Nomura Holdings

Appeals Court Upholds $839M MBS Fraud Judgment Against Royal Bank of Scotland Group & Nomura

Published on: September 28, 2017 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

In a unanimous ruling, a U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit panel has turned down an appeal by Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc (RBS) and Nomura Holdings Inc. (NMR) to overturn an order mandating that they pay $839M for the false statements, including misrepresentations, that they are accused of making while selling mortgage-backed securities to Freddie Mac (FMCC) and Fannie Mae (FNMA). The MBS fraud award was issued against the two banks in the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s securities lawsuit. FHFA has been the conservator for Fannie and Freddie ever since the US government took them over after the housing market failed in 2008.

Nomura sponsored $2B of securities that were sold to the mortgage companies. RBS was the underwriter on four of the deals. In a filing submitted to US securities regulators last month, RBS said it is looking to be indemnified by Nomura for the losses.

Nomura & Royal Bank of Scotland Must Pay $806M in Mortgage-Backed Securities Case

Published on: May 18, 2015 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Nomura Holdings (NMR) and Royal Bank of Scotland group Plc (RBS) must pay $806 million in the mortgage-backed securities lawsuit filed against them by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. $779.4 million will go to mortgage lender Freddie Mac (FMCC) while $26.6 million will go to Fannie Mae (FNMA).

Judge Denise L. Cote of the Federal District Court in Manhattan was the one who found the two banks liable for making false statements when selling the securities to the two lending giants. The banks will also take back the mortgage bonds that are the basis of this lawsuit. As of the end of March, these bonds were worth up to $479 million.

It was Nomura that sponsored $2 billion of the securities purchased by Freddie and Fannie. RBS was the underwriter on four of the deals.

U.S.’s $1B Mortgage Bond Trial Against Nomura Holdings Comes to a Close

Published on: April 9, 2015 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Closing arguments took place this week in the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s mortgage-backed securities lawsuit against Nomura Holdings Inc. (NMR). The U.S. regulator claims that the bank made false statements when selling some $2 billion in MBSs to Freddie Mac (FMCC) and Fannie Mae (FNMA).

A lawyer for the bank said that FHFA’s claimed losses were not the fault of Nomura or that of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which the government is also pursuing over the securities. Instead, contended the attorney, market conditions during the 2008 economic crisis were to blame.

The is the first of 18 MBS fraud cases over about $200 million in securities that different banks sold to mortgage finance giants to go to trial. Already, FHFA has gotten $17.9 billion in settlements with the other financial firms, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Bank of America Corp. (BAC), and Deutsche Bank AG (DB). There was just this case and the one against Royal Bank of Scotland remaining.