Levin Law, P.A. Is Investigating Brokerage Firms That Recommended and Sold Cohen & Steers MLP Income and Energy Opportunity Fund (MIE) to Investors
The national securities law firm, Levin Law, P.A. (“Levin Law”) is investigating brokerage firms that recommended and sold the Cohen & Steers MLP Income and Energy Opportunity Fund (ticker symbol, MIE) to their clients. If your investment advisor, stockbroker or other financial professional recommended and sold the Cohen & Steers MLP to you and you suffered significant losses, please contact us at (855) 862-2306 or co*****@le********.com. On February 20, 2020, MIE closed at $7.26 per share. As of April 2, 2020, MIE was trading at $1.87 per share, i.e., approximately 75% lower than its share price just 6 weeks before. Many brokerage firms marketed and sold MIE as being a conservative investment. Further, many financial institutions recommended and sold MIE to risk-averse investors, such as retirees and those seeking capital preservation and income, without fully explaining all the important risks of MIE.
MIE and Other Energy-Based MLPs are Risky and Complex Investments
MIE is a Master Limited Partnership (“MLP”). Many MLPs are risky and can cause investors significant losses, particularly during times of market turbulence. The majority of MIE’s holdings are in energy-based investments. Energy-based MLPs can be quite risky, but unfortunately many financial advisors inform their customers that the energy MLPs are “safe” or conservative. When making recommendations to purchase securities, including MLPs, financial advisors have the duty to fully explain all materials risks of such investments. Many financial advisors, however, failed to disclose the true risks inherent in MLPs, resulting in investors thinking that their MLP investments were “safe.” Such investors were justifiably surprised when their so-called safe investments dropped around 75% during the most recent market decline, resulting in part due to the spread of the COVID-19.
Broker-dealers that sold MIE may have failed to fully and accurately disclose all material risks of MIE prior to recommending and selling MIE to customers. Brokerage firms that did not properly disclose the material risks of MIE or engaged in other wrongdoing regarding MIE may be liable for investors’ losses. Aggrieved investors may be able to recover their losses by suing their brokerage firm in a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) arbitration.
