On July 27, 2009, NERA Economic Consulting became the latest to publish a mid-year analysis of the year to date securities litigation developments. The NERA report, written by Stephanie Plancich and Svetlana Starykh, is entitled "Recent Trends in Securities Class Actions Litigation: 2009 Mid-Year Update," and can be found here. The NERA Report joins the earlier mid-year report of Cornerstone Research (refer here). My own mid-year review can be found here.

 

The NERA report seemingly reports a higher number of securities class action filings than the earlier reports, although the seeming difference requires some explanation; on closer review, the apparent difference arguably becomes more apparent than real. In addition to an analysis of the first half lawsuit filings, the NERA report also includes a review of the first half securities lawsuit settlements as well.

 

For the first six months of 2009, NERA reports that there were 127 new securities class action filings. This tally is quite a bit higher than the 87 first half filings that Cornerstone reported in its recent study of first half filings. However the difference may be attributable to a difference in counting methodology. As explained in footnote 2 of the NERA report, "unless cases are consolidated, we report all filings potentially related to the same alleged fraud, if the complaints are filed in different Circuits or if different securities are alleged to be affected by the fraud." Since many of the complaints filed in the first half involve duplicated allegations with multiple complaints filed in different circuits, NERA’s reported number of filings is quite a bit higher than other published reports. NERA notes that "if cases are ultimately consolidated, the data are adjusted." Hence, my statement that the seeming difference in the number of filings may be more apparent than real.

 

The NERA report notes that the first half filings are on an annualized pace of more than 250 filings, which would be more than in 2008. Consistent with earlier reports, the NERA report does note that the number of filings declined in the second quarter. The NERA report also notes that the first half filings were largely driven by the credit crisis cases and new lawsuits relating to the Ponzi schemes. Over 40% of first half filings were credit crisis related and over 20% were related to the Ponzi scheme allegations. About 67% of first half filings named at least one financial company as a primary co-defendant.

 

In addition, the NERA report notes that accounting firms have been named as co-defendants in 17.3% of filings, which represents a significant increase from prior years. Cases against foreign domiciled defendants have also increased, with 19 cases or 15% of all cases naming a foreign company as a primary defendant, the highest percentage since the passage of the PSLRA.

 

In terms of drivers affecting the pace of securities class action lawsuit filings, the report confirms that the filing rate is correlated to overall market volatility, but the relationship is "not tight" and in fact volatility accounts for only about 28% of the variability in quarterly filing levels.

 

In looking at case resolutions, the report attempts to determine how long on average it takes for these cases to be resolved. Looking back at the cases filed in 2000, the report finds that on average, the time to resolution is 2.9 year, with an average time for dismissals of 1.7 years and settlements it was 3.5 years. Most of the more recent cases, particularly those related to the subprime meltdown and the credit crisis still remain only in their earliest stages, and so it is too early to tell how these cases ultimately will be resolved.

 

In analyzing case outcomes overtime, the report finds that a higher fraction of cases have been dismissed since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2005 ruling in Dura Pharmaceuticals, consistent with the hypothesis that defendants are more likely to prevail in a motion to dismiss as a result of that decision.

 

With respect to settlements so far this year, the NERA report finds that the median securities class action settlement is $8 million, which is about the same as in 2008. Median values have remained very consistent for the past five years.

 

The average securities class action settlement during the first half of the year has been $43 million, about even with last year’s average and slightly below the average of $49.6 million for the period 2003 to 2009. The high average relative to the median is driven by large outlier settlements. If the settlements above $1 billion are removed, the average for the period 2003 to 2009 drops to $27.6 million, although the year to date average for 2009 settlements remains at $43 million. A substantial number of settlements this year have been over $100 though less than $1 billion.

 

Median investor losses for cases filed in 2009 ($600 million) are much higher than for cases settled in 2009 ($289 million). Since settlement amounts traditionally have been "strongly correlated" to investor losses, this would seem to suggest that the 2009 cases would be much higher than more recently settled cases. However, given that the companies affected by the credit crisis "may no longer have …substantial resources to make …large settlement payouts" the traditional relationship of settlement amount to investor losses may or may not hold.