Articles by Martha Graybow

Investor Suit Against Bear Stearns, Auditor to Proceed

Plaintiffs in one of the biggest U.S. investor lawsuits stemming from the financial crisis got a boost from a judge, who said a case against fallen investment bank Bear Stearns and its outside auditor, Deloitte & Touche, can go forward. …

SEC Charges 5 with Insider Trading Ahead of Liberty Mutual-Safeco Merger

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged that five individuals, including a former investment banker at Goldman Sachs & Co., illegally tipped or traded on confidential information ahead of an announcement in April 2008 that Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. …

SEC Rejects Madoff Customer Damage Claim for $1.7 Million; Lawsuit Likely

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has rejected an attempt by a Bernard Madoff customer to get the agency to pay $1.7 million she lost in the fraud, setting the stage for a federal lawsuit, the investor’s lawyer said Tuesday. …

Angry Investors Take Aim at U.S. Bank Board Members

U.S. activist investors are seeking to oust board members at beleaguered banks whom they blame for helping cause the companies’ financial woes, setting the stage for drama at upcoming annual shareholder meetings. With their stock prices decimated over the past …

Sources Report AIG Execs in Europe Resist Returning Bonuses

AIG executives in Europe are adamant they should not have to return their controversial bonuses and some feel that pressure on them to do so may amount to blackmail, according to a company employee and internal emails. AIG Financial Products …

Corporate Directors Push New Governing Principles, Better Oversight

A U.S. corporate directors’ group this week recommended a slate of new governance principles for company boards, including better communication with investors on executive pay and improved oversight of business risks. The recommendations by the National Association of Corporate Directors …

AIG, Countrywide in Legal Feud Over Insurance for Subprime Loans

An AIG unit and Countrywide Financial Corp., now part of Bank of America Corp., have sued each other, alleging breach of contract, in a dispute over insurance losses for subprime mortgage loans now in default. American International Group Inc.’s United …

Former Employees’ Skepticism Cited in Investors’ Lawsuit Against Lehman

Aggrieved investors in Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. have added new legal claims in what is sure to be one of the most closely watched lawsuits of the mortgage crisis, accusing company insiders and others of misleading them before the firm …

Law Firms Anticipate Boost in Business from Economic Crisis

U.S. law firms, anticipating a huge rise in lawsuits and other legal work spurred by the economic crisis, are creating task forces to advise financial firms, investment funds and local governments to deal with the turmoil. The financial market woes …

U.S. Subprime Lawsuits Outpace S&L Cases, Study Finds

The U.S. subprime-mortgage crisis has now spurred more federal lawsuits than the savings and loan debacle of the late 1980s and early 1990s ever did, according to new data released this month. The number of new mortgage-related civil lawsuits filed …