Bernie Madoff's Victims: The List

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berniemadoff.jpg

madoff-button.jpgWord on the identities of Bernie Madoff's clients / victimes continues to emerge.  Please add new names to comments (or via email to hblodget@alleyinsider.com).

Bernie Madoff's Victims (So Far)

HSBC "has emerged as one the largest victims of Bernard Madoff’s alleged fraud with potential exposure of about $1bn to the investment manager’s collapsed venture...HSBC’s exposure stemmed from loans it provided to institutional clients, mainly hedge funds of funds, that wanted to invest with Mr Madoff. HSBC’s direct exposure is believed to be about $1bn in loans provided to clients who invested some $500m of their own funds in Mr Madoff’s venture. Under the typical terms of these deals, if the US authorities recover any funds from Mr Madoff, HSBC will be paid first, with its clients suffering the first tranche of losses." (FT:)

Man Group’s RMF division has about $350m invested in funds which outsourced their management to Madoff securities, although this is a tiny fraction of the division’s $25bn of assets. (FT)

Tremont Capital. Fund of funds. More than $1bn invested.  (FT)

Pioneer Investments, an arm of Italy’s UniCredit, had “substantially all” of $835m invested with Madoff. (FT)

Maxam Capital Management LLC.  Combined loss of $280 million. "I'm wiped out," said Sandra Manzke, Maxam's founder and chairman. The Darien, Conn., fund of hedge funds will have to close as a result of the losses, she said. (WSJ)

Fairfield Greenwich Group.  Bloomberg: The biggest loser may be Walter Noel’s Fairfield Greenwich Group, whose $7.3 billion Fairfield Sentry Ltd. invested with Madoff’s eponymous firm, three people familiar with the matter said... Fairfield Sentry has a record of more than 15 years with an annual return of 4 to 6 percentage points above benchmark interest rates, according to a marketing document dated this month that was prepared by Zurich-based NPB New Private Bank Ltd. On an absolute basis, returns exceeded 10 percent every year from 1991 through 2000. Since then, they ranged from 6.4 percent to 9.8 percent...The strategy is a “split-strike conversion,” where the investment manager buys shares of large U.S. companies and enters into options contracts to limit the risk, the document says.

Fix Asset Management.  Bloomberg: Fix Asset Management, which had an account worth at least $400 million with Madoff Investments. The firm said it’s checking with lawyers about the holdings. “We are very shocked,” John Fix, the son of founder Charles Fix, said by phone from Greece. “We put in redemptions in the past few months and got our money back no problem. We are just so surprised about all this.”

Kingate Management Ltd.  Bloomberg says $2.8 billion Kingate Global Fund Ltd. invested with Madoff.

Santander. WSJ: The eurozone's largest bank by market value, said its clients had an exposure of €2.33 billion ($3.1 billion) to Madoff's investment funds, mainly through its Optimal Strategic US Equity fund. More than €2 billion belongs to institutional investors and international clients of its private-banking business, which provides services to wealthy individuals, it said. The remaining €320 million belongs to private-banking customers in Spain, where Santander is based.

Thyssen Family.  Source sends the following: Thybo Investments grew out of a family office for Thyssen. They have been in fund of funds it seems since 1989. Thybo International is a "proper" fund of fund but it's newer share class G invests only in one manager - and i'm 99% sure it's Madoff as the returns are almost the same. Some more info. The fund started in Jan 2007.  Ernst & Young. Luxembourg  are the auditors. UBS Luxembourg is the administrator.  Thybo states on their webpage: "Our track record incorporates audited financial statements at both a composite firm-wide and individual portfolios level."

Ira Roth's family.  WSJ: Ira Roth, a New Jersey resident, who says his family has about $1 million invested through Mr. Madoff's firm, is "in a state of panic." He said his 86-year-old mother-in-law has been living on the investments' returns, and he has been using the funds to pay college tuition.

Sterling Equities. Fund controlled by Fred Wilpon, co-owner of the NY Mets, confirms it had money with Madoff.

Stephen Abbott, a San Francisco lawyer.  WSJ: [Abbott] and two siblings had several hundred thousand dollars invested with Mr. Madoff. They inherited the trust from their father, who had befriended Mr. Madoff years ago. Performance remained steady through the current bear market, he said. "People were floored," he says. "We were making money in this lousy market." He says he is concerned about recovering the money but "you have to get philosophical about this stuff. It could be worse; we still have our health."

Palm Beach Country Club.  Source: CNBC's David Faber

Lawrence Velvel, "69, dean of the Massachusetts School of Law, said he and a friend may have lost millions of dollars between them (AP). "This is a major disaster for a lot of people," Velvel said in a telephone interview from his Andover, Mass., office. "You work all your life, you finally manage to save up something, and somebody who's entrusted with it, it turns out suddenly he's a crook. Lots of people are getting fully or partially wiped out." Velvel said he wants to know where government regulators, as well as accountants and others at Madoff's company, were when the money was being lost." (AP)

Loeb Family. Source: CNBC's David Faber

J. Ezra Merkin. GMAC LLC Chairman. WSJ: Mr. Merkin, the chairman of former General Motors Corp. financing arm GMAC, is also a money manager at Ascot Partners LLC in New York. Ascot, which had $1.8 billion under management as of Sept. 30, had substantially all of its assets invested with Mr. Madoff, according to a letter to Mr. Merkin sent to clients Thursday night. Mr. Merkin said as one of the largest investors in Ascot, he believed he had personally "suffered major losses from this catastrophe."

