December 12, 2003 — Heartland Advisors said it is “extremely disappointed” that the SEC has filed allegations of fraud concerning the company’s discontinued junk bond funds, and that such charges are “not well founded.”
In a press release Heartland noted that the SEC’s complaint “relates to the events that we have previously disclosed to all of our shareholders. We will vigorously contest these allegations and believe we have a strong basis for our defense.”