UBS Shocks With Record $17B Loss

(NEWSER) - UBS will hand over the names of 4,450 of its American account holders as part of a tax evasion settlement, the Wall Street Journal reports, and another 5,000 names will be produced under a special IRS amnesty program. UBS won’t pay a monetary fine. Those being turned over may have a chance to fight the disclosure in Swiss court. The compromise gets around potential Swiss objections to the disclosures. More»

Bank charges IRS is trying to trample on Swiss laws

(NEWSER) - Swiss bank UBS has rejected a demand from the IRS that it cough up the names of 52,000 suspected American tax evaders, the Times of London reports. The bank—which paid out $780 million to avoid prosecution for helping rich Americans dodge their taxes—said the lawsuit by the IRS demanding the information violates Swiss sovereignty and that granting the request would breach the country's secrecy laws. More»

Bank blames US tax fraud case for some of its 1Q losses

(NEWSER) - Bad times are continuing for UBS in the wake of last year's record loss, the Guardian reports. The troubled Swiss bank reported a $1.75 billion loss in the first quarter, and announced plans to ax 8,700 employees—11% of its global workforce—sparking rumors that it plans to downsize by ditching its investment banking arm to concentrate on wealth management. More»

Swiss bank stunned by number in court filing

(NEWSER) - The Justice Department has stunned UBS with a demand for the names of 52,000 clients believed to be American tax dodgers, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Swiss bank had expected to be asked for 20,000 names, but a court filing yesterday stated that an IRS investigator had uncovered an internal bank document referring to 52,000 secret American account holders with assets of around $15 billion. More»

Swiss banking secrecy collapses as investors face tax evasion charges

(NEWSER) - Under pressure from the IRS, Swiss banking giant UBS is closing the offshore accounts of about 19,000 Americans suspected of evading taxes. UBS will transfer the clients' assets to other banks, other divisions of UBS, or the account holders themselves—creating a paper trail that the feds can examine. The move marks a sea change for Swiss banking secrecy, reports the New York Times. More»