Category: Benchmark Rate Manipulation

This post is the first in a series of posts on the particularly complex issue of LIBOR transition on asset-backed securities, such as residential mortgage-backed securities, which face the additional complication of there being two levels of transition: LIBOR-indexed mortgage notes that are assets of the securitization trust and LIBOR-indexed interest rates paid on the securities issued the securitization trust. Continue reading Breaking LIBOR was Easy. Fixing it May be Hard.

Well, dear readers, this post is going to be a bit outside the usual realm for the Manipulation Monitor. But, in light of my colleague John Whelan’s recent post on the class action settlement in In Re: Libor-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation, 11-MD-02262 (“In re Libor“), I thought it might be fun to provide a bit of color (or colour) on a related LIBOR action currently proceeding in the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. Continue reading Litigating LIBOR Losses: London Edition

We write to update you on recent updates regarding settlement in In Re: Libor-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation, 11-MD-02262 (“In re Libor“), the Multi-District Litigation in the Southern District of New York relating to relating to manipulation of LIBOR or the London Interbank Offered Rate for the U.S. dollar. Continue reading LIBOR Class Action: Settlement Update

LAW 360 (subscription required) reports that a suit in the S.D.N.Y. against various banks alleging manipulation of the Singapore Interbank Offered Rate (“SIBOR”) has been dismissed by U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein on grounds related to Plaintiff Fund Liquidation Holdings LLC’s standing. Specifically, Judge Hellerstein found that an agreement between the Plaintiff and FrontPoint Asian Event Driven Fund Ltd. and Sonterra Capital Master Fund Ltd. (together, “FrontPoint”) (who originally filed the suit) only assigned claims related to securities-related suits, not antitrust claims like those under the Sherman Act brought by the Plaintiff. The Court also denied a motion to approve a $21 million settlement agreement proposed by CitiGroup and JPMorganChase on the grounds that Plaintiff’s lack of standing meant that the Court did not have subject matter jurisdiction to approve the settlement. Continue reading SIBOR Claims Dismissed for Lack of Standing

Law360 reports that the Southern District of New York has refused to join a new LIBOR class action filed by Putnam Bank with the ongoing LIBOR multi-district litigation that is being overseen by Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald. The existing LIBOR MDL concerns rate-rigging from 2007 to 2009/2010, when the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) was the LIBOR administrator, whereas Putnam’s action concerns rate-rigging from 2014 onward, after Intercontinental Exchange Inc., which owns the New York Stock Exchange, had replaced BBA as LIBOR administrator by. Putnam’s claims have been widely reported in the British press. Continue reading New LIBOR Suit Alleging Rate-Rigging Continued After 2014 Not Added to Existing LIBOR MDL

This post covers the alleged underlying facts and November 26, 2018, order by United States District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan dismissing all but one plaintiff in the case for lack of standing in Richard Dennis et al. v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., 16-CV-6496, a case in the Southern District of New York concerning alleged manipulation of the Australian Bank Bill Swap Reference Rate (BBSW). Continue reading Australian Bank Bill Swap Reference Rate: Was Something Underhanded Happening Down Under

Law360 is reporting that on Thursday, S.D.N.Y. Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald awarded Susman Godfrey LLP and Hausfeld LLP almost $63 million in attorney fees for their part in a $340 million settlement of claims that Deutsche Bank and HSBC participate din a scheme to manipulate the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) for short-term loans. Continue reading Court Approves $63 Million Attorney Fee Award in LIBOR Suit

Law360 reports that the judge overseeing an antitrust lawsuit alleging that a group of financial firms manipulated global swaps and options benchmark ISDAfix has awarded plaintiffs’ counsel $126.4 million in fees and $18.4 million in expenses, representing 26% (net) of settlements valued at $504 million. The defendant banks included Bank of America, Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, RBS, UBS, and others. Continue reading 26% Fee Award To Attorneys In ISDAfix Antitrust Litigation

Law360, Yahoo Finance, and MSN Money are all reporting that JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup have reached an agreement to settle claims that they rigged the European Interbank Offered Rate (“EURIBOR”) for $182.5 million. Deutsche Bank, Barclays, and HSBC have settled similar claims in the same action for a combined $309 million. The settlement will require judicial approval. Continue reading JPMC, Citigroup Provisionally Settle EURIBOR Rigging Claims

In this post, we cover the alleged facts and procedural history of FrontPoint Asian Event Driven Fund, Ltd. et al v. Citibank, N.A. et al., 16-cv-05263 (SDNY) (“Frontpoint”), as detailed in Plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint and an Opinion and Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss (the “Decision”) issued on October 4, 2018 by Judge Hellerstein. Continue reading Alleged Manipulation of the Singapore Benchmark Rates