Legal Eagle Review News

Seattle, Washington - Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP  has filed a class-action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of those who purchased Schwab YieldPlus Funds Investor Shares (Nasdaq:SWYSX) or Schwab YieldPlus Funds Select Shares (Nasdaq:SWYPX) from Charles Schwab Corporation

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than May 16, 2008. If you wish to consider joining this action as lead plaintiff, discuss this action or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, please contact plaintiff's counsel, Reed Kathrein of Hagens Berman at 510-725-3000 or via e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it You can view a copy of the complaint as filed or join this class action online at www.hbsslaw.com/schw. Any member of the class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Although your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision whether or not to seek appointment as a lead plaintiff, lead plaintiffs make important decisions that could affect the overall recovery for class members, including decisions concerning settlement. The securities laws require the Court to consider the class member(s) with the largest financial interest as presumptively the most adequate lead plaintiff(s).

The complaint claims Charles Schwab Corporation -- headquartered in San Francisco, CA, the funds' underwriter, investment advisers and officers and directors issued untrue statements regarding the lack of diversification of these funds and the extent of investments assigned to sub-prime mortgage backed and related securities. The complaint alleges the funds' registration statements and prospectuses contained untrue statements of material facts, and omitted important information regarding the funds' investments, ultimately misleading investors.

On Nov. 15, 2004, the Company began offering the Schwab YieldPlus investment funds through a registration statement and prospectus. The YieldPlus funds are advertised by the defendants as 'a safe alternative to money market funds that preserve principal while being designed with your income needs in mind.' Throughout the Class Period the Company claimed the funds were investments in a large, well-diversified portfolio, a seasoned team of taxable bond portfolio managers actively managed the funds, and that investment in Schwab YieldPlus would return higher yields on cash with only marginally higher risk, a smart alternative. Since July of 2007, the share price for the funds began lowering, for a total loss of 18 percent. Today the funds stand at an all-time low of $7.96, down more than 11 percent from Jan. 1, 2008.

The lawsuit claims the funds are not well diversified, instead concentrated in a single risky industry with more than 50 percent of the funds assets invested in the mortgage industry. The lawsuit seeks remedies under the 1933 Act on behalf of all fund purchasers during the Class Period.