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US Victims of Attacks in Israel Sue Swiss Bank

UBS gave Iran money it knew would support terrorism, suit says

(Newser) - American victims of attacks in Israel are suing Switzerland's biggest bank for helping fund militants by providing money to Iran, Reuters reports. The lawsuit says UBS AG gave loans to Iran even though it supports Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. The plaintiffs seek $500 million in damages for some 50...

Man Tries to Cash $360B Check
 Man Tries to Cash $360B Check 

Man Tries to Cash $360B Check

21-year-old says girlfriend's mother gave him the money

(Newser) - A 21-year-old Texas man has been busted for attempting to deposit a $360 billion check, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports, stolen from his girlfriend's mother for, he claimed, the purpose of starting his own record label. Suspicious of the sum, the bank called the check’s owner. Arriving police found...

Citigroup Will Pay $33M to Settle Gender-Bias Suit

Bank plans to change infrastructure as result of action brought by 2,500 women

(Newser) - Citigroup will pay $33 million to some 2,500 female brokers to settle a gender-discrimination lawsuit brought by women at its Smith Barney unit, Reuters reports. The bank will also make operational changes in response to the class-action move, adding diversity-watchdog positions, working to retain and promote female workers and...

Lenders Turning Blind Eye to Overdue Payments

Overwhelmed banks taking much longer to foreclose on homes

(Newser) - With foreclosures skyrocketing, overwhelmed mortgage lenders are turning a blind eye to homeowners who haven’t paid up, letting them live in their houses despite delinquency, Bloomberg reports. The 3.6% of borrowers at least 90 days behind is almost twice the percentage foreclosed upon. Lenders’ delays are skewing foreclosure...

$19B Buyout of Clear Channel Nearly Dead

Credit woes have sale of radio giant to private firms crumbling

(Newser) - A $19 billion bid to privatize Clear Channel appears likely to fall through as buyers and financiers bicker—with credit-crunch-induced liquidity woes a major stumbling block, the Wall Street Journal reports. A credit agreement between private equity firms and the banks funding the move has become shaky. “No one...

The Software That Ruined Eliot Spitzer

Unusual deposits alerted ever-watchful bank computers

(Newser) - The banks were watching Eliot Spitzer—and they’re watching all of us, too. These days, all large banks and most small ones are equipped with anti-money laundering software, Technology Review explains, which tracks even the most mundane transactions of every customer. Moves that don’t conform to a pattern—...

China ATM Glitch Nets Man Life
China ATM Glitch Nets Man Life

China ATM Glitch Nets Man Life

After withdrawing free money, man found guilty of bank robbery

(Newser) - It seemed like a miracle to Xu Ting of Guangzhou: a misplaced decimal point somewhere in the bowels of an ATM meant that his $140 withdrawal debited his account only 14 cents. Over several hours he made another 170 transactions, pocketing more than $24,000. But after getting robbed and...

FBI Targets 14 Firms in Subprime Fraud Probe

Suspected cases of mortgage fraud up in two years

(Newser) - The FBI is investigating 14 companies linked to the subprime mortgage crisis, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bureau is pursuing allegations including accounting fraud  and insider trading, said a bureau spokesman. An investigation into the complex secondary mortgage market could implicate major firms that have lost billions of investor...

UK To Introduce Sweeping Bank Reforms

Darling announces regulatory shift after Northern Rock fiasco

(Newser) - Britain's chancellor will offer sweeping new powers to that country's equivalent of the SEC to intervene in the event of a banking crisis. In an interview with the Financial Times, Alistair Darling presented a set of triggers that would allow the Financial Services Authority to step in and protect assets...

Goldman Sees Bigger Losses for Big Banks

Predicts larger writedowns at Citi, Merrill, JP Morgan

(Newser) - Goldman Sachs has some bad news for Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, and JPMorgan Chase: An analyst predicts even bigger fourth-quarter writedowns for all three firms than they've already cottoned to, thanks to continued exposure to collateralized debt. The losses will be “significantly larger than investors are anticipating.” How large...

