CHARLOTTE, N.C./NEW YORK |
(Reuters) - Bank of America Corp is close to a dealto pay $8.5 billion to settle claims from a group of powerful investors that lost money on mortgage-backed securities, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The deal could embolden investors holding mortgage-backed securities filled with now-toxic home loans to pursue claims against other large mortgage lenders such as Wells Fargo & Co and JPMorgan Chase & Co, analysts said.
A settlement, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, would be the largest in the banking industry to date. It would also require approval by Bank of America's board, which met on Tuesday to discuss it, according to the source.
"If you're an investor, you now know this is a potential lottery ticket, and the only way you lose is by not playing," said Matt McCormick, a portfolio manager at Cincinnati-based Bahl & Gaynor Investment Counsel. "You have to think this is the first settlement we'll be seeing in a long line."
After news of a possible settlement, shares rose as much as 3.5 percent from their $10.82 close but later eased to trade around $10.95 after-hours, up about 1 percent.
The largest U.S. bank by assets has been fighting claims by a group of 22 investors over the housing-related securities it packaged and sold before the financial crisis.
Papandreou Wins Budget Vote, Default Risk Falls
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou clinched enough votes to pass the first part of an austerity plan aimed at meeting European Union aid requirements and staving off default for his debt-laden nation.
Papandreou won by 155 votes to 138, a wider margin than last week’s confidence ballot, as some opposition lawmakers abstained rather than oppose a package that is the condition for further rescue funds. The vote was overshadowed by a 48-hour strike and scuffles outside Parliament that saw police fire tear gas at demonstrators protesting budget cuts and asset sales.
Greek bonds rose as approval of the 78 billion-euro ($112 billion) plan sparked optimism Papandreou can keep the country’s coffers intact for now. Attention now shifts to a second bill tomorrow that authorizes implementation of the measures. Approval would allow Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos to meet European counterparts on July 3 for talks on releasing a fifth tranche of aid from last year’s 110 billion-euro bailout.