Two Goldman Sachs customers sue firm over ARS

October 03 12:05:01 PM, Yahoo News

Reuters - Two customers of Goldman Sachs Group Inc sued the Wall Street firm on Thursday, claiming it convinced them to keep buying risky auction rate securities when it knew the market was collapsing.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan said that between July 2006 and August 2007, Goldman sold $3.6 billion of student loan ARS to Bankruptcy Management Solutions Inc and Ocwen Financial Corp.

"Goldman represented to BMS and Ocwen that the securities were appropriate for those companies' investment portfolios which, as Goldman knew or consciously and recklessly disregarded, were restricted to safe, highly-liquid investments," the lawsuit said.

At the time of the ARS market collapse in February this year, BMS and Ocwen held a combined $236 million in Goldman-brokered student loan auction rate securities, the lawsuit said. These were ARS based on student loans typically supported by government guarantees.

"Brokers, including Goldman, chose to take action to conceal from investors such as BMS and Ocwen the rapid loss of liquidity from the market by increasing purchases," the lawsuit said.

In the financial crisis that has changed the landscape of the industry, the two largest investment banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley (MS.N), have become bank holding companies, turning away from the high-risk broker model.

BMS does most of its business in California providing software, hardware and services to support Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees. Florida-based Ocwen provides loan servicing and mortgage fulfillment to the financial industry.

A spokesman for Goldman Sachs declined comment on the lawsuit, one of several that have been filed by shareholders or customers of banks and investment banks that dealt in auction rate securities.

They were billed as safe, cash-like instruments bought and sold in periodic auctions every 7, 14 or 28 days, but big banks stopped supporting the auctions in January as investor demand for the debt dried up.

Many investors have been stuck holding the debt, sparking investigations into whether banks sold the securities even as they privately worried market turmoil was making it harder to complete auctions.

(Reporting by Grant McCool; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Source

Housing downturn hits L.A.-area rents
Overbuilding and foreclosures add to supply of units as the recession limits what people can pay. Christine…
Walgreen's plans to cut 1,000 salaried jobs
Walgreen Co. said Thursday that intends to eliminate 1,000 salaried positions during fiscal 2009, as part of an earlier-announced initiative by which the Deerfield drugstore-chain is seeking to slash $1…
Chief Performance Officer Nancy Killefer faces a political pork fight
President-elect Barack Obama gives new title to old waste-cutting job Appointed by President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday to the…
Retailers report dismal December sales
NEW YORK -- Retailers reported dismal sales figures for December today as even Wal-Mart Stores Inc., one of the bright spots in the industry, finally buckled under the pressures of the deteriorating economy.
Ill. sec. of state feels the heat in Burris flap
AP - Until recently, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White may have been best known on the national stage for establishing an inner city tumbling team. No longer.
It was a dismal December for U.S. retailers
As merchants reported their sales figures that confirming fears the holiday season was the weakest in four decades, the malaise cut through practically all areas from kitchen gadget stores to apparel retailers.…
Stocks flat as stimulus hopes offset Wal-Mart
Reuters - Stocks were little changed on Thursday as investors took bleak signs of more deterioration in consumer spending as likely to spur Washington to approve a stimulus plan quickly to jolt the economy…
The wrong people pay for Schwarzenegger's busted budget
The state's wealthiest residents would make out just fine under his plan to cut services, hike taxes. The Schwarzenegger administration…
Mortgage giants extend suspensions of foreclosures
AP - Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said Thursday they will extend the suspension of foreclosure sales and evictions from single-family homes through the end of January.
Continuing jobless claims rise more than expected
WASHINGTON -- The number of people continuing to seek unemployment benefits has risen sharply, according to government data released Thursday, indicating that laid-off workers are having a harder time…
Consumers Union asks Congress to delay switch to digital TV
Congress should consider delaying the Feb. 17 switch to digital TV because a flawed subsidy program may leave some households without equipment needed to receive broadcasts, the Consumers Union said Wednesday. …
SEC accuses man of $50 million Ponzi scheme
Reuters - Securities and futures regulators charged a Philadelphia-area fund manager with operating a $50 million Ponzi scheme, where he paid off earlier investors with money from later investors, officials…
Stocks head lower on retail woes
NEW YORK (AP) - Wall Street's worries about weak consumer spending revived Thursday, sending stocks lower as bad news from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. signaled that even the stronger U.S. retailers struggled…
GMAC says backs ResCap, without committing to it
Reuters - Finance company GMAC LLC expressed support for its money-losing Residential Capital LLC mortgage unit on Thursday but stopped short of a commitment to keep the big home loan provider in business.
Eric 2.0: Polaroid debuts digital camera with built-in printer
Companies face $409 billion pension deficit: study
Reuters - Volatile markets have saddled U.S. companies with a $409 billion deficit on pension plans, reversing a $60 billion surplus a year earlier, and will cut into earnings in 2009, consulting firm…
Stocks open lower as jitters about retail return
NEW YORK -- Wall Street's worries about weak consumer spending revived today, sending stocks lower as bad news from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. signaled that even the stronger U.S. retailers struggled during…
Stock traders' tough floor routine
Pros feel pressure to get the best prices in buying and selling clients stocks The stock market has been…
Lenovo cuts jobs, restructures
Reuters - Lenovo Group, the world's fourth-biggest PC maker, forecast a quarterly loss as China's slowing economy hit sales, and said it will axe 2,500 jobs as part of a restructuring to cope with falling…
Paramount CEO Brad Grey signs on for five more years
The development is a vote of confidence in the studio chief, who acknowledges having had a bumpy run. Brad…
FDA panel recommends approval of Ovation's anti-seizure drug
Ovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Wednesday evening that an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously to recommend the company's Sabril seizure treatment be approved…
Continental Airlines uses biofuel on test flight
The carrier uses an algae-and-weed mix to help power one of two engines during a two-hour flight. Continental…
Microsoft rolling out trial versions of Vista successor
Windows 7 is designed to make operating a computer less frustrating and to work better with gadgets. The improvements…
Political wrangling bogs down economic stimulus package
Economists warn that if the stimulus comes too late or loses focus, it could fall short of rescuing the nation. …