Norman Braman. Former Philadelphia Eagles owner

Leonard Feinstein, co-founder of retailer Bed Bath & Beyond. (WSJ)

Mort Zuckerman. Mr. Zuckerman, the chairman of real-estate firm Boston Properties and owner of the New York Daily News and U.S. News & World Report, had significant exposure through a fund that invested substantially all of its assets with Mr. Madoff (WSJ)

Richard Spring WSJ: A Boca Raton resident and former securities analyst, says he had about $11 million -- or 95% of his net worth -- invested with Mr. Madoff. "That's how much I believed in him," Mr. Spring said.

Elie Wiesel's Foundation For Humanity.  Total assets of about $10 million.

Members of half-a-dozen country clubs:  WSJ: "Mr. Madoff tapped social networks in Dallas, Chicago, Boston and Minneapolis. In Minnesota, he attracted investors from Hillcrest Golf Club of St. Paul and Oak Ridge Country Club in Hopkins, investors say. One of them estimated that investors from the two clubs may have invested more than $100 million combined. One of the largest clusters of Madoff investors was in Florida, where losses could be substantial. Mr. Madoff relied on a network of friends, family and business colleagues to attract investors. According to investors and agents, some of these agents were paid commissions for harvesting investors. Others had separate, lucrative business relationships with Mr. Madoff. "If you were eating lunch at the club or golfing, everyone was always talking about how Madoff was making them all this money," one investor says. "Everyone wanted to sign up." Jeff Fischer, a top divorce attorney in Palm Beach, says many of his clients were also Mr. Madoff's clients. "Every big divorce that came through my office had portfolio positions with Madoff," he says. Two of his investors said that among his clients, Mr. Madoff was considered a money-management legend; they would joke that if Mr. Madoff was a fraud, he'd take down half the world with him."

Bramdean Alternatives in the U.K.  9% of portfolio.

Banque Benedict Hentsch, Geneva-based private bank, $47.5 million.

Nomura and Neue Privat Bank. "Marketed access to Fairfield Sentry Ltd., a fund overseen by Mr. Madoff and sold through Fairfield Greenwich. The shares offered by Neue Privat and Nomura were leveraged three times -- meaning $3 of borrowed money was added to every $1 of capital invested in order to magnify returns, greatly increasing the potential losses for those investors." (WSJ)

Unicredit. The Italian firm had unspecified amount with Madoff via its Dublin-based Pioneer alt-asset group. (MarketWatch)

Sen. Frank Lautenberg. Unspecified (Newsday).

Robert Lappin Foundation in Massachusetts closed its doors today and is citing relationship to Maddoff fund. $8MM foundation plus personal holdings. Foundation supported Jewish organizations throughout North Shore of Massachusetts. (source: Jewish Journal)

Wunderkinder Foundation, a Steven Spielberg charity. In the past the foundation "appears to have invested a significant portion of its assets with Mr. Madoff, based on regulatory filings. In 2006, the Madoff firm accounted for roughly 70% of the foundation's interest and dividend income, according to regulatory filings. A representative of Mr. Spielberg confirmed that the foundation has suffered losses on its investments with the Madoff firm. He said he didn't know the size of the losses and couldn't comment further, including on whether Mr. Spielberg had any of his own money invested with the Madoff firm." WSJ

BNP Paribas. "BNP Paribas's exposure, the extent of which is not clear, may stem from BNP's lending relationship with a fund of funds that was a big Madoff client, said people familiar with the matter. A BNP spokeswoman declined to comment." WSJ: BNP, France's largest bank by market value, said it could lose as much as 350 million euros as a result of the alleged fraud. The bank said it has no investment of its own in the hedge funds managed by Bernard Madoff Investment Services. BNP Paribas, however, said it is exposed to these funds through its trading business and lending to hedge funds that had invested in Madoff's funds.

Ira Rennert. Vicky Ward of Vanity Fair, said on CNBC."Heavily, heavily invested."

Englebardt family of Los Angeles. (Reader)

Swiss private bank Reichmuth & Co. "said its clients had an exposure of some 385 million Swiss francs to Madoff funds. The bank said Reichmuth Matterhorn, a fund that invests in other hedge funds, faced a potential loss of about 8.6% on its exposure to Madoff. That amount represented about 3.5% of the 11 billion Swiss Francs Reichmuth & Co. has under management, the bank said." (WSJ)

Union Bancaire Privee. UBP spokesman said the bank's clients have "limited" losses related to Madoff, but wouldn't be more specific or comment further. (WSJ)

EIM Group, the European investment manager with about $11 billion in assets, had a number of non-U.S. investors into funds overseen by Mr. Madoff, according to people familiar with the matter. Overall, EIM assets at risk are less than 2% of what it manages, which means losses could top $200 million. (WSJ).

UBS: ""Very limited" direct exposure to the Madoff funds...But the Zurich-based bank's wealth-management arm helped clients in Europe and possibly elsewhere invest with Mr. Madoff, according to investment professionals in Europe who spoke with some of these clients. UBS is currently reviewing its clients' exposure to Mr. Madoff's funds, according to the person familiar with the matter. The person said the funds weren't on UBS's list of "recommended" investments for its U.S. clients, but that they may have been among the firm's suggested investments for overseas clients." (WSJ)

Stephen A. Fine, president of Biltrite Corp. (Reader)

Avram and Carol Goldberg, former owners of the Stop & Shop supermarket chain (Reader)

Helfman family of Miami. (Reader)

Saul Katz, co-owner of the New York Mets.

Irwin Kellner, of Port Washington. (Reader)

Carl and Ruth Shapiro, donors to Brandeis University, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The Boston Globe reported on Saturday that the Shapiro family foundation lost almost half its money, or about $145 million.

