According to the Justice Department, Goldman's activities inflicted billions of dollars in losses to investors, including financial entities that had federal insurance.
Announcing the deal, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said it would prevent thousands of families from losing their homes, help to fund new housing projects, and support land banks and code enforcement efforts.
Schneiderman cliamed that the deal is a “major step in the fight for justice for the families and communities that were devastated when a combination of reckless deregulation and abusive practices by a relatively small number of financial firms brought the American economy to its knees in 2008.”
Advocacy groups slammed the settlement, saying it doesn’t take into consideration punishing the individuals involved in the activities that led to the crisis, who must be prosecuted.
“Banks don’t commit crimes, bankers do. And until bankers are punished individually and significantly, the crime wave on Wall Street is going to continue,” Dennis Kelleher, CEO of Better Markets told Hurriyet Daily News.
Turns out @GoldmanSachs gets a $US1b discount on settlement of claim of misleading investors https://t.co/IkOxNRkx7L pic.twitter.com/KmsaCnDGnv
— Will Willitts (@WillWillAFR) April 12, 2016
Moreover, under the deal, compensations that Goldman Sachs pays are tax-deductible, meaning the company will be forced to outlay much less cash less than initially announced.
Previously such banks as Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase & Co have settled similar claims.
