Versity Income Property Notes (VIP Notes) Default: Investor Options for Recovery

Payments stopped in April 2025 — How investors can pursue recovery through FINRA arbitration.

If you are searching for information on “Versity Income Property Notes,” “VIP Notes,” “Versity Invest, LLC,” “Versity II,” or “Crew Enterprises” because your monthly interest payments unexpectedly stopped in April 2025, you are not alone.

Iorio Law PLLC dozens of represents investors nationwide in FINRA arbitration claims against broker-dealers that sold high-risk private placements and alternative investments. We are actively investigating the sale of VIP Notes through multiple broker-dealers, including:

• WealthForge Securities, LLC (Managing Broker-Dealer / Dealer-Manager)
• Great Point Capital, LLC
• Capulent LLC
• A.G.P. / Alliance Global Partners

If your VIP Notes were recommended and sold through any of these firms, or another FINRA member, this guide explains what VIP Notes are, the red flags surrounding the issuer, and why your broker-dealer may be legally responsible for your investment losses.

What are VIP Notes?

VIP Notes are a Regulation D (Rule 506(b)) private placement consisting of 24-month unsecured notes. The offering documents described the VIP Notes as an “income” investment designed to pay monthly interest. However, the central risk of this investment is extreme issuer credit risk.

When payments stop, investors usually learn the hard truth about private placement debt: a “note” of this type behaves less like a traditional secure bond and more like a highly speculative, unsecured loan to a private business.

The Key Legal Issue: Broker-Dealer Liability

Many investors mistakenly assume that if an issuer defaults, the invested capital is simply gone. In a FINRA arbitration claim, the legal focus shifts to whether the broker-dealer and the individual broker complied with their strict regulatory duties at the time of the recommendation and sale.

Broker-dealers are required to adhere to the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) and state and federal securities laws. To satisfy these obligations, firms must conduct:

• Reasonable Investigation: Broker-dealers must perform independent due diligence on the security and the issuer, which is especially critical for Regulation D private placements.
• Accurately Disclose Material Information: Broker-dealers and brokers must accurately disclose all material information about the security and  the issuer.
• Care Obligation: Brokers must exercise reasonable diligence, care, and skill to ensure the recommendation is in the retail customer’s best interest.
• Fair and Balanced Disclosure: Firms must disclose all material risks, red flags, and conflicts of interest.
• Supervision: Brokerages must implement and maintain supervisory systems designed to prevent unsuitable or misleading sales practices.

FINRA has long warned that complex, illiquid, “non-conventional” products require heightened diligence, supervision, and training. Regulatory Notice 23-08 reiterates that when recommending privately offered securities, firms should reasonably investigate the issuer and management, business prospects, assets, claims being made, and the use of proceeds.

Missed Red Flags: Why Diligence Mattered for VIP Notes

Because VIP Notes are unsecured issuer debt, a broker-dealer’s due diligence cannot stop at marketing language or a glossy pitch deck. According to recent arbitration filings, multiple lawsuits and arbitrations publicly alleged that Versity’s principals diverted and misappropriated syndicated investor funds for personal benefit well before many VIP Notes were sold.

A reasonably diligent broker-dealer evaluating this offering should have investigated:

• Whether the principals of the issuer were previously alleged to have defrauded investors.
• Whether the issuer had the actual financial capacity and liquidity to pay monthly interest and return principal at maturity.
• Whether the stated “repayment sources” (such as syndication and disposition revenue) were reliable.
• Whether offering proceeds were adequately controlled and safeguarded from diversion.
• Whether the serious public allegations of fraud and fund misappropriation against the issuer’s principals disqualified the product from being recommended to retail investors.

If your broker recommended these Notes as “safe” income while minimizing material risks—or failing to disclose the severe litigation history of the issuer’s principals which included allegations of defrauding investors—that failure can support claims for Reg BI violations, negligent misrepresentation, unsuitability, and failure to supervise.

The Role of the Broker-Dealer in VIP Notes Sales

Investors searching for recovery options often look up the specific broker-dealer that sold them the investment. Every firm involved had a duty to ensure recommendations were made only after meaningful diligence.

WealthForge Securities, LLC (Dealer-Manager)

When a firm serves as a dealer-manager (or “managing broker-dealer”) for a private placement, its gatekeeping role is central. WealthForge received significant compensation for this offering, including a 6% selling commission, a 0.65% dealer management fee, and a 1% broker-dealer allowance specifically tied to its due diligence review. This role typically involves product approval, structuring, and setting the supervisory systems governing how the product can be sold.

Selling Broker-Dealers (Great Point Capital, Capulent, A.G.P.)

Even if a firm was not the dealer-manager, it must satisfy the exact same core obligations when recommending and selling a private placement to a retail customer. They must independently understand the product, conduct a reasonable investigation, evaluate suitability, disclose conflicts, and supervise their representatives’ communications.

Common FINRA Arbitration Claims for VIP Notes Investors

While every case is fact-specific, VIP Notes disputes commonly include the following claims:

• Reg BI (Care Obligation) Violations: The recommendation was not in the investor’s best interest, and the firm performed inadequate diligence on the issuer’s debt risk.
• Unsuitability and Concentration: An illiquid, high-risk private placement was inappropriately sold to conservative or retirement-focused investors seeking capital preservation.
• Misrepresentation and Omission: The broker minimized default risk, liquidity limits, the unsecured status of the notes, and the severe litigation history of the issuer’s management.
• Failure to Supervise: The brokerage firm exhibited inadequate product approval, training, and oversight for private placement sales.

Red Flags Checklist: Signs Your Broker May Be Liable

You may have a strong case for FINRA arbitration if any of the following apply to your situation:

• You were told VIP Notes were “safe,” “stable,” “bond-like,” or a conservative income product.
• You were not clearly informed that the Notes were unsecured and highly illiquid.
• You were assured your principal would be returned at maturity without a serious discussion regarding default risk.
• VIP Notes made up a disproportionately large percentage of your investable assets or retirement funds.
• The broker downplayed or completely failed to disclose material lawsuits and concerns regarding the issuer’s management and financial condition.

Act Quickly to Protect Your Rights

FINRA generally applies a six-year eligibility rule measured from the occurrence or event giving rise to the claim, and broker-dealers may also assert various state statutes of limitation. With payments having stopped in April 2025, delaying action can weaken your evidentiary position and leverage.

If you own VIP Notes, immediately collect your account statements showing the purchase, your subscription agreement, the PPM, any pitch decks, and all written communications with your broker.

How Iorio Law PLLC Can Help VIP Notes Investors

Iorio Law PLLC represents investors nationwide in FINRA arbitration claims involving illiquid alternative investments, including Versity and Crew Enterprises-related offerings.

If your VIP Notes were sold through WealthForge Securities, Great Point Capital, Capulent, or A.G.P. / Alliance Global Partners, we can evaluate whether your broker-dealer complied with its due diligence, disclosure, and best-interest obligations—and pursue recovery through FINRA arbitration where appropriate.

For more information on our related investigations, please visit our Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) Investigation Page.

Next Step: Contact us today. Send us your trade confirmation or account statement showing the VIP Notes purchase, along with any emails or pitch materials from your broker, for a comprehensive case evaluation.

📞 Call: (646) 330-4624
📧 Email: info@iorio.law
📍 Location: New York, NY | Representing DST Investors Nationwide
🖊️ Free Case Review: Contact Form