Fairfield County, Connecticut.  Bloomberg: First Selectman Ken Flatto and other elected officials in Fairfield, Connecticut, thought the 58,000- person town’s pension fund was holding up well amid the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.  The 18 percent decline in total assets since the end of June looked smart compared with the 31 percent plunge in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, and total assets of $286 million left a cushion over the $270 million of estimated liabilities. Flatto’s mood darkened yesterday when he heard Bernard Madoff, a Wall Street executive who oversaw $42 million of the assets, had been arrested and charged with fraud.  “We classified this on our portfolio as one of the more conservative investments,” Flatto said in an interview. “You rely on your experts and your managers to be honest.”

Various Boston families: The Boston Globe.

More as we get them...

See Also:
Honest Money Managers Cheer For Bernie Madoff Arrest
How Much Did Bernie Madoff Vaporize? $17B? $50B?

138 Comments (page 1 of 2)

leferve said:

"could be larger than Enron":
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122909368630101789.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
James Bond said:
1st
Pan Glozz said:
Nicola Horlick at Bramdean in London (launched last year)
Bramdean Alternatives Limited (the “Company”) has two holdings that maintain trading accounts with Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC (”Madoff”), Defender Ltd. and Rye Select Broad Market XL Portfolio Ltd., representing approximately 9.5% of the Company’s net asset value as at 31 October 2008.
I really hope they send this guy to general population prison and then he can see what if feels like to get f#@ed in the ass. What a DoucheBag.
Palm Beacher said:
Does anyone know how to apply for food stamps ?
Jgbr said:
Kunde bei der Firma Madoffs war auch die Genfer Banque Bénédict Hentsch, wie die Privatbank am Freitag mitteilte. Insgesamt habe das Genfer Institut 56 Mio. Franken in Produkte von Madoff investiert. Dies entspreche weniger als 5 Prozent der verwalteten Vermögen der Bank.

Private Bank Banque Bénédict Hentsch from Genf has invested 56 million Swiss frank. Less than 5% of all investments handled by the bank.
Jgbr said:
Kunde bei der Firma Madoffs war auch die Genfer Banque Bénédict Hentsch, wie die Privatbank am Freitag mitteilte. Insgesamt habe das Genfer Institut 56 Mio. Franken in Produkte von Madoff investiert. Dies entspreche weniger als 5 Prozent der verwalteten Vermögen der Bank.

Private Bank Banque Bénédict Hentsch from Genf has invested 56 million Swiss frank. Less than 5% of all investments handled by the bank.
Tom said:
Which Loeb family? Not Dan Loeb, right?
Dave said:
Also Robert Lappin Foundation in Massachusetts closed its doors today and is citing relationship to Maddoff fund. $8MM foundation plus personal holdings. Foundation supported Jewish organizations throughout North Shore of Massachusetts. (source: Jewish Journal)
Bob Morris (URL) said:
I just heard about someone who was born poor, has worked decades to get a nest egg of $500,000. She had it all invested with Madoff and now it's gone.

I hope Madoff and his sons spend the next several decades in prison.
Jgbr said:
BNP Paribas

"BNP Paribas's exposure, the extent of which is not clear, may stem from BNP's lending relationship with a fund of funds that was a big Madoff client, said people familiar with the matter. A BNP spokeswoman declined to comment."
Getta Life said:
When most Ponzi's blow up nearly every dollar ever invested is completely wiped out. The money is gone! Lawsuits are pretty pointless at this juncture.

As for the whiny ass former rich, see you at work Monday morning, grab a broom and clean up a little before I get in.

Hint for future investors, Corporate Executives are the only true money managers. When you hire a Madoff or any other flim flam "money manager" you are at best hiring a middle man that adds no value, and at worst...
RRS said:
When the tide goes out you get to see who's peeing in the ocean.
Big Chicago said:
Ira Rennert, according to Vicky Ward of Vanity Fair, said on CNBC."Heavily, heavily invested."

http://www.cnbc.com/id/28195029

Jgbr said:
* Ascot Partners hedge fund.[21]
* Bramdean Alternatives hedge fund run by Nicola Horlick of London.[22][23][24]
* Fairfield Sentry Ltd, a hedge fund run by Walter Noel's Fairfield Greenwich Group.[25]
* Kingate Global Fund Ltd, a hedge fund run by Kingate Management Ltd.[26]
* Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation.[27]
* Sterling Equities, Inc. led by New York Mets co-owner Fred Wilpon.

* Norman Braman, former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles football team.[28]
* Englebardt family of Los Angeles.[29]
* Stephen A. Fine, president of Biltrite Corp.[30]
* Avram and Carol Goldberg, former owners of the Stop & Shop supermarket chain[31]
* Helfman family of Miami.[32]
* Saul Katz, co-owner of the New York Mets.[33]
* Irwin Kellner, of Port Washington.[34]
* New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg and a charity he founded.[35]
* J. Ezra Merkin, chairman of GMAC, and founder of Ascot Partners hedge fund.[36][37]
* Ira Rennert, mentioned on CNBC on December 12, 2008 as being "heavily, heavily invested" with Madoff.
* Carl and Ruth Shapiro, donors to Brandeis University, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. [38]
* Lawrence Velvel, dean of the Massachusetts School of Law.[39]
* Vicky Ward of Vanity Fair
* Banque Bénédict Hentsch
* BNP Paribas
* NPB Neue Privat Bank (Zurich)
John Wilson said:
if it sounds to good to be true.....

i don't care if bernie was cheating just so he is cheating for me.....Welcome to America

this proves filping paper is an Asshole's Business


but Monday a.m. some asshole will be on CNBC touting his paper fliping record

Scum Bags everyone of them
Ben Dover said:
Ah, that's good to hear BC...Rennert is such a douchebag. His holding company Renco is personally responsible for a lot of environmental damage in the US & abroad.
amazonluvr (URL) said:
$50b is still much less than we all lost because of your crappy stock pumping, Henry.
Dan said:
You really have to think of the implications of all of this...

