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Pay attention: when I told you in 2006 that all the signs were present for a US housing crisis that would engulf the world in a financial crisis, you didn't listen. When I told you in 2007 that the crisis was happening and organised a conference to discuss strategies to prepare for and manage it, you didn't listen and you didn't come to the conference. If you were invited as a speaker, you denied there was a problem and declined to speak.

So, listen now: ...

Fidelity National Financial Inc, is a Florida-based title insurance company. District attorneys in California alleged that the company used a software system that "facilitated illegal secret payments to brokers for business referrals to title insurers and other providers."

After the fact insurance is nothing new - but it's supposed to be taken out with the consent of the insurance company. California is suffering from a glut of frauds where motor crashes take place, insurance is then taken out and a claim made under the policy. That's not right, say the authorities.

Sung Kook (Bill) HWANG has entered into an agreement - without admitting or denying the allegations - with the USA's Securities and Exchange Commission over the activities of two private funds: Tiger Asia Fund, L.P., and Tiger Asia Overseas Fund, Ltd.

The Jakarta Post reports that it has seen a copy of a draft banking Bill which has been "specifically developed to target foreign banks operating here," it says.

The USA's Securities and Investment Commission has commenced administrative (i.e. civil) proceedings against Linda Dianne Alexander, a 70 year old living in California, alleging that she has conducted a prime bank investment fraud since 2004 - and in doing so was offering securities despite being unregistered or associated with a registered broker-dealer.

In Washington's hallowed halls, the bank favoured by diplomats of many nationalities - as well as many Senators, Congressmen and government officers was an old bank with the kind of values they liked to be associated with.. Riggs Bank was nice, comfortable and did what banks do in a rather courteous and gentlemanly manner.
Except that it had a dark side...

The Securities and Exchange Commission today sued AMMB Consultant Sendirian Berhad (AMC), a Malaysian investment adviser, alleging that for more than a decade, AMC charged a U.S. registered fund for advisory services that it did not request and that AMC did not provide. The total cost to the company in the USA? USD3,125,000.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has imposed an agreed penalty of USD200 million on Barclays PLC, Barclays Bank PLC and Barclays Capital, Inc for attempting to manipulate LIBOR and Euribor rates and making false reports to obscure its financial position during the global financial crisis. But there have also been settlements with the US Department of Justice and the UK's Financial Services Authority. The total of fines and penalties is substantial. And other banks may be in the firing line, too.

The Securities and Exchange Commission obtained, on 25 June 2012, a temporary restraining order and asset freeze against Wayne L. Palmer and his firm, National Note of Utah, LC alleging that he operated a real estate-based Ponzi scheme that bilked USD100 million from investors nationwide. Yet banks continued dealing with him.

As a result of concerns raised by ASIC, American Express Australia Limited has agreed to change its approach to the charging of a higher ‘default’ rate of interest to credit card customers who have defaulted in their payment obligations. The policy currently affects 7.9% of credit card accounts issued by AMEX. As a result of the changes the holders of those accounts will receive a reduction in interest rate of up to 6%.

Scam e-mails are nothing new and usually they are so boring they don't even register. But "Woolcock" paulwk@gmail.com 's "Money Transfer" scam mail is so amusing it justifies being included in the Fraud Hall of Fame. By the way, it was sent to an e-mail address at "countermoneylaundering.com." Twit.

Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption has charged a number of people with a range of offences alleged to have been committed against insurance companies.

Carlo V di Florio, Director, Office of Compliance Inspections and Examination at the USA's Securities and Exchange Commission says that compliance and ethics are each an integral part of risk management in all businesses but especially in the financial sector were reputation greatly matters to the individual, to individual businesses to the industry as a whole and, ultimately, to the entire country. He was speaking to the National Society of Compliance Professionals on 17 October 2011.

Even though the UK classifies land-banking as a collective investment scheme and regulates it as such, the Insolvency Service says that far too many people are losing their money in such schemes