Criminal Action Is Expected for JPMorgan in Madoff Case

New York Times posted by JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG AND BEN PROTESS

Madoff JPMorganJPMorgan Chase and federal authorities are nearing settlements over the bank’s ties to Bernard L. Madoff, striking tentative deals that would involve roughly $2 billion in penalties and a rare criminal action. The government will use a sizable portion of the money to compensate Mr. Madoff’s victims.

The settlements, which are coming together on the anniversary of Mr. Madoff’s arrest at his Manhattan penthouse five years ago on Wednesday, would fault the bank for turning a blind eye to his huge Ponzi scheme, according to people briefed on the case who were not authorized to speak publicly. Continue reading

BofA Invasive Tactic in Foreclosures Draws Scrutiny

Don’t think for a minute that this could not happen to you.  This is much more prevalent than you can imagine.

NYT break-in storyThe New York Times – by JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG

Barry Tatum returned to his home in Chicago in December to find that his front and back doors had been torn from their hinges, leaving his possessions exposed to the frigid winds that whipped through his neighborhood.

Terrified that he had been robbed, Mr. Tatum, who had fallen behind on his Bank of America mortgage, raced inside only to discover an unlikely source of the break-in, he Continue reading