What about all of the people who have made 100% redemptions within the past 10 years?

They've been paid with the money of those who now have nothing.

You really have to wonder what individuals and/or firms have made full redemptions, and the reasons for doing so.

I want to see that list....
Jgbr said:
@Dan

"You really have to wonder what individuals and/or firms have made full redemptions, and the reasons for doing so. I want to see that list.... "

I would like to see that list too, but it think it will never be disclosed.
Gordon said:
Connecticut Town Fears Losses on $42 Million Madoff Investment
Email | Print | A A A

By Bradley Keoun and Katherine Burton

Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- First Selectman Ken Flatto and other elected officials in Fairfield, Connecticut, thought the 58,000- person town’s pension fund was holding up well amid the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

The 18 percent decline in total assets since the end of June looked smart compared with the 31 percent plunge in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, and total assets of $286 million left a cushion over the $270 million of estimated liabilities. Flatto’s mood darkened yesterday when he heard Bernard Madoff, a Wall Street executive who oversaw $42 million of the assets, had been arrested and charged with fraud.

“We classified this on our portfolio as one of the more conservative investments,” Flatto said in an interview. “You rely on your experts and your managers to be honest.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aSZMu0okayJU&refer=home#
Gordon said:
Connecticut Town Fears Losses on $42 Million Madoff Investment
Email | Print | A A A

By Bradley Keoun and Katherine Burton

Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- First Selectman Ken Flatto and other elected officials in Fairfield, Connecticut, thought the 58,000- person town’s pension fund was holding up well amid the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aSZMu0okayJU&refer=home#
Pan Glozz said:
J. Ezra Merkin and Cerberus do multiple deals. GMAC, Leumi Bank, etc. If Merkin, and his coinvestors are wiped out, Cerberus will be facing huge gaps in co-investor participation.

I expect Cerberus to liquidate as Chrysler demands cash, and Cerberus is unable to obtain it from Merkin's Gabriel Capital. Cerberus installed Merkin as Chairman of GMAC for a reason, and that was his access to capital.
Mel Gibson said:
He ripped off his own tribesmen.
Jgbr said:
Watch out for old influential fund managers! There are more of them. :)
FactChecker2 said:
Irwin Kellner, Port Washington, New York

(may or may not be the same Irwin Kellner from Port Washington who is Chief Economist for MarketWatch, and Distinguished Scholar of Economics at Dowling College.)

Copy of the class action filing:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/8925572/Class-Action-Lawsuit-Against-Madoff

Bloomberg news story naming "Irwin Kellner, of Port Washington, New York" as lead plaintiff in the class action suit:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a96bKX_UGrGk&refer=home
Poof! said:
Palm Beacher said:
Dec. 12, 11:53 AM
Does anyone know how to apply for food stamps ?


REPLY:
Call your Liechtenstein Banker!

N. Laundry
Moad said:
I bet a lot of rich people will panic and pull their money from fund. And they probably don't trust putting their money in a bank either. How much cash can one fit under a king sized mattress?
LMAO said:
Tow more names for you: Yeshiva U., Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation -

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1228728179705&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
had said:
Another billion euro, this is a madoff feeder fund

http://www.boursier.com/vals/OPCVM/LU0185941027-cours-luxalpha+american.html
Ames Tiedeman (URL) said:
I guess you were better off dividing a $10 million portfolio among 20 mutual funds at Fidelity. Mutual fund companies like Fidelity won't steal your money.
Time for people to get back to basics. Forget the ETF rage, forget the private banking rage, forget the hedge fund rage. Get back to basics. How many hedge funds have outperformed the s&p 500 or a basket of 20 mutual funds from Fidelity over a 10 or 20 year period? Not many. You would have also done better on your own simply buying gold or the 10 lowest priced DOW stocks each January 1. Why give money to a one man shop?? Get back to basics everyone. Protect yourselves from the Wall Street savages.
The Snarkmeister (URL) said:
What this Bernie Madoff did privately is no worse than what Hank Paulson and Ben Bernanke are doing publicly to the U.S. taxpayers. In a sad way, Madoff should be admired for having been able to accomplish such a swindle without the help of the U.S. Congress.
Dogman said:
Snarkmeister, you hit the nail right on the head.
Goldbug said:
Where you gonna put you money now?
Henry (URL) said:
Henry, thanks for your insight and wisdom. I and millions like me appreciate what you do here.
Pay Back Time said:
Your government says that 1% of American families now get fully 22% of GDP on an annual basis. That's pretty lop-sided. Press reports indicate that the individuals who lost money in this Madoff scheme are almost uniformly among this group of wealthly leeches who have been getting the lion's share of the community's wealth for decades. Logically speaking, didn't Madoff just perform a valuable service by LEVELING the playing field? I think we need more Madoff's and we need them soon inasmuch as the rich have stolen virtually everything from the community. Madoff today! Madoff Forever!!
Anon said:
The Boston Globe:
Boston donors bilked out of millions
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/12/13/boston_donors_bilked_out_of_millions/
perk said:
And the difference between Bernie lying about the assets of his hedge fund and a Citibank - Goldman not disclosing their funds CDO liability is?

