Wells Fargo’s brokerage firm has agreed to pay $6.58 million to settle federal civil charges that it failed to adequately inform investors about the risks tied to mortgage securities it sold.
The Securities and Exchange Commission says Minneapolis-based Wells Fargo Brokerage Services improperly sold the high-risk investments to cities and towns, nonprofit institutions, and other investors in 2007, when the housing bust was under way.
The firm, now called Wells Fargo Securities and based in Charlotte, N.C., is paying a $6.5 million civil fine and $81,571 in restitution plus interest in the settlement announced Tuesday.
A former firm vice president, Shawn McMurtry, also agreed to settle the charges. He’s paying a $25,000 civil fine and will be suspended for six months from the securities industry.
San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co., the fourth-largest U.S. bank by assets, and Mr. McMurtry neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing.
CHINA
Wal-Mart gets China approval for e-commerce deal
NEW YORK — Wal-Mart has received conditional approval from Beijing to acquire a majority stake in a Chinese e-commerce company.
Wal-Mart will increase its stake in the Yihaodian holding company to approximately 51 percent, from a little more than 17 percent.
Yihaodian has been in business for less than four years. It sells more than 180,000 products ranging from groceries to electronics to clothing.
Wal-Mart is seeking more access to Chinese consumers, who are increasingly shopping online.
The financial terms were not disclosed, but the transaction is subject to final closing conditions, Wal-Mart spokesman Dan Toporek said Tuesday.
REFINERY
Site too dangerous for fire investigators
SAN FRANCISCO — Federal and state investigators are trying to determine how to safely enter the area where a fire broke out in a Chevron Corp. refinery last week so they can examine a failed pipe blamed for the blaze, which the company chose not to replace nearly a year ago after an inspection.
View Entire Story
By Elaine Donnelly
Extending sexual misconduct to combat units
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Columns from Voices around the World talking about the events, people, politics and social issues that concern us wherever, and whoever, we are.
Video reviews of today's hottest trends in Minecraft (servers and mods) along with a look at the latest video games with your host MCairsoft14 (alias Jerad Zad).
Covering the world of soccer, including the World Cup, Major League Soccer, D.C. United and the English Premier League and other interesting sporting events.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
NRA kicks off annual convention
8 Photos
