Financial Firm Roundup: Citigroup Settles $3.5B MBS Lawsuit with FHFA, JPMorgan Unit Fined $4.64M, Court Won’t Dismiss USB Whistleblower’s Action, & Ex-Goldman Sachs Executive to Pay $100K Over Pay-To-Play Scam

Citigroup (C) Settle $3.5B securities lawsuit Over MBS Sold to Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae
Citigroup has settled the $3.5 billion mortgage-backed securities filed with the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The MBS were sold to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and both sustained resulting losses. This is the second of 18 securities fraud cases involving FHFA suing banks last year over more than $200B in MBS losses by Fannie and Freddie. The lawsuit is FHFA v. Citigroup.

J.P. Morgan International Bank Ltd. Slapped with $4.64M Fine by UK Regulator
The UK Financial Conduct Authority says that JPMorgan unit (JPM) J.P. Morgan International Bank Ltd. must pay a $4.64 million fine for controls failures and systems involving its retail investment advice and portfolio investment services. Per the agency, financial firms that don’t maintain the proper records not only put their clients at risk of getting involved inappropriate investments, but also they don’t have a way to determine whether the proper advice was given. Fortunately, investors were not harmed despite the risk exposure.

The UK regulator says the problems went on for two years. Among the problems identified: outdated files, insufficient key client data, inadequate record system, inadequate suitability reports, and insufficient communication with clients about suitability. FCA says that it wasn’t until after it identified the problems and notified the JP Morgan unit about them that the necessary modifications were made.

Whistleblower’s Retaliation Action Against UBS Securities Can Go Ahead, Says Court
A district court judge made the decision not to dismiss ex-UBS Securities LLC (UBS) senior strategist Trevor Murray’s retaliatory action against his former employer. Murray was allegedly fired after he told his managers about possible securities law violations.

He contends that he was let go because he refused to write reports about UBS’s commercial MBS that were “more favorable to the financial firm.” Murray sued, arguing that the action violated the Dodd-Frank Act’s whistleblower protection provisions. UBS then tried arguing that Murray wasn’t a whistleblower because he didn’t tell the SEC about the alleged violation, but the judge said that a whistleblower is allowed to report alleged violations to governmental authorities and persons other than the regulator.

Former Goldman Sachs VP Consents to Pay $100K Payment SEC Pay-to-Play Action
Neil M. M. Morrison, an ex-Goldman Sachs & Co. (GS) vice president, will pay $100,000 to resolve an SEC action accusing him of taking part in an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving former Massachusetts state Treasurer Timothy Cahill’s gubernatorial campaign. The Commission said that he solicited the state’s underwriting business while “engaged” in Cahill’s campaign and that his use of the financial firm’s resources and work time are considered campaign contributions. By settling, Morrison is not admitting or denying the allegations.

Meantime, Goldman will pay approximately $12 million to settle the related proceedings against it, as well as $4.5 million to Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. Even though the firm wasn’t allowed to take part in municipal underwriting business for two years after Morrison’s alleged violations, the SEC says that Goldman still took part in 30 underwriting contracts with issuers in the state and made about $7.5 million in fees.

Citi settles U.S. suit over $3.5 billion in mortgage securities, Reuters, May 28, 2013

Internal Whistleblowing Deserves Protection, Judge Tells UBS, Law360, May 22, 2013

SEC Charges Goldman Sachs and Former Vice President in Pay-to-Play Probe Involving Contributions to Former Massachusetts State Treasurer, SEC, September 27, 2012

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FINRA Orders Wells Fargo & Banc of America’s Merrill Lynch Ordered to Pay $5.1M for Floating-Rate Bank Loan Funds Sales, Stockbroker Fraud Blog, June 4, 2013