Tuesday, March 29, 2011

BofA Board Sued by Shareholders Over Mortgage Recording Paperwork

Bank of America Corp. (BAC)’s board and some officers were sued by shareholders claiming they were hurt by false and misleading statements that hid defects in mortgage recording and foreclosure paperwork.


Bank of America “did not properly record many of its mortgages when originated or acquired, which severely complicated the foreclosure process when it became necessary,” according to the complaint filed today in New York state Supreme Court in Manhattan. The bank also concealed that it didn’t have adequate personnel to process the large numbers of foreclosed loans in its portfolio, the shareholders said.

The bank’s stock traded at inflated prices, reaching a high of $19.48 on April 15, 2010, and fell almost 42 percent after the problems were disclosed, according to the complaint.

The directors and officers also hid the bank’s involvement in “dollar rolling,” omitting billions of dollars in debt from its balance sheet, according to the complaint. Bank of America later admitted it wrongly classified the transactions as sales when they were secured borrowing, according to the complaint.

Read on.

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