Bank of America lawsuit: US sues over bad loans
Bank of America said on September 28, 2012, that it agreed to pay $2.43 billion to settle a lawsuit related to its acquisition of Merrill Lynch.
The US government sued Bank of America on Wednesday for $1 billion over allegedly bad loans issued to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The litigation actually targets Countrywide Financial, which was later bought by Bank of America.
More from GlobalPost: Bank of America agrees to $2.43 billion settlement
US Attorney Preet Bharara told the Associated Press that the mortgage company's procedures were designed to process loans at high speed, resulting in thousands of fraudulent loans.
He claims this is the first civil fraud suit brought by the US Justice Department over loans later sold to government-controlled housing giants Fannie and Freddie.
“The fraudulent conduct alleged in today’s complaint was spectacularly brazen in scope,” Bharara said in a statement.
More from GlobalPost: Bank of America to cut 16,000 jobs
The case is the latest legal headache for Bank of America over its acquisition spree during the financial crisis, The New York Times reported.
In September, it paid $2.4 billion to settle a securities class-action lawsuit alleging the bank misled investors about its takeover of Merrill Lynch.
Bank of America also announced plans last month to cut 16,000 jobs as part of a restructuring agreement.
The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.
Make a gift today to help us reach our $25,000 goal and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer.