In the largest banking settlement in U.S. history, the banking giant JPMorgan Chase is set to pay a record $13 billion fine to settle investigations into its mortgage-backed securities. Five years ago, the bank’s risky behavior helped trigger the financial meltdown, including manipulating mortgages and sending millions of Americans into bankruptcy or foreclosure. JPMorgan’s preliminary settlement with the U.S. government may end up costing much less after taxes — closer to $9 billion because the majority of the deal is expected to be tax-deductible. The deal is expected to be followed by a larger agreement with the Justice Department still in the works. Many in the media have portrayed the deal as unfair to the bank. The Wall Street Journal describes it as the government “confiscating” half of JPMorgan’s annual earnings to “appease … left-wing populist allies” of the Obama administration. Meanwhile, the New York Post portrayed it as a kind of bank robbery, running a headline that read: “UNCLE SCAM: U.S. Robs Bank of $13 Billion.” We are joined by Yves Smith, financial analyst and founder of the popular finance blog “Naked Capitalism.” Smith is the author of the book, “ECONned: How Unenlightened Self Interest Undermined Democracy and Corrupted Capitalism
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