Article: Citadel’s Griffin Likely To Be The Biggest Target Of Thursday’s Congressional Hearings

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Citadel’s Griffin Likely To Be The Biggest Target Of Thursday’s Congressional Hearings

Tyler Durden, 17 February 2021

Despite the fact that it was reported on Wednesday that Reddit ringleader Deepf*ckingvalue was being sued for securities fraud in the GameStop fiasco, Ken Griffin’s Citadel is likely going to be the biggest target during Thursday’s congressional hearings.

At the core of the runup in GameStop stock was Griffin’s Citadel, executing trades on behalf of Robinhood, who it pays for order flow. Griffin was also at the center of the controversy due to one of his other businesses offering up a $2 billion bailout to Melvin Capital, who was hit hard by the runup in shares.

And so, Griffin will likely become the target for all types of grandstanding and faux outrage at Thursday’s hearing, where a clueless House Financial Services Committee will do their best to fake any understanding of capital markets while attempting to put on a political show. Citadel could be the scapegoat for all types of new financial regulation, Bloomberg wrote on Wednesday.
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Article: HSBC pays record $1.9bn fine to settle US money-laundering accusations

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HSBC pays record $1.9bn fine to settle US money-laundering accusations

Jill Treanor and Dominic Rushe,  11 December 2012

HSBC was guilty of a “blatant failure” to implement anti-money laundering controls and wilfully flouted US sanctions, American prosecutors said, as the bank was forced to pay a record $1.9bn (£1.2bn) to settle allegations it allowed terrorists to move money around the financial system.

Hours after the bank’s chief executive, Stuart Gulliver, said he was “profoundly sorry” for the failures, assistant attorney general Lanny Breuer told a press conference in New York that Mexican drug traffickers deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars each day in HSBC accounts. At least $881m in drug trafficking money was laundered throughout the bank’s accounts. Continue reading “Article: HSBC pays record $1.9bn fine to settle US money-laundering accusations”

Article: HSBC scandal further erodes credibility of UK banking industry

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HSBC scandal further erodes credibility of UK banking industry

AFP, 22 July 2012

London: A scandal erupting at Europe’s biggest bank HSBC has added to concerns over the state of Britain’s financial sector amid the Barclays rate rigging affair and as the industry faces a major shake-up.

HSBC last week apologised and its head of compliance David Bagley resigned after US lawmakers accused the London-based bank of failing to apply anti-laundering rules, benefitting Iran, terrorists and drug dealers.

The HSBC affair follows hot on the heels of the Libor interest rate rigging scandal that has brought down top executives at Britain’s Barclays bank — most notably its chief executive Bob Diamond and chairman Marcus Agius.

Regulators are reportedly investigating HSBC, as well as Credit Agricole, Deutsche Bank and Societe Generale, over alleged manipulation of the Libor rate after Barclays was recently fined £290 million (Dh1.66 billion) over the affair.

Britain’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), has said its Libor probe is looking at seven groups, which are not only British institutions.

Bank of England governor Mervyn King has meanwhile proposed that central bank governors and regulators discuss Libor reform at their upcoming meeting in Basel, Switzerland, on September 9.

Barclays has admitted attempting to manipulate the Libor and Euribor rates between 2005 and 2009.

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Article: Goldman to pay $450,000 over short-selling

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Goldman to pay $450,000 over short-selling

March Gordon

Associated Press, 4 May 2010

Goldman Sachs has agreed to pay $450,000 to settle regulators’ allegations that it violated a rule related to short-selling of stocks in 2008-2009, it was announced Tuesday.

The banking company did not admit or deny wrongdoing in paying the civil penalties in agreements with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York Stock Exchange’s regulatory arm.

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Article: SEC and FSA Take Actions Against Short Selling

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SEC and FSA Take Actions Against Short Selling

Cary J. Meer, Christina E. Anzuoni, Manjinder Cacacie, Kay A. Gordon, Mark D. Perlow

K&L Gates, 19 September 2008

On September 17 and 18, 2008, in a series of emergency measures, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted two new rules, issued two orders (including a temporary ban on short sales in financial securities), amended Regulation SHO and Rule 10b-18, and announced enforcement initiatives aimed at preventing “naked” short selling and compelling disclosure of short positions. In the view of the SEC, but not of all observers, “naked” short selling and other manipulative trading practices have contributed to the recent turmoil in the markets and sudden declines in securities prices, particularly in the financial sector. “Naked” short selling is the practice of selling a security short without having borrowed the security.

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Article: New SEC Rules Target ‘Naked’ Short-Selling

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New SEC Rules Target ‘Naked’ Short-Selling

Marcy Gordon

Associated Press, 18 September 2008

Federal regulators yesterday took measures aimed at reining in aggressive forms of short-selling that were blamed in part for the demise of Lehman Brothers and that some feared could be used against other vulnerable companies in a turbulent market.

The Securities and Exchange Commission adopted rules it said would provide permanent protections against abusive “naked” short-selling. Unlike the SEC’s temporary emergency ban this summer covering naked short-selling in the stocks of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and 17 large investment banks, the new rules apply to trading in the broader market.

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Article: SEC’s ban on short-selling Fannie, Freddie ends

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SEC’s ban on short-selling Fannie, Freddie ends

Marcy Gordon

New York Times, 13 August 2008

A government order expires Tuesday that temporarily banned a certain kind of short-selling of the stocks of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) and 17 large investment banks.

The companies’ shares have stabilized since the ban took effect July 21. The Securities and Exchange Commission says its order helped prevent stock manipulation, and that regulators will be able to analyze data to gauge its effectiveness. But some experts say that may be difficult to determine.

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