Facing Federal Probe, JPMorgan Exits Municipal Swaps
Business Standard (5 Sep 2008)
“JPMorgan Chase & Co will stop selling interest-rate swaps to government borrowers in the $2.6 trillion US municipal bond market roiled by an antitrust probe and the near-bankruptcy of Alabama’s most-populous county.
At least seven former JPMorgan bankers are under scrutiny in a Justice Department criminal investigation of whether banks conspired to overcharge local governments on swaps and other derivatives. JPMorgan also led a group of banks that charged $120 million in fees for such deals in Jefferson County, Alabama. That was as much as $100 million too high, the county’s former adviser said.”
Read more >>>