Whistleblower Group

February 11, 2016

New York, in conjunction with members of a state and federal working group announced a $3.2 billion settlement with Morgan Stanley over the bank’s deceptive practices leading up to the financial crisis. The settlement includes $550 million – $400 million worth of consumer relief and $150 million in cash – that will be allocated to New York State. The resolution requires Morgan Stanley to provide significant community-level relief to New Yorkers, including loan reductions to help residents avoid foreclosure, and funds to spur the construction of more affordable housing. Additional resources will be dedicated to helping communities transform their code enforcement systems, invest in land banks, and purchase distressed properties to keep them out of the hands of predatory investors. NY

February 11, 2016

MoneyGram Payment Systems, Inc. a Dallas-based company, has agreed to pay the 49 participating states and the District of Columbia a total of $13 million to resolve an investigation that focused on complaints from persons who wired money to third parties engaged in fraud using MoneyGram’s wire transfer service. The settlement also calls for MoneyGram to maintain an anti-fraud program that is documented in writing. In addition to its required anti-fraud measures and monetary terms, the MoneyGram settlement provides for an independent third-party Settlement Administrator who will review MoneyGram records and send notices concerning restitution to all persons eligible to receive it under the settlement. NJ, MA

February 5, 2016

HSBC Bank USA agreed to pay $470 million settle charges of mortgage origination, servicing and foreclosure abuses.  According to the government, "the agreement is part of our ongoing effort to address root causes of the financial crisis."  The settlement parallels the $25 billion National Mortgage Settlement reached in February 2012 between the federal government, 49 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia’s attorney general and the five largest national mortgage servicers, as well as the $968 million settlement reached in June 2014 between those same federal and state partners and SunTrust Mortgage.  DOJ

February 4, 2016

Zurich-based Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd. agreed to pay $547 million to settle charges of conspiring with many of its U.S. taxpayer-clients and others to help U.S. taxpayers hide from the IRS billions of dollars in offshore accounts and evade U.S. taxes on the income earned in those accounts.  DOJ