美國銀行接近簽署美國最大金融和解協議

Bank of America has reached an agreement in principle to pay more than $16bn in cash and consumer relief to US authorities to resolve allegations of misselling mortgage-backed securities, people familiar with the matter said.

知情人士表示，美國銀行(Bank of America)原則上已同意支付逾160億美元，就它受到的不當銷售抵押貸款支持債券(MBS)的指控與當局達成和解。這些資金部分將以現金形式上繳美國當局，部分用於補償受損客戶。

The bank will pay around $9bn in cash and provide $7bn in consumer relief, such as modifying home loans and refinancing mortgages, as part of the deal, these people say.

這些知情人士表示，現金部分約90億美元，70億美元將用來補償客戶——比如爲他們的按揭或修改房貸條款提供再融資。

If finalised, it will be the Department of Justice’s largest settlement with a single entity, exceeding the $13bn pact that JPMorgan Chase agreed last year.

如果該協議最終達成，將超過摩根大通(JPMorgan Chase)去年達成的130億美元和解協議，成爲美國司法部(DoJ)與單一機構達成的最大金額和解協議。

So far this year banks have paid more than $50bn to