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Financial Advisor Maria Calcena (Infinex Investments, Inc.) Customer Complaints

Maria Calcena (CRD#: 6348974) is a registered Broker at Infinex Investments, Inc. in Palm Beach, FL. She entered the securities industry in 2014 and previously worked for Ocean Financial Services.

 

According to publicly available records released by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), in April 2020, a customer complaint was filed against Maria Calcena. The allegation states, “Customer alleges negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and violation of Florida’s Investor Protection Act.” Damages of $245,000 are requested, and the customer dispute is pending.

 

Maria Calcena has no additional disciplinary history.

 

For a copy of Maria Calcena’s FINRA BrokerCheck, click here.

 

Financial advisors have a legal and regulatory obligation to recommend only suitable investments that are appropriate for their clients’ needs and objectives. Their employing brokerage firm has a legal and regulatory obligation to supervise the Financial Advisors’ sales practices and dealings with clients.  To the extent any of these duties are breached, the customer may be entitled to a recovery of his or her investment losses.

 

Northstar: Background and Products Offered

Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) Ltd. operated out of the country of Bermuda, although its investment products were also available in other countries through broker-dealers in the U.S. and elsewhere. The company was acquired by Greg Lindberg’s Global Bankers Insurance Group several years ago.

Among the investment products it offered were variable- and fixed-rate annuities. Product names included Global VIP Elite, Global Advantage Plus Series, Global Index Product, Global Advantage Select, and Global Interest Accumulator. These products were allegedly marketed to investors as low-risk investments that could offer tax benefits in excess of those typically available in the U.S., making them especially attractive to American investors. According to some investors, these products were likened to money market account equivalents, which are generally considered to be relatively conservative investments with high liquidity.

The insurance products developed by Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) Ltd. were sold by multiple broker-dealer firms. Bankoh Investment Services, Truist Investment Services, Ocean Financial Services, JP Morgan Securities, and SunTrust Investment Services offered them to their clients. They were most commonly sold in the Southeastern U.S., although other investors may be impacted, too.

Insolvency and Liquidation

Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) Ltd. filed for bankruptcy in Bermuda in 2020. A Bermudan court denied the company’s request for an extension to complete restructuring in March 2021, making liquidation of the company likely. While monthly payments to investors have already stopped, investors are now unlikely to get their principal back from the company as a result of this development. These investments are illiquid and cannot be surrendered, so not only do investors lose future potential gains but they’ve lost everything they’ve put into these products so far.

For insight into how Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) Ltd. might have collapsed, it takes only a short lookback. The company is owned by Greg Lindberg’s Global Bankers Insurance Group.

Greg Lindberg, the owner of a large company named Global Growth, was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison after his conviction on public corruption and bribery charges. Beginning in 2017, he worked to bribe an elected North Carolina insurance commissioner through contributions to the official’s political campaign. Lindberg, in collaboration with co-conspirators, intended to ensure favorable actions from the insurance commissioner toward one of the companies he owned, Global Bankers Insurance Group, through his financial influence.

Lindberg’s Global Growth (formerly Eli Global LLC) operates subsidiaries in the insurance, healthcare, finance, commercial, education, research, and media sectors. As early as 2019, liquidity concerns were raised about Global Growth’s affiliated insurance companies, including allegations that these companies’ assets were being improperly diverted to other entities under Lindberg’s control.

The investment products developed by Northstar Financial Solutions (Bermuda) Ltd., including those allegedly sold by Maria Calcena, may have carried a greater risk than the prospectus suggested, making them inappropriate for broker-dealer firms to offer to some investors; in fact, it’s alleged that the company website included a disclaimer that some investments may not meet U.S. securities regulations. In addition, it could be argued that Northstar Financial Solutions (Bermuda) Ltd.’s relationship with Greg Lindberg’s Global Growth, Northstar’s parent company, should have raised red flags through broker-dealers’ due diligence practices, as Lindberg was convicted of public corruption and bribery. This could leave broker-dealers open to potential liability when it comes to covering investors’ losses with Northstar Financial Solutions (Bermuda) Ltd. investment products via class action through FINRA arbitration.

The Wolper Law Firm, P.A. represents investors nationwide in securities litigation and arbitration on a contingency fee basis.  Matt Wolper, the Managing Principal of the Wolper Law Firm, P.A., is a trial lawyer who has handled hundreds of securities cases during his career involving a wide range of products, strategies and securities. Prior to representing investors, he was a partner with a national law firm, where he represented some of the largest banks and brokerage firms in the world in securities matters. We can be reached at (800) 931-8452 or by email at mwolper@wolperlawfirm.com.

Attorney Matthew Wolper

Attorney Matthew WolperMatt Wolper is a trial lawyer who focuses exclusively on securities litigation and arbitration. Mr. Wolper has handled hundreds of securities matters nationwide before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), American Arbitration Association (“AAA”), JAMS, and in state and federal court. Mr. Wolper has handled and tried cases involving complex financial products and strategies ranging from traditional stocks and bonds to options, margin and other securities-based lending products, closed/open-end mutual funds, structured products, hedge funds, and penny stocks. [Attorney Bio]