Banks' Borrowing Rates Climb
Banks' Borrowing Rates Climb

Banks' Borrowing Rates Climb

(Newser) - Financial institutions are paying more to borrow money than the average company for the first time in over a decade, reports Bloomberg, as investors fear the $50 billion in subprime losses the big banks have reported so far is just the tip of the iceberg. “We've only seen the...

Citigroup Profit Plunge Hits a Nervous Market

57% quarterly drop, gloomy outlook drive bank's stock down

(Newser) - Citigroup reported a 57% drop in third-quarter profits today, anticipated news that nevertheless sent the bank's shares down by 3.6% to $46.17. The news helped drive nervous market downward as well. "This is the beginning of earnings season, and the market is skittish because analysts are looking...

Bank of America Ups ATM Charges
Bank of America Ups ATM Charges

Bank of America Ups ATM Charges

Non-customers will have to pay $3; other banks are likely to follow

(Newser) - Bank of America has raised its ATM surcharge to $3 for non-customers—and other banks' are likely to follow. That's the highest surcharge in America, and it affects millions, because BoA has the largest ATM network in the country, USA Today reports. Expect the hike to be contageous: "Banks...

One Unrivaled Market Force: Vacation

Stocks calm down as bankers, investors bail for the beach

(Newser) - The FT leads with a prediction that market volatility will decrease over the next week for a simple reason: everyone's going on vacation. Major decisions by banks, hedge funds and mortgage lenders will be on hold as the financial world bails New York, London and Frankfurt for the end of...

Top Banks Borrow $2B From Fed
Top Banks Borrow $2B From Fed

Top Banks Borrow $2B From Fed

Bid to encourage other banks to borrow to shore up credit markets

(Newser) - America's biggest banks—Citigroup, Bank of America, J.P.Morgan Chase and Wachovia— have borrowed a total of $2 billion from the Federal Reserve at the government's so-called discount window. It's an attempt to shore up the faltering credit markets by encouraging smaller banks to borrow from the Fed without...

'Barbie Bandit' Fesses Up in Court
'Barbie Bandit' Fesses Up
in Court

'Barbie Bandit' Fesses Up in Court

Teen bank robber enters weepy guilty plea

(Newser) - Saying she wants to take responsibility for her actions, one of the so-called Barbie Bandits entered a tearful guilty plea today despite not having worked out a deal with prosecutors. In February, 19-year-old Heather Johnston and a fellow stripper robbed a Georgia bank of $11,000, using only sunglasses as...

HSBC Shops for Controlling Stake in KEB

Bank looks to strengthen presence in Korean economy

(Newser) - HSBC is in talks to buy a controlling stake in Korea Exchange Bank from the U.S. private equity group Lone Star. A local newspaper has reported that the deal would be worth $4.5 billion. HSBC wants to strengthen its presence in the Korean economy, and Lone Star has...

Fed Shaves Half- Point Off Discount Rate

Surprise cut boosts futures trading and Euro markets

(Newser) - In a surprise move, the Fed cut its discount rate, which it charges on direct loans to banks, from 6.25% to 5.75% this morning. The central bank acted to calm fears about uncertainty in the global markets surrounding the worsening credit crunch and underlying subprime-loan crisis. The federal...

Romney Has Major Stake in Sinking Fund

Candidates in both parties could see big donations dry up

(Newser) - Former Massachusetts  Governor Mitt Romney has a substantial investment in a teetering Goldman Sachs hedge fund that was propped up with a $3 billion cash infusion after it lost a third of its value. Romney, who won a symbolic victory in Iowa's GOP straw poll last weekend, is thought to...

Virtual Bank Collapse Causes Real Pain

$750K losses in Second Life prompt calls for federal regulation

(Newser) - Ginko Financial, an unregulated investment bank that promised returns of up to 60%, collapsed recently, costing its customers 200 million Lindens—the currency of online virtual universe Second Life, where the bank existed. While the bank, managed by a mysterious, anonymous owner, catered only to computer-generated avatars in its 3...

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