Right, there is no difference.

A ponzi scheme is paying out the investments of others as returns.

When CDO's (the "O" is obligation!) potential liabilities (huge in today's economic environment) are not subtracted from assets, many are using the investments of others to pay out false returns.

There is no difference. That is the scary thing about this.
ted said:
Alert the authorities! The money is hidden in his nose!
Har Dee Har Har said:
Suddenly I don't feel as bad for being out of work for the better part of 2 years, along with the doubts of my future retirement fund
existing when I come of age...by then this old douchebag should be dust under our feet...and hopefully lots of others like him.
amsterdamjimmy said:
If you want to have a real laugh, please read the exact text copied from Fairfield Greenwich´s website about their excellent due diligence process..... Now you know how to loose USD 7.5 bln in Madoff´s ponzi scheme...... And these guys charge management fees ?????



FGG's Due Diligence Process


FGG's due diligence process is deeper and broader than a typical Fund of Funds, resembling that of an asset management company acquiring another asset manager, rather than a passive investor entering a disposable investment.

A number of areas of inquiry are examined by a team of FGG professionals who specialize in evaluating respective areas of risk. Typically, a manager has been investigated and monitored for six to 12 months before that firm can be accepted onto the FGG platform. Long negotiating periods enable FGG to be more confident of its decisions before proceeding with a manager. Areas of examination are centered around the following:

1. Portfolio Evaluation, Investment Performance, and Financial Risks:

A core area for further analysis is to attempt to dissect and further understand investment performance, how a manager generates alpha, and what risks are taken in doing so. As portfolio management and risk management incorporate elements of both art and science, FGG applies both qualitative and quantitative measures. FGG:

Examines independent prime broker trading records
Conducts detailed interviews to better understand the manager's methodology for forming a market view, and for selecting and exiting core positions
Analyses trading records
Conducts a number of qualitative and quantitative tests to determine adherence to risk limits over time
Confirms portfolio loss risk controls, diversification and other risk-related control policies, as well as any experience regarding unexpected or extreme market events
Reviews the risk and return factors inherent in the strategy
Evaluates capacity issues, which may affect alpha, as well as expected opportunities going forward within each candidate's strategy
Analyses the various drivers underlying a particular portfolio's risk
Evaluates credit risk and market risk both at the instrument and portfolio level
Assesses the extent to which leverage is used by a manager, as well as how it is used, the funding sources, and the impact on the risk profile of the fund
Investigate whether or not private or special registration securities are held, and determine how the daily trading volume and inventory held compares to the float and/or daily trading volume for a given security
FGG also conducts many quantitative reviews of investment performance in light of:

Fees and fee structure
Historical draw-downs
Return volatility
Commissions earned
Performance return in calm versus volatile markets
Current/historical correlation of the fund under consideration with standard industry benchmarks, peer groups, and other FGG or competitor funds used as benchmarks
FGG attempts to understand the return attribution for individual securities in the portfolio, and conducts a full suite of VaR analyses and stress tests to model the loss distribution function under extreme market scenarios. Leverage, concentration limits, and long/short exposures are examined over time to assess whether they have remained within operating guidelines.

Style fidelity is another key area of inquiry; the manager's trading pattern over time and through various market environments, FGG determines whether the manager is prone to trade outside of their area of expertise.

2. Personal Background Investigation:

FGG examines the abilities and personalities of the individuals involved in managing the fund through extensive interviews, as well as background investigations.
FGG verifies:
Education
Personal credit standing
Litigation and regulatory background
Track record
Other indicators

FGG explores the manager's experience and qualifications relative to the strategy being managed. Prior professional associations of a manager's key personnel can be crucial in understanding a person's experience and character and how they run their investment management business.

3. Structural and Operational Risk:

"Operational risk" refers to the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, human resources, or systems, or from external events. Operational failures, including misrepresentation of valuations and outright fraud, constitute the vast majority of instances where massive investor losses occur. Other operational risks include staff processing errors, technology failure, and poor data.

Pricing models, as well as the adequacy, independence, and transparency of valuation procedures, contingency plans, and other trading and settlement procedures are all matters for close scrutiny by FGG professionals.

FGG seeks a sound understanding of whether a hedge fund possesses key controls in the areas of portfolio management, conflicts of interest, segregation of duties, and compliance. FGG carefully assesses the controls and procedures that managers have in place and seek to determine actual compliance with those procedures, often suggesting modifications, separations of responsibilities, and remedial staff additions.

4. Legal, Compliance, and Regulatory Risk:

FGG's legal, compliance, and accounting teams specialize in investment management regulation, securities compliance, corporate operations, and tax issues. Hedge fund managers function within an ever more complex legal and regulatory landscape, and the role of this part of the diligence exam is to determine the seriousness of any deficiencies in this area which may cause risk of sanction, loss, or reputational embarrassment.

Both in-house and retained legal professionals interview the management and staff of the manager, research regulatory filings, and review corporate organizational documents, as well as fund memoranda and related material contracts.
lgoldman said:
Since the fuckers from Goldman Sachs are in charge of the federal government, expect another Bailout for this group of the power elite.
Richard said:
The difference between Madoff and those 419 scam e-mails we all get from Africa is one of degree, not kind. Madoff can write better English and has no sing-song British colonial accent. Smart people can do stupid things if you push the right buttons. I think the Zionist button did the trick for Madoff.
Way back in 1990, I got an 419 scam pitch by fax. I faxed back my ex-boss's fax number and said to give him a try. To my amazement, my ex-boss went for it to the tune of nearly $1M and lost his business!
libertarian said:
take this anger and frustration and direct it appropriately...at the government. Social Security is the biggest Ponzi scheme ever devised, and it sits right in front of us, grinning. gov't-planned bailouts of poorly run companies--using your money--are piling up. what good are we if we don't rage against this also? blame can be assessed in lots of directions, but it's time to focus on the real threat.

that would be Leviathan.

schmucked said:
I hope he rots... no wait, that's too good for him. He should have to suffer like everyone else.
PPL are losing jobs, and they've lost everything because this idiot and his "family" were so greedy. I'm a worker bee, but my 401K was there, and now my boss has to shut down.

