Episode Notes

Bruce takes the pod solo this week and interviews InvestmentNews senior reporter Mark Schoeff Jr. about the SEC's lawsuit against Western International Securities Inc. There's much to unpack about the lawsuit, which involves GWG bonds and violations of Reg BI. Bruce and Mark talk through the specific charges, how effective Reg BI has been during its two years of operation, and the potential outcome of the case.

Related article:  Broker-dealers kept selling GWG's life settlement-backed bonds for years despite all the accounting and reporting static coming from the company.

Guest Bio:

Mark Schoeff Jr. is a senior reporter at InvestmentNews. Based in Washington, D.C., he covers legislation and regulations affecting retail investment advisers and brokers. Prior to joining InvestmentNews in 2010, he wrote about employment and labor law for Workforce Management, a magazine that was published at the time by Crain Communications. He is a member of the National Press Club board. Before migrating to the editorial side of the journalism ecosystem, he served as press secretary for the late Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana and as director of external relations for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington. In a region where people keep their hometown loyalties intact, he has lived in the Washington area long enough to become an actual fan of the Nationals, Wizards, Capitals and the Washington Football Team. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and a master’s degree from George Mason University.