BY Richard Summerfield
Nine major world banks have agreed to pay a $2bn settlement to conclude a class action brought in a New York court over the recent foreign exchange rigging (FOREX) scandal.
For the banks involved, the ramifications of rigging the market in their favour continue to mount up, with fines already exceeding the $10bn mark. However, almost as harmful as the fines and settlements has been the damaging effect of the scandal on the reputations of the banks involved.
The firms involved in the FOREX fixing conspiracy, including HSBC, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Bank of America, JP Morgan, Citibank, Goldman Sachs, RBS and UBS, have been pilloried, and heavily sanctioned in recent years for their roles in the scheme. As a result of the FOREX controversy – amid other notable financial scandals – confidence in the wider financial services sector appears to be almost at rock bottom.
In May, five of the banks - Barclays, Citicorp, JPMorgan Chase, Royal Bank of Scotland and UBS - pleaded guilty to felony charges relating to rigging foreign exchange rates. In 2014, the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK fined four of the five firms a total of £1.1bn. The fifth bank, Barclays, is still under investigation.
According to Michael D. Hausfeld, chairman of Hausfeld, a global claims firm acting on behalf of US investors, the most recent settlements are a key victory for those wronged investors. “As a result of lengthy, hard-fought negotiations, we have obtained historic recoveries on behalf of US investors,” wrote Mr Hausfeld. “Apart from the monetary component, each defendant has agreed to provide substantial cooperation, which will assist investors in their continued litigation against the non-settling defendants. While the recoveries here are tremendous, they are just the beginning. Investors around the world should take note of the significant recoveries secured in the United States and recognise that these settlements cover a fraction of the world’s largest financial market," he added.
Furthermore, as part of the settlement, the rebuked firms have agreed to help investors continue their legal action against a further 12 banks - Credit Suisse Group AG, Credit Suisse AG, Credit Suisse Securities, Deutsche Bank AG, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Morgan Stanley, Morgan Stanley and Co, Morgan Stanley and Co. International, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, RBC Capital Markets, Société Générale, and Standard Chartered.
Undoubtedly, the increase in fines and settlements reflects the increasing regulatory scrutiny banking groups have found themselves subject to in recent years. For those targeted banks, the enforcement actions – and settlements - will likely continue for some time.
News: Currency rigging lawsuit settlements rise past $2bn - lawyer