The news cycle is still buzzing about the arrests, trials and general brouhaha of this past week: McKinsey, Galleon Group and Bernard Kerik are all in arm-wrestling matches with Johnny Law.
The Bear Stearns Alumni Group is racking up the ranks of the accused -- two former hedge fund managers are on trial now for securities fraud and Mark Kurland, a former asset management chief, has been charged as part of the Galleon insider trading ring. Will the Bear alums get to share a cell? A wing? At the very least, they could form a Bear softball team for the prison yard games. (FINS)
In related news, a junior analyst at Moody's has been accused of passing on a tip about Blackstone's takeover of Hilton Hotels in 2007. Moody's culture is secretive by nature -- employees are told not even to mention company names in the elevators at HQ. The investigation only further reveals the blurred lines between getting a trading edge and profiting from illegal information. (WSJ)
And just because this financial police blotter wouldn't be complete without a pol getting into trouble, enter Bernard Kerik; his bail was revoked after a judge decided he wasn't trustworthy. Kerik is accused of tax fraud. (NYT)
If only it was all part of a plan to promote USA Network's new show, premiering this Fiday, "
White Collar."
Tightening CreditFollowing
BofA's lead,
Credit Suisse is making some changes to its bonus dispensation. The company will award a greater portion of pay as fixed salary. It will extend the vesting period to four years from three, and will link bonus payments to the bank's overall performance. (
WSJ)
Slumber PartyRead about an impromptu meeting between bank bigwigs last year before Lehman's collapse. After everyone said no to Dick Fuld, they apparently made cosmos and watched Sex and the City. Andew Ross Sorkin's new book has the details. (
DealBook)
Send in the HoundsBlue Dog Democrats are uncharacteristically quiet about the House's financial regulatory reform. Preferring instead to concentrate on health care, the group "had a little discussion about [financial reform] on Tuesday," the chairman said. Phew. (
The Hill)
A Welcome BeginningMeet the golden trampoline, the golden parachute's younger brother. Seemingly oblivious to public vitriol,
RBS has poached 11 income traders from
Bank of America Merrill Lynch, at the bargain price of 500,000 pounds each for a starting salary. (
Telegraph)
Un-chartered TerritoryStandard Chartered UAE is seeking to double its banking relationship managers group and will hire 850 managers by the end of 2010. (
iStockAnalyst)
Jack, Meet JillFemale-run hedge funds are outperforming their male-run counterparts in the wake of the financial crisis. (
FINS)
No Need to RushLazard announced that it won't choose a new executive to replace Bruce Wasserstein by next week when the board is scheduled to meet. (
DealBook)
Better Than BadHSBC wants to minimize staff attrition and retain talent by "awarding attractive pay packages, enhancing work-life balance and treating employees fairly." We'd hate to see what the HSBC's previous policies on the issues were. (
Wealth-Bulletin)
GMAT-ing your FutureApparently GMATs aren't just useful for getting into B-school; nitpicky employers will actually base hiring decisions off them. (
BusinessWeek)
TTYL TLGPThe
FDIC panel of regulators voted to end the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program (TLGP) on October 31. TLGP, which guaranteed some debt issued by banks, will leave a six month safety net just in case. (
Reuters)
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