Thursday, September 18, 2008

DBS High Notes

Dear Mr Tan,
You were always very critical on structure products from Bank.
And you are right!
Thanks for the previous posts on such structure products.

Sep 18, 2008, The Straits Times
DBS High Notes investors at risk
Bank warns they may lose entire stake in Lehman-linked product
By Francis Chan

SOME local investors of a product linked to bankrupt investment giant Lehman Brothers have received late-night phone calls from DBS Bank warning them that their entire stake may be wiped out. The investors have their cash in a product called DBS High Notes 5 that the bank offered wealthier clients last year. It came with a promised annual return of about 5 per cent.

But Lehman's collapse on Monday means the product will be unwound and investors may only get a portion of their investment back - or none at all.

REPLY

Thank you for sending this news article to me. I am now in Jakarta and was not aware about this event. It is so sad that many people have lost their money in this "credit event".

Perhaps the small investors who lost their savings should ask MAS to look into the structure of this product, and why should the "credit event" cause a lose of their entire savings? Where did the money go?

FAQ on Structured Investment Products
http://www.tankinlian.com/faq/sinvest.html