Wells To Cough Up $125M To Settle Charges It Knowingly Peddled Crappy Mortgage-Backed Securities To Public Pension Plans

Bloomberg reports:

• Wells Fargo & Co. agreed to pay $125 million to settle accusations by investors that the bank misled them about the risks of mortgage-backed securities it sold. The plaintiffs in the consolidated group case, or class action, include the General Retirement System of Detroit, New Orleans Employees’ Retirement System and other public pensions, according to the proposed settlement filed yesterday in federal court in San Jose, California.



• Wells Fargo, the largest U.S. home lender, and several investment banks that underwrote the securities were sued in 2009 over alleged violations of securities laws in connection with sales of $36 billion in mortgage pass-through certificates in 2005 and 2006. The securities were backed by pools of mortgage loans that Wells Fargo or its affiliates originated or purchased.



• In 28 offerings, the bank misrepresented the quality of the loans, failing to disclose that it hadn’t followed appropriate underwriting standards and loans were made based on inflated appraisals, investors said in a complaint. The bank and the underwriters deny wrongdoing, according to the proposed accord, which is subject to a judge’s approval.

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• The bank still faces claims in state courts in California, Illinois and Indiana filed by individual investors and federal home loan banks seeking to rescind billions of dollars of mortgage-backed securities purchases.

For the story, see Wells Fargo to Pay $125 Million to Settle Mortgage-Backed Securities Case.