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DS News Webcast: Monday 7/28/2014

The ongoing tension between the Justice Department and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform saw a new development this week as Committee Chair Representative Darrell Issa, requested the department turn over all of its documents related to its recent securities settlements with JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup. The letter contends that DoJ's efforts to strike major settlements with banks stands in marked contrast to the Department’s litigation strategy in other contexts.

JPMorgan's historic $13 billion agreement last year and Citi's $7 billion settlement announced earlier this month have prompted questions from the committee as to whether settling with the banks was the most prudent course of action and if there was any sort of favoritism shown in the settlement process. The Attorney General has in the past shown a willingness to pursue penalties against institutions that break the law in court, where the penalty is likely to be more severe, rather than settle for less.

Even as past settlements came under fire the federal government announced that it had come to terms on another. Morgan Stanley agreed to pay back $275 million to investors whom the Securities and Exchange Commission say were misled by a pair of mortgage bonds the company marketed during the financial crisis. According to the SEC, three entities of Morgan Stanley misrepresented their delinquency status regarding mortgage loans in the subprime market in 2007. Federal regulations require the disclosure of delinquency information for the mortgage loans serving as collateral.

About Author: Jordan Funderburk

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