The U.S. Department of Justice announced it's seeking a record $14 billion penalty against Deutsche Bank in relation to mortgage securities fraud in the run up to the global financial crisis that's roiled markets since 2007.
Another naughty bank, another big fine. Regulators quietly charge banks and financial institutions with rules and policy violations all the time. Most of them are settled just as quietly after a bunch of legal wrangling, without causing so much as a blip in the headlines.
So what's the big deal?
Well, Deutsche Bank is facing a $14 billion fine at a time when the bank has "litigation reserves" of just €5.5 billion ($6.17 billion). It simply doesn't have the cash on hand to pay just the penalties sought by U.S. regulators as it stands today.
What's more, that $14 billion fine stems from just one of the more than 7,000 ongoing legal cases, according to The Guardian.
These problems are bad, but they pale in comparison to the problem no one's talking about...
Tags:Banks
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