Happy holidays to the madoff clan!
Jgbr said:
Another victim

Luzerner Privatbank - und Vermögensverwaltungsinstitut, of Lucerne, Switzerland, including "Reichmuth Matterhorn" fund
belle said:
These people willingly and voluntarily handed over their money to this guy. The government does this every day, stealing your money and using it for a big ponzi scheme known as Social Security. But you are forced to hand it over, if you don't you go to jail. So why is Bernie Madoff arrested and the politicians are not? Why are so many people so willing to be slaves to the government? Where is the accountability, huh??
Tim Osman said:
He probably already has set himself up for a comfortable life in Israel...along with the many others who are parisites draining the USA. Anyone here heard of the Urban Moving Company.
cacelotto said:
"Unicredit. The Italian firm had unspecified amount with Madoff via its Dublin-based Pioneer alt-asset group."

"On Pioneer's web site (Unicredit Group) has been written that $280 million of Primeo Select fund were invested in Madoff's funds"
(http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/SoleOnLine4/Finanza%20e%20Mercati/2008/12/hedge-scatta-allarme-italia.shtml)
StM said:
Belle: The fundamental difference between all other Ponzi schemes and Social Security is that the government can a) print money to pay later beneficiaries and/or b) change the terms of the deal at any time at their sole discretion.

While I agree that SS is a bad idea waiting to turn into a horrible idea there is actually little risk that SS benefits will not be paid. They'll print the money to do it with if necessary (well, they do that now, but they'll print a lot more if they must.)
Jgbr said:
"I've got my money invested with Madoff and he's doing really well.

You can't get in unless you're invited...but I can probably get you in." :)

"If you did get invited in, then you were anointed a member of this particular club of "sophisticated investors.

This members-only feeling blinded many buyers of Mr. Madoff's funds to the numerous red flags fluttering around his operation.

When you are in an exclusive private club, you do not go rummaging around in the kitchen to make sure that the health code is being followed."
Jegman said:
@ amazonluvr and many others...

for all those that seem to hate Henry B... why do you even bother to visit/read his blog??? the haters should read this WIRED article:

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/16-12/ff_blodget

you'll eventually realize Henry is reinventing himself using you (the hater) to catapult his new found online career. personally, i think he's doing a fine job of it!
Martin said:
So,is this is the same as WORKING 30 years for Delta Airlines only to have the Bernie look a likes, AKA Grinstine et al, steal the pensions of 3000 pilots.including mine worth 2 million? They are all scum bags and need to go to financial hell. A crook is a crook is a crook.

m
MikeM said:
Madoff or Hitler, who actually confiscated more from the Jews?

This A$$ clown Madoff worked from the inside, schmoozing with country club elite and old neighborhood friends.

Hitler bashed you with a club, this guy worked from the inside.
Fishingbabe8 said:
Poof, The office is down on US1 in Riviera Beach. A place you would probably be afraid to go.
Jgbr said:
Dual citizenship should not be allowed for high and sensitive government positions. It is already a practice in many countries.

I think this will never happen in the us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_citizenship

George O'Connor said:
Madoff - proves one thing and demonstrates another:

(1) Unregulated Markets don't work.

(2) How to redistribute wealth.

How many more Madoffs are out there - with the SEC totally oblivious to their activities?
kim said:
Investment is a gamble, so just over with it.
Mike Walsh said:
I guess we will not be seeing Bernie at the Country Club anymore. :(

I am sure the entire family was in on it and when his losses escalated he made a plan with the family to take the fall and the rest of them would plead ignorant.

Does anyone remember the term "buyer beware?" Its been around since the dawn of time.

There is a lot of scum running around this country right now. A lot of them are sitting in Wash, DC.

It will take a major riot and vietnam type era protesting to truly enact a change. How much are people going to take?

Me, I dont care. I make food and people always have to eat. Pass the GREY POUPON
kate said:

How is what he has done any different from Citi Corp and AIG and on and on and on...?
lilybart said:
elle: SS is not a ponzi scheme and because of SS, widows and others who lost everything will have a small check so they won't starve and medicare.

SS is there for us.
Maddof, an actual ponzi scheme, will not be there for these people.
jawad said:
I dont understand the joy you guys are expressing. $50b just moved from the super-rich to the super-super-rich; from the super-zionists to the super-super-zionists.

Money never disappears from Ponzi schemes. Someone always walks away with the cash.
John Wilson said:
just saw a lady on the cbs report that said she received 100k a year for 20 yrs on 1 million invested.

what happened was for 20 yrs she got overpaid and then the RISK was just delivered.

this is exactly what wall st shills have done except that when the bomb goes off it's not their money

Zoro said:
> Mutual fund companies like Fidelity won't steal your money.

