Deutsche Bank Agrees to $220M Settlement in Case Over LIBOR Manipulation
Deutsche Bank has agreed to a $220 million, 45-state settlement over its role in the manipulation of the benchmark London Interbank Offered Rate, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office announced Wednesday.
October 25, 2017 at 02:40 PM
6 minute read
Deutsche Bank has agreed to a $220 million, 45-state settlement over its role in the manipulation of the benchmark London Interbank Offered Rate, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office announced Wednesday.
“We will not tolerate fraudulent, manipulative or collusive conduct that interferes with or undermines confidence in our financial markets. Large financial institutions, like all other market participants, have to abide by the rules,” Schneiderman said in a statement.
Deutsche, along with more than a dozen other banks, helped set the interest rates for trading of the U.S. dollar and other currencies. The interest rate affects trillions of dollars worth of financial instruments.
From 2005 through the global financial crisis, investigators say they found the bank unlawfully defrauded counterparties by failing to disclose it had made false or misleading LIBOR price submissions, had traders who attempted to influence other banks' traders to benefit Deutsche's position, and was aware that submissions were being falsified by other banks as well.
According to Schneiderman, the manipulation defrauded government entities and not-for-profits of funds “that otherwise could have been used to benefit New Yorkers.” These entities entered into swaps and other financial contracts with Deutsche not knowing the interest rate on the dollar was being manipulated.
Schneiderman acknowledged that Deutsche Bank cooperated with the investigation.
A spokesman for the bank said in a statement that this resolves the bank's last U.S. regulatory inquiry related to LIBOR.
New York and California led the investigation, according to Schneiderman's office. Of the $220 million agreed to by Deutsche, more than $213 million will be made available to entities that had swap and other investments with the bank. The remainder of the settlement balance will cover investigation and other expenses.
The settlement is the second related to state prosecutors' specifically investigating LIBOR manipulation. Last year, Barclays agreed to a $100 million settlement with Schneiderman and the other 45 states that are part of the investigation working group. A number of other banks are still being investigated, according to the New York AG's office.
The settlement is also just the latest Deutsche has entered into over LIBOR accusations. In July, it agreed to pay $77 million in an antitrust suit over manipulation allegations related to the Japanese yen interest rate.
Photo: Dantadd, via Wikimedia Commons“We will not tolerate fraudulent, manipulative or collusive conduct that interferes with or undermines confidence in our financial markets. Large financial institutions, like all other market participants, have to abide by the rules,” Schneiderman said in a statement.
Deutsche, along with more than a dozen other banks, helped set the interest rates for trading of the U.S. dollar and other currencies. The interest rate affects trillions of dollars worth of financial instruments.
From 2005 through the global financial crisis, investigators say they found the bank unlawfully defrauded counterparties by failing to disclose it had made false or misleading LIBOR price submissions, had traders who attempted to influence other banks' traders to benefit Deutsche's position, and was aware that submissions were being falsified by other banks as well.
According to Schneiderman, the manipulation defrauded government entities and not-for-profits of funds “that otherwise could have been used to benefit New Yorkers.” These entities entered into swaps and other financial contracts with Deutsche not knowing the interest rate on the dollar was being manipulated.
Schneiderman acknowledged that
A spokesman for the bank said in a statement that this resolves the bank's last U.S. regulatory inquiry related to LIBOR.
The settlement is the second related to state prosecutors' specifically investigating LIBOR manipulation. Last year,
The settlement is also just the latest Deutsche has entered into over LIBOR accusations. In July, it agreed to pay $77 million in an antitrust suit over manipulation allegations related to the Japanese yen interest rate.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllLaw Firms Expand Scope of Immigration Expertise Amid Blitz of Trump Orders
6 minute read'Reluctant to Trust'?: NY Courts Continue to Grapple With Complexities of Jury Diversity
Trending Stories
- 1LSU General Counsel Quits Amid Fracas Over First Amendment Rights of Law Professor
- 2An Eye on ‘De-Risking’: Chewing on Hot Topics in Litigation Funding With Jeffery Lula of GLS Capital
- 3Arguing Class Actions: With Friends Like These...
- 4How Some Elite Law Firms Are Growing Equity Partner Ranks Faster Than Others
- 5Fried Frank Partner Leaves for Paul Hastings to Start Tech Transactions Practice
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250