Bancorp International Group Inc (fka BCIT)

[AlanC]

I wonder how many BCIT shareholders were interviewed? Go BCIT!!!

Naked Shorting: Majority of Investors Say Penalties Should Be as or More Severe Than for Fraud and Counterfeiting

Issue Could Have an Impact at the Polls According to New Study by Harris

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Three out of four U.S.
investors(1) (76%) say someone who naked shorts a stock should face civil (8%)
or criminal penalties (9%) or both (59%). By the same margin (76%), investors
believe such penalties should be about as (65%) or more (11%) severe than
those for fraud and counterfeiting, according to a recent survey commissioned
by Working Americans for an Open Economy, conducted online by Harris
Interactive(R) among 1,243 investors nationwide.
Investors' support for cracking down on naked shorting could play a role
in upcoming congressional elections with 38% of investors saying they would be
more inclined to vote for a congressional candidate who addresses the issue of
naked shorting. Among investors aged 55 or older, fully one-half (50%) say
they would be more inclined to vote for such a candidate.
"This study leaves little doubt as to how seriously investors view the
illegal practice of naked shorting," said Mark Wirthlin, senior vice president
of the Harris-Wirthlin Brand and Strategy Consulting Practice at Harris
Interactive. "If this issue moves front and center, it clearly has the
potential to influence both legislation and congressional elections."
The study was designed to understand investor attitudes toward the
practice of naked shorting. "Naked shorting has become the game on Wall
Street in the past 10 years and its pervasiveness creates serious risks to our
system," said Steve Wark, spokesperson for Working Americans for an Open
Economy. "These results show that the public is ready for the government to
take real and meaningful action against hedge funds, brokerages and
individuals breaking the law."
When it comes to specific actions that could be taken against those found
guilty of naked shorting, vast majorities of investors are behind every
alternative tested:

* Requiring the federal government to publish the identity of brokerages
and individuals found guilty of naked shorting (79%)
* Allowing individuals, investors, pension funds, and small companies
financially damaged by naked shorting to sue to recover their financial
losses (75%)
* Revoking the securities licenses of those found guilty of committing
naked shorting (75%)

Findings for the study were compiled from an online study of 2,486 U.S.
adults conducted December 6-8, 2005. These questions were then asked of the
1,243 who currently own stocks, mutual funds or 401(k) funds. The sampling
error for the investor results is +/- 4 percentage points at the 95%
confidence level.

QUESTION WORDING AND TOPLINE FINDINGS:

BASE: ALL RESPONDENTS
QA Thinking about something new ... Which of the following do you own?

48% OWN STOCKS, FUNDS OR MUTUAL FUNDS
29% Stocks
27% Mutual funds
29% 401(k)
43% None of these
9% Decline to answer

BASE: OWN STOCKS, MUTUAL FUNDS OR 401(K)
QB Please read the information below, then answer the questions that
follow.

In stock trading, there is a stock purchase called "shorting" or "short
selling" and one called "naked shorting."
When someone shorts a stock, he/she borrows shares of that stock from
his/her broker, typically for a fee, and sells those borrowed shares on the
open market. When the stock goes down, he/she buys shares in the market and
returns them to his/her broker who lent them to him/her. Short selling is
legal and the borrower pockets the money he/she makes from borrowing low and
selling high.
Let's say you noticed the price of moose antlers was soaring -- which in
turn would hurt the earnings of Deer Antlers Incorporated. You decide to go
short on Deer Antlers Incorporated, so you borrow 100 shares of Deer Antlers
Incorporated from your broker and sell them at $30 per share. Two months
later, Deer Antlers Incorporated falls to $25 a share. You buy the shares
back and pocket the $5 difference per share for a $500 profit. If you do this
you are a "short-seller" or "selling-short" Deer Antlers Incorporated.
In naked shorting a short-seller makes a stock trade without ever owning
or borrowing the shares he/she sells. Some professional investors and hedge
funds take advantage of loopholes in the rules to sell shares without making
any attempt to borrow the stock. When a stock is naked shorted, there is no
limit on the downward pressure a short-seller can apply to that stock and some
companies can be put out of business by this practice. Naked short sellers
sell and profit from something they don't own or haven't borrowed. Naked
shorting is illegal.
In your opinion, should someone who naked shorts a stock face civil and
criminal penalties?

8% Yes, face civil penalties
9% Yes, face criminal penalties
59% Yes, face both civil and criminal penalties
5% No, face no penalties
18% Not sure

BASE: OWN STOCKS, MUTUAL FUNDS OR 401(K)
QC In your opinion, should penalties for someone guilty of naked short
selling be more severe, less severe or about the same as penalties from crimes
such as fraud and counterfeiting money?

11% More severe
10% Less severe
65% About the same
14% Not sure

BASE: OWN STOCKS, MUTUAL FUNDS OR 401(K)
QD Would you be more inclined / less inclined to vote for a
congressional candidate who will address the issue of naked shorting?

38% More inclined to vote
4% Less inclined to vote
36% Makes no difference
21% Not sure

BASE: OWN STOCKS, MUTUAL FUNDS OR 401(K)
QE Do you believe that individuals, investors, pension funds, and small
companies financially damaged by naked shorting should be able to sue the
guilty parties to recover their financial losses?

75% Should be able to sue
5% Should not be able to sue
21% Not sure

BASE: OWN STOCKS, MUTUAL FUNDS OR 401(K)
QF Do you believe that the federal government should be required to
publicly publish the identity of brokerages and individuals found guilty of
naked shorting?

79% Should be required to publicly publish
4% Should not be required to publicly publish
17% Not sure

BASE: OWN STOCKS, MUTUAL FUNDS OR 401(K)
QG In your opinion, should individuals and firms licensed by U.S.
federal and state governments to buy and sell securities lose their licenses
when found guilty of committing naked shorting?

75% Should lose their licenses
6% Should not lose their licenses
19% Not sure

Note: For questions QD and QE, percentages may not add up to 100% due to
rounding.

Methodology
Harris Interactive(R) conducted the online survey on behalf of Working
Americans for an Open Economy between December 6-8, 2005 among 2,486 U.S.
adults aged 18 and over, of whom 1,243 currently own stocks, mutual funds or
401(k) funds. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and
region were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual
proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to
adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.
In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95
percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of plus or
minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult
population had been polled with complete accuracy. Sampling error for the
sub-samples of investors (1,243) and investors aged 55 and over (497) is
higher and varies. This online sample is not a probability sample.

About Working Americans for an Open Economy
Working Americans for an Open Economy is a non profit public interest
group that advocates for greater transparency and financial accountability in
America's investment, securities, and financial institutions.

About Harris Interactive(R)
Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com), based in Rochester,
New York, is the 13th largest and the fastest-growing market research firm in
the world, most widely known for The Harris Poll(R) and for its pioneering
leadership in the online market research industry. Long recognized by its
clients for delivering insights that enable confident business decisions, the
Company blends the science of innovative research with the art of strategic
consulting to deliver knowledge that leads to measurable and enduring value.
Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe
(www.harrisinteractive.com/europe) and Asia offices, its wholly-owned
subsidiary Novatris in Paris, France (www.novatris.com), and through an
independent global network of affiliate market research companies. EOE M/F/D/V

1. "U.S. investors" refers to U.S. adults aged 18 and over who currently
own stocks, mutual funds or 401(k) funds.

CONTACT: STEVE WARK 702-498-2820

SOURCE Harris Interactive


PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1wtkg)
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/naked-shorting-majority-of-investors-say-penalties-should-be-as-or-more-severe-than-for-fraud-and-counterfeiting-55310202.html