Several Banks Fined Billions By Justice Department For Alleged Wrongdoing

In case you missed it, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week several settlement agreements and fines against several banks. First, for conduct with the packaging, securitization, issuance, marketing and sale of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) between 2005 and 2007, Credit Suisse will pay about $5.3 billion in fines and relief. That includes $2.48 billion as a civil penalty under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA), and $2.8 billion in:

"... relief to underwater homeowners, distressed borrowers and affected communities, in the form of loan forgiveness and financing for affordable housing. Investors, including federally-insured financial institutions, suffered billions of dollars in losses from investing in RMBS issued and underwritten by Credit Suisse between 2005 and 2007."

Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Bill Baer said:

"Credit Suisse claimed its mortgage backed securities were sound, but in the settlement announced today the bank concedes that it knew it was peddling investments containing loans that were likely to fail... That behavior is unacceptable. Today's $5.3 billion resolution is another step towards holding financial institutions accountable for misleading investors and the American public."

Second, for conduct with the packaging, securitization, marketing, sale and issuance of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) between 2006 and 2007, Deutsche Bank will pay $7.2 billion in fines and relief. That includes a $3.1 billion civil penalty under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA), and $4.1 billion in relief to underwater homeowners, distressed borrowers and affected communities.

Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Bill Baer said:

"This $7.2 billion resolution – the largest of its kind – recognizes the immense breadth of Deutsche Bank’s unlawful scheme by demanding a painful penalty from the bank, along with billions of dollars of relief to the communities and homeowners that continue to struggle because of Wall Street’s greed... The Department will remain relentless in holding financial institutions accountable for the harm their misconduct inflicted on investors, our economy and American consumers."

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said:

"In the Statement of Facts accompanying this settlement, Deutsche Bank admits making false representations and omitting material information from disclosures to investors about the loans included in RMBS securities sold by the Bank. This misconduct, combined with that of the other banks we have already settled with, hurt our economy and threatened the banking system... To make matters worse, the Bank’s conduct encouraged shoddy mortgage underwriting and improvident lending that caused borrowers to lose their homes because they couldn’t pay their loans. Today’s settlement shows once again that the Department will aggressively pursue misconduct that hurts the American public."

Third, State Street Corporation will pay more than $64 million to resolve fraud charges. State Street:

"... entered into a deferred prosecution agreement and agreed to pay a $32.3 million criminal penalty to resolve charges that it engaged in a scheme to defraud a number of the bank’s clients by secretly applying commissions to billions of dollars of securities trades. State Street also agreed to offer an equal amount as a civil penalty to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)."

Acting Assistant Attorney General Bitkower said:

"State Street engaged in a concerted effort to fleece its clients by secretly charging unwarranted commissions... The bank fundamentally abused its clients’ trust and inflicted very real financial losses. The department will hold responsible those who engage in this type of criminal conduct."

Acting U.S. Attorney Weinreb said:

"State Street cheated its customers by agreeing to charge one price for its services and then secretly charging them something else... Banks that defraud their clients in this way must be held accountable, no matter how big they are."

Kudos to the DOJ for its enforcement actions. If this wrongdoing is ever going to stop, then jail time for executives needs to be applied.