SEC: Ex-Lehman Broker Stole Inside Info From Wife

Raj Rajaratnam's $3B Galleon Group trades tech stocks

(NEWSER) - The founder of a $3 billion hedge fund and two other financial executives have been charged with insider trading, the Business Insider reports. Raj Rajaratnam, whose Galleon Group focuses on high tech stocks, was charged with conspiracy and fraud related to trades of Hilton and Google stock, among others. Execs from Intel Capital and McKinsey have also been charged in the in the scheme, which authorities say goes back to 2006. Rajaratnam was arrested yesterday. More»

(NEWSER) - An insider trading case has exposed the potentially problematic relationship between PR companies and corporate clients, and it could have dire consequences for at least one firm, Reuters reports. A Lehman Brothers employee is charged with leaking merger information he got from his wife, a partner at the Brunswick Group PR firm, which has suspended her. “Our reputation is our business,” said a competitor. More»

Feds worried about false info in skittish market, but nailing culprits is tough task

(NEWSER) - After months of urging from business, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced plans yesterday to clamp down on the rumor mill that can induce Wall Street gyrations with false information. Last week's market turbulence pushed the feds to make the move before this week's trading, the New York Times reports—but proving that false information has been spread maliciously is a tough task. More»

'New York Times' analysis finds 350 instances of banks getting free passes

(NEWSER) - The Securities and Exchange Commission has repeatedly allowed Wall Street's biggest banks to avoid penalties specifically intended to punish and deter fraud, a New York Times analysis of SEC records reveals. Over the past decade, the SEC has on almost 350 occasions granted waivers exempting big financial companies from sanctions, allowing banks like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan to continue to enjoy advantages, like protection from shareholder lawsuits, that are supposed to be reserved for the most dependable companies. More»

All that money made on trades of a single stock

(AP) - Seven people have been charged in an insider trading scheme that netted more than $61.8 million in illegal profits based on trades of a single stock, prosecutors announced today. Two New York hedge fund executives and a Massachusetts man were among four charged in a criminal complaint in federal court in Manhattan. More»