On February 2, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a district court order requiring a mortgage lender to pay $5.4 million in damages and $14 million in attorney’s fees for selling mortgages that did not...more
The years since the 2007–2008 financial crisis have been marked with milestone settlements of claims against the major mortgage “aggregators” (sometimes also known as “investors” in the mortgage purchasing context), who then...more
The White House is reportedly extending the temporary license for some US businesses to work with Huawei, a move that would likely help smooth the way for trade negotiators between the US and China to see their way back to...more
DOJ News & Litigation Updates - ITT Cannon to Pay $11 Million to Settle False Claims Allegations - ITT Cannon (ITT), a division of ITT Inc., has agreed to pay $11 million to settle whistleblower claims that it supplied...more
On January 14, U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the Southern District of New York granted a joint request from plaintiff certificateholder Royal Park Investments SA/NV and defendant trustee Wells Fargo Bank NA to...more
Deutsche Bank settled with BlackRock and other RMBS investors in New York federal (BlackRock Balanced Capital Portfolio (Fi) v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, S.D.N.Y., No. 1:14-cv-09367) and California state...more
Nomura Holdings, Inc. (“Nomura”) and its U.S. affiliates agreed to pay $480 million to resolve claims brought by the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ“) for alleged misrepresentations in connection with RMBS offerings...more
Dealbook gives us this uncomfortable take on China’s “nuclear option” in the trade war with the United States—its holdings of more than $1 trillion in US foreign debt and the possibility of stepping back from buying (or even...more
U.S. Financial Industry Developments - CFTC Proposes Rules to Simplify Process for Foreign Clearing Organizations to Obtain DCO Registration Exemption - On August 8, 2018, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)...more
The rise of tariffs as a trade weapon has put the WTO in a very difficult position as “chief judge in an intense fight among its most powerful members”....more
Ten years after the financial crisis, mortgage companies and regional/local banks are still getting hit with new breach of contract and indemnification claims related to loans sold before the crisis....more
Coach is looking to appeal to a younger generation (hint, big sales running nearly all the time would help), and it’s decided that buying is the way to go, announcing yesterday that it’s snapping up Kate Spade for $2.4...more
Financial Industry Developments - SEC Adopts T+2 Settlement Cycle for Securities Transactions - On March 22, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted an amendment to Rule 15c6-1(a), shortening the...more
After markets closed on Friday the 13th, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced an $864 million settlement regarding Moody’s credit ratings of residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”) and collateralized debt...more
Financial Industry Developments - CTFC Approves Re-Proposal of Position Limits Regulation - On December 5, 2016, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") unanimously approved to re-propose rules that...more
Council of EU Adopts Regulation Extending Exemptions for Commodity Dealers under CRR - On May 30, 2016, the Council of the EU published a press release confirming that it has adopted a Regulation amending the Capital...more
No-Action Letter Issued Regarding the OCR Final Rule - On April 8, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's ("CFTC") Division of Market Oversight issued a no-action letter regarding the ownership and control final...more
On February 5, 2016, the Bank of New York Mellon (“BNY Mellon”), in its capacity as trustee of 530 RMBS trusts, filed an Article 77 petition with the Supreme Court of the State of New York requesting instruction as to how it...more
On Friday, January 22, 2016, eleven banks, including Merrill Lynch, RBS, and Barclays, agreed to settle claims brought by the Commonwealth of Virginia in a 2014 action alleging misrepresentations as to the nature, quality,...more
On Monday, January 25, 2016, monoline insurer Ambac Assurance Corporation (“Ambac”) reached a $995 million settlement with J.P. Morgan, resolving two RMBS actions pending before Justice Ramos in the Supreme Court of the State...more
On January 20, trial commenced before Justice Marcy Friedman in New York County Supreme Court to determine whether Deutsche Bank, U.S. Bank, and the other trustees of 330 RMBS trusts acted reasonably when they reached a $4.5...more
On December 10, 2015, the National Credit Union Administration (“NCUA”) announced Morgan Stanley’s agreement to pay $225 million to settle litigation brought in New York and Kansas federal courts by NCUA as liquidating agent...more
SEC Proposes to Amend Rules Governing Its Administrative Proceedings - On September 24, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") proposed to amend rules governing its administrative proceedings. Key...more
On September 8, 2015, Bank of America NA and Midland Loan Services settled Bank of America’s lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment that it did not breach the representations and warranties in connection with a CMBS...more
CFTC Issues Proposed Amendments to Swap Data Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements for Cleared Swaps - On August 19, The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) proposed amendments to existing rules relating...more