UDF Admits To Fraud Charges In SEC Settlement

The Securities & Exchange Commission earlier this week filed charges against Grapevine, TX-based United Development Funding (UDF) and five of its senior executives. The move culminates a ruckus period that featured an FBI raid on the building, claims of threats against a journalist amid a crusading hedge fund manager and SEC charges of misleading investors.  Five of the senior executives named in the civil settlement have agreed to collectively pay $8.5 million in penalties and disgorgement and an FBI investigation appears ongoing, according to court records reviewed by ValueWalk.

UDF's stock price, which had been sharply battered down prior to the news and trading near $3.25 per...