You are joking, right? Fidelity has paid millions in fines for fraud... multiple times.
Bill from Philly said:
Now here's where insult is added to injury: even though the firm's assets are frozen (and presumably Bernie's personal assets), his lawyers will periodically petition the court for release of funds to pay for his legal defense and for living expenses. Typically, courts grant those requests. Next, the receiver will be paid (extravagant) sums from the seized funds and he'll hire forensic accountants and other experts to assist him; all paid from client funds. Because the receiver is essentially being paid by the hour, he’ll feel no sense of urgency to get the job done. He’ll argue that it’s better to get it done right than to get it done fast; all the while his meter churns through the cash. By the time this is all done, whatever amounts had existed will be mostly exhausted.

The real macro-shame here is that the USA is starting to look like a financial banana republic. Not a good way to attract capital.
jammer said:
Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Someone just dropped an anvil on my balls!!!!!!!
Is torturre against the Geneva Convention in a case like this?
StM said:
George:

Unregulated markets work just fine. This one did exactly what markets are supposed to do, take money from people who shouldn't have it and deliver it to those who should.

Of course, that observation relies on your subscribing to the old philosophical tenet that it is morally wrong to allow suckers to keep their money.

Much more efficient than government redistribution, too. Madoff just did more for capital transfer than the estate tax laws have probably done in their entire lifetime.

M
Scorpio69er said:
Given that the nascent worldwide economic collapse will precipitate a hyperinflationary death spiral as a result of the fact that the U.S. is bankrupt and must borrow trillions and trillions of $ to try to stay afloat, these folks just lost their asses a little bit sooner than they otherwise would have.

Within 5 years, $50bn should be just about enough to buy you a loaf of bread.
reader said:
before this gets any worse - in the past 20-30 years looks like EVERYONE that could have gotten away with it - behaved irresponsibly -
greed and arrogance doesn't come in one color or faith.

Situation is already fu$#ed up as it is, do you really want to make it worse by throwing additional hatred into the mix??

I'll see you in the food stamps line.

Chaos said:
Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Banco Santander SA, Spain’s largest bank, said clients had positions valued at 2.33 billion euros ($3.1 billion) invested with Bernard Madoff.

ouch
mike steinbach said:
hasnt anyone realized that in spite of all the bad news on the American economy the Dow never seems to end a day lower?
Jonathan D Iseson said:
SPECTRUM SELECT L.P. was a feeder to Tremont Capital. who was into madoof with your $.so smaller folks could get in too-plus there seems to be an entire orbit of pal beach based funds all doing the same.
is clusterstock a white power blog said:
is this a stock blog or a jew-hating blog? I am all for free speech but question the value of a comment tat simply lists Jewish government officials. Also to the person who said that the $$ goes from the super-rich to the super-super-rich (and the super-zionists to the super-super zionists huh?? wtf does that mean) in a ponzi scheme -- you are wrong. The $$ in a ponzi scheme go from the people who come in late to the people who come in early. That's the flow of funds. Not poor to rich, but late to early. asshole.
david silvertogoldman said:
way to go brother thats how we are!
merv rivkin goldburger said:
power to ya,Bernie thats the ole brooklin way.beats sellin cream cheese anyway.Were the best
George LoBuono said:
How was this idiot in business so long yet no one at SEC inspected to see if there were real investments? Only in a dying empire...
5 dancing shlomos said:
I'm going to reserve judgment until I see what happens to Madoff and the "ruined" Jewish elites. There is always the chance that the money is safe in Tel Aviv.
rich said:
good job documenting his rip-offs !!! and the half has never been told !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-t7PmonBEA&feature=channel_page

goldieshouse.piczo.com
John said:
Government officials who should have been watching were paid to look the other way allowing Madoff and his ilk to run wild, this a$$hole needs to be forced to start naming the palms he greased!
FedUp said:
J's fleecing J's! Is that what's taught in those Bar Mitzvah studies?
Bom Trown said:
There's only so much money, yet never enough to accurately represent all of the energy in the universe. Go figure.
james cash said:
Our dad passed away in august, he had hiis life savings of 2 mill with madoff. The trust is worthless, and his dream of giving his 3 sons the money, vanished. Its not the money , its the shattered legacy our dad was lost.
Allan Hughes said:
Part of me feels sorry for the people.

But (and you knew this was coming) says you get what you pay for.

These people invested in someone that had a "good reputation" but more importantly from what I understand divulged very little about the investments, was audited by someone that no one had ever heard of let alone would be able to stand behind their work, and best of all demostrated returns much better than could be expected.

What is particularly interesting about this take is that the hustler used very simple tools to con people: 1) he created an artificial scarcity by apparently turning some people down and by only allowing the "smart" money to invest and 2) he provided returns that were very good (with almost no unusual variations which should have tipped everyone off) but not too good.

Myself, I only invest in index funds; they aren't sexy though.
Right said:
For those with college degrees, what about the term "portfolio diversification"?

For all the rest of those idiots, haven't you ever heard of not putting all of your eggs in one basket?????
Jajamoore said:
Who believes hyperinflation will occur, and what are your predictions for when it will occur?
General Grant said:
Bullshit!

All this noise to mask the REAL CROOKS who made out with TRILLIONS of dollars. (Just like "Enron" was small time compared with the THIEVES who inflated the bubble via GoldmanSachs.)


racismsoutofplace said:
the racism expressed by some here is just a disgrace. People are conveniently overlooking the amounts of money lost by Jews in this scheme. The dual citizenship it is absurd. I'd be suprised if 3 people on that list had dual citizenship or if the person who posted that even knows what dual citizenship IS. These convenient stereotypes about Jewish money are just that - stereotypes! Yes there are some who have millions - as there are christians and Muslims. Personally I doubt if my entire life's assets put together will ever make it to 1 million and I know of thousands of jews with far less than that! If there's some great Jewish conspiracy where's our cut? pathetic...some people STILL haven't left medeival times!

