The FDIC has authorized more than 50 lawsuits against former directors and officers of failed banks, according to an October 8, 2010 Bloomberg article. But merely because the lawsuits have been authorized does not necessarily mean we will see 50 lawsuits, as it appears that the FDIC approval was calculated in part to encourage
Is the FDIC Staking Out Its Territory or Extending Its Borders?
With one lone exception, the FDIC has not yet itself pursued litigation against the directors and officers of a failed financial institution. However, the FDIC has already made it clear that it intends to assert its rights under FIRREA as the receiver of failed banks to take control of shareholders’ derivative lawsuits.
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The “Back-to- School” Issue
If the number of out of office messages sent back when I sent out new blog post email notifications during August are any indication, many readers have been away for some or all of the past few weeks. I hope you saved the little paper umbrella from the fruity drink that you and your spouse
FDIC: Banks Looking Up, But Number of Problem Banks Still Increasing
According to the FDIC’s Second Quarter 2010 Quarterly Banking Profile, which the agency released on August 31, 2010, aggregate indicators of banking institutions’ financial health are improving, but at the same time the number of "problem institutions" also continues to increase. The FDIC’s August 31, 2010 press release about the Quarterly Banking Profile can
Feds Launches Criminal Case Against Failed Bank Officials
It remains to be seen whether the FDIC will pursue civil actions against former directors and officers of failed banks, but it has made it clear that it will file criminal actions in cases where it suspects fraud. According to news reports, on May 7, 2010, the U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of
Failed Banks: Will the FDIC’s Next Steps Include Litigation?
The FDIC has picked up where it left off at the end of 2009, with its first bank closure of the New Year. On Friday, January 8, 2010, the FDIC took control of Horizon Bank of Bellingham, Washington, for the first bank closure of 2010. While the FDIC’s continuation of its regulatory actions regarding troubled
A Madoff Lawsuit Variant
Even though Madoff victims previously filed a securities class action lawsuit against Banco Santander and other parties in the Southern District of Florida (as discussed here), a different group of claimants has now filed a separate lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against substantially the same set of defendants. However, the new
Knock Yourselves Out, Investors
All litigants face the challenge of managing lawsuit expenses and exposures. The Reserve Primary Fund investor litigation defendants have crafted a novel approach to addressing these challenges – they apparently intend to finance their defense as well as any indemnity out of funds due to investors — that is, the funds of the very people on whose
Web Notes and Updates
FDIC Report: More Bank Failures Coming?: The FDIC’s Quarterly Banking Profile for the third quarter 2008 (here), released on November 25, 2008, paints a dismal picture of the banking industry.
Among other things, the Report notes that during the third quarter the number of insured institutions on the FDIC’s "Problem List" increased
More Bad Bank Blues
The closure of three more banks this past Friday night underscores the difficult environment now facing many banks and also suggests that the pace of bank failures is accelerating. These developments may also have important implications for the D&O insurance placement market banks may have to confront in the months ahead.
On November 21