Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) LTD: Investigation Update

Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) LTD Lawsuits

The White Law Group continues to investigate potential securities claims involving broker dealers and sales agents who may have improperly recommended Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) LTD to investors.  

Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) Ltd., an insurance company based in Bermuda, reportedly offered insurance products as well as other fixed and variable-rate annuity type investments, such as the following:  

Global Index Product 
Global Interest Accumulator 
Global Advantage Plus Series 
Global VIP Elite 
Global Advantage Select
Global Advantage
Global Advantage III
Global Advantage V
Global Investment Plan
Global Variable Annuity
Global VIP
Global VIP Elite
Met Group Variable Deferred Annuity
Met Global Asset Portfolio
Met Universal Life
Met Variable Universal Life

Misrepresentations

These products may have been sold due to the high commissions and other payments that financial advisors and their firms received,  overshadowing the best interests of the customers.

Investors are alleging that brokers may have misrepresented investments in Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) as:

• Low-risk
• Conservative
• Similar to a certificate of deposit (CD)
• Without any risk of principal loss
• Providing guaranteed monthly income

 These products have reportedly been sold through U.S. registered investment advisors and broker-dealers to overseas investors. In recent claims it is alleged that these investments were marketed as low-risk, for conservative investors, and came with guarantees of monthly income and certain tax benefits.  

Further, the company allegedly claimed that these insurance products had a “segregated account” structure that would protect investors by maintaining investors’ funds separately from Northstar’s creditors.  

Wire Fraud Allegations 

In 2020, the company’s owner was reportedly convicted of wire fraud and bribery and handed a 7-year prison sentence.   

Unfortunately for investors, by September 2020 the company was estimated to have incurred a deficit of $260 million, leaving only $8 million in assets on its Balance Sheet. The company suspended monthly income payments, liquidation and surrender requests and then filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy proceedings.   

There have been numerous lawsuits filed against various broker dealers after the company’s apparent collapse.  Allegations state that financial advisors misrepresented Northstar as a safe, low risk product similar to a bank CD, promising guaranteed monthly returns as well as protection of principal. 

Financial institutions that purportedly sold Northstar products  

Cetera Financial  
J. P. Morgan Securities  
Ocean Financial Services, LLC 
Trust Investment Services, Inc. 
Suntrust Bank
Truist Bank
Bankoh Investment Services, Inc. 
Hancock Whitney Investment Services 
BancWest Financial Services
Wells Fargo  

Potential Lawsuits to Recover Financial Losses  

The White Law Group is investigating potential securities claims involving broker dealers who may have improperly recommended Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) LTD offerings to investors.   

Broker dealers are required to inform clients of the risks associated with investment recommendations and to ensure that those recommendations are suitable for the investor in light of the investor’s age, risk tolerance, net worth, and investment experience. Firms that fail to do so, may be held responsible for any losses through FINRA arbitration. 

Class Action vs. Individual FINRA Arbitration Lawsuit

You may wonder whether a large class action lawsuit is a better litigation option than an individual FINRA arbitration case.  The answer depends on many factors, but typically if the loss sustained is large (say larger than $100,000), an individual arbitration claim is likely a better option.  Class actions as a recovery option are more appropriate for grouping large numbers of individuals who have small claims – too small to generally pursue individually.

Free Consultation – The White Law Group

If you have suffered losses investing in Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) LTD, please contact The White Law Group at 888-637-5510 for a free consultation with a securities attorney.  

The White Law Group, LLC is a national securities fraud, securities arbitration, investor protection, and securities regulation/compliance law firm with offices in Chicago, Illinois and Seattle, Washington.