Madoff didn't cheat charities fellow Jews or christians out of their money for some Jewish reason. He cheated everyone for his own personal gain and screwed over friends and strangers alike. Yet one can always trust that in a place where we should all be showing disgust at an individual's personal greed someone will leap to claim its a Jewish conspiracy...

as for this nonsense of madoff or anyone else involved running off to hide in Israel forget it - the US and Israel have a mutual extradition agrement. If Madoff is found here he'll be sent back there to stand trial. Yes he'd be guaranteed safety from the death penalty (not applicable in this case anyhow) but other than that the only difference is that instead of going to some american country club prison where white collar types go in the US he'd go to an Israeli prison where the white collar is at least somewhat stained...:-)
Stan O'Kneel said:
Speaking from experience, Jewish people like to do business with their own. If you had an Irish last name, they would be polite, at best. You knew you weren't going to win. So, you can bitch about the racist comments on this site all you want, but the REAL racists are getting their comuppance today. And it tastes sweet to me.
SS does not have to be a ponzi scheme. Competently administered SS systems, like Canada's, are fiscally sound.

The problem with the American SS scheme is that it's run by Americans, who are demonstrably unable to find more than a tiny handful of competent financial managers even amongst the most prestigious firms of Wall St.
Quagmire said:
Really can't understand all this anti-semitic b.s. This is a truly sad and life changing event for many people, and its certainly not limited to any one race or religion.
FedUp said:
I don't feel any pity for the investors who were fleeced. All of their donations to various charities and creation of foundations were just public relations stunts to benefit their overinflated egos and HUGE tax breaks for them. Nothing more. Greed begets more greed. Madoff's CPA, David Friehling, is probably in Tel Aviv right now laughing his ass off and that's why he can't be found. Just follow the money trail. Friehling would have made an excellent "pretty boy" in the slammer!
Quagmire said:
TJ - That is an idiotic comment and comparison. Canada has about 10% of the population of the U.S. It would be more appropriate to compare Canada to another second rate country, not the U.S. I'm sure there are many great financial managers in Canada, its just that no one has ever heard of them or had any reason to invest with them.
FedUp said:
I also believe STRONGLY that these high rollring losers in this scheme will be the recipients of taxpayer bailout money. Wait and see!
Stan O'Kneel said:
Quagmire, I believe some of the anti-Semitism you see here and elsewhere is an inarticulate response to the bigotry that many Jewish people practice. Many believe they are the 'chosen people', and choose only to trust and consort with their own. It is only human nature to react negatively if you are on the outside looking in. Perhaps if they opened their minds and hearts to others, many of the primarily Jewish people on this Madoff list would not have been taken to the cleaners. So, while you may be foolish and brainwashed enough to believe that a statement criticizing the observed behavior of Jewish people is the same thing as anti-Semitism, I hope today serves as an object lesson against bigotry and for inclusion.
Joan Bartos said:
Could we forego the anti-semetic comments here?

Bush and his WASPs cronies have ripped off more than dear Bernie could have dreamt possible...and in only eight short years!

On a lighter note, there go the fun weekends at Bernie's....
Gordon said:
“To the economist, embezzlement is the most interesting of crimes. Alone among the various forms of larceny it has a time parameter. Weeks, months, or even years may elapse between the commission of the crime and its discovery. (This is a period, incidentally, when the embezzler has his gain and the man who has been embezzled, oddly enough, feels no loss. There is a net increase in psychic wealth.) At any given time there exists an inventory of undiscovered embezzlement in -- or more precisely, not in -- the country's businesses and banks. This inventory -- it should perhaps be called the bezzle -- amounts at any moment to many millions of dollars. It also varies in size with the business cycle. In good times people are relaxed, trusting, and money is plentiful. But even though money is plentiful, there are always many people who need more. Under these circumstances the rate of embezzlement grows, the rate of discovery falls off, and the bezzle increases rapidly. In depression this is all reversed. Money is watched with a narrow, suspicious eye. The man who handles it is assumed to be dishonest until he proves himself otherwise. Audits are penetrating and meticulous. Commercial morality is enormously improved. The bezzle shrinks.” - John Kenneth Galbraith - The Great Crash 1929
Gordon said:
Arnold and Joan Sinkin open up about being swindled

BY VERONIKA BELENKAYA
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sunday, December 14th 2008, 4:00 AM
Joan and Arnold ,76, Sinkin at their home hold open statements that they have received from Bernard Madoff's office. Rothstein for News

For a half-century, Arnold and Joan Sinkin worked hard to raise their four kids, put a roof over their heads and build up a nice nest egg for retirement.

http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2008/12/14/2008-12-14_arnold_and_joan_sinkin_open_up_about_bei.html
Quagmire said:
Stan O'Kneel: I'm neither foolish nor brainwashed. And I'm not Jewish either. Your observation applies to all people. Who do you think Greeks prefer to do business with, or Koreans or Muslims? Everyone feels more comfortable on some level with their own "kind." That being said, some of the sentiments expressed here (including yours) have ugly undertones that are just wrong.
John Wilson said:
if you put out that White Men run Companies your Called Progressive

but if you point out that Wall St. is run by Jews your called a racist

grow up

the Jews brag that they run Wall Street
Erich Kronberger said:
Saint Nick turned out to be Old Nick. Both Nicks have no power over you unless you give it. GREED,ARROGANCE,STUPIDITY..the three horsemen of DEFEAT/FOOLS. Thanks

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