SECURITIES

Trustee Sues Bennett Funding Group: The court-appointed trustee has sued the lease-financing company for $1.65 billion for allegedly swindling thousands of investors. Richard C. Breeden, a trustee appointed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, sued to recover money lost by creditors who invested in office equipment leases or loaned money to Bennett companies, which are accused of running the biggest pyramid scheme in U.S. history. Federal authorities allege the company sold the same leases to more than one investor and sold other leases that did not exist. The company then used money from new investors to pay off earlier investors. The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a civil lawsuit accusing the Syracuse, N.Y.-based company and its subsidiaries of selling $570 million of fraudulent securities to investors.