Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP ("Hagens Berman") (www.hbsslaw.com/schw)
announced it filed a proposed class-action lawsuit in the United States
District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of
those who purchased Schwab YieldPlus Funds Investor Shares
(NASDAQ:SWYSX) or Schwab YieldPlus Funds Select Shares (NASDAQ:SWYPX)
from Charles Schwab Corporation (“Charles
Schwab” or the “Company”)
(NASDAQ:SCHW) from March 17, 2005 to March 18, 2008 (the "Class Period").
If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later
than May 16, 2008. If you wish to consider joining this action as lead
plaintiff, discuss this action or have any questions concerning this
notice or your rights or interests, please contact plaintiff's counsel,
Reed Kathrein of Hagens Berman at 510-725-3000 or via e-mail info@hbsslaw.com.
You can view a copy of the complaint as filed or join this class action
online at www.hbsslaw.com/schw.
Any member of the purported class may move the Court to serve as lead
plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing
and remain an absent class member. Although your ability to share in any
recovery is not affected by the decision whether or not to seek
appointment as a lead plaintiff, lead plaintiffs make important
decisions which could affect the overall recovery for class members,
including decisions concerning settlement. The securities laws require
the Court to consider the class member(s) with the largest financial
interest as presumptively the most adequate lead plaintiff(s).
The complaint claims Charles Schwab Corporation headquartered in San
Francisco, CA, the funds’ underwriter,
investment advisers and officers and directors issued untrue statements
regarding the lack of diversification of these funds and the extent of
investments assigned to sub-prime mortgage backed and related
securities. The complaint alleges the funds registration statements and
prospectuses contained untrue statements of material facts, and omitted
important information regarding the funds’
investments, ultimately misleading investors.
On Nov. 15, 2004, the Company began offering the Schwab YieldPlus
investment funds through a registration statement and prospectus. The
YieldPlus funds are advertised by the defendants as ‘a
safe alternative to money market funds that preserve principal while
being designed with your income needs in mind.’
Throughout the Class Period the Company claimed the funds were
investments in a large, well-diversified portfolio, a seasoned team of
taxable bond portfolio managers actively managed the funds, and that
investment in Schwab YieldPlus would return higher yields on cash with
only marginally higher risk, a smart alternative. Since July of 2007,
the share price for the funds began lowering, for a total loss of 18
percent. Today the funds stand at an all-time low of $7.96, down more
than 11 percent from Jan. 1, 2008.
The lawsuit claims the funds are not well diversified, instead
concentrated in a single risky industry with more than 50 percent of the
funds assets invested in the mortgage industry. The lawsuit seeks
remedies under the 1933 Act on behalf of all fund purchasers during the
Class Period.
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, a law firm with offices in Seattle, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and Phoenix, is active in major
litigations pending in federal and state courts throughout the United
States and has taken a leading role in many important actions on behalf
of defrauded investors, consumers, and companies, as well as victims of
human rights violations. The Hagens Berman Web site (http://www.hbsslaw.com)
has more information about the firm.
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