up markets and with them, Innovative Options trades. Miami resident Trevor Taylor, 49, now faces 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud, while New Jersey resident Stephen Bond-Nelson faces 35 years after submitting a guilty plea on four counts including conspiracy to obstruct justice. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Investors have also filed more than two dozen lawsuits against Allianz over the Structured Alpha funds. A chart containing the names, ages, residences, charges and maximum penalties for the defendants is attached. Tournant, the chief investment officer at Miami-based Structured Alpha, spent years "smoothing" performance data, lying about hedges against market downturns, and pretending risk managers at. An Allianz lawyer entered the guilty plea at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan. Postal Inspectors will never let these schemes go unchecked and will vigorously investigate and pursue those who choose criminal behavior over honest business practices.. The German company earlier . Portfolio managers Greg Tournant, Stephen Bond-Nelson and Trevor Taylor no longer work for Allianz Global Investors, a spokesperson has confirmed to Citywire Selector. endobj "Greg looks forward to vigorouslydefending himself in Court against these charges.". Lead manager Greg Tournant joined Allianz in 2002 and started the structured products group in 2005. Careers have been upended. Greg Tournant was a hedge-fund manager supposedly under the watchful eye of a "master cop"an Allianz SE unit that policed his every move. The portfolio managers then used manipulated numbers to justify exorbitant fees to line their own pockets to the tune of $550 million between 2014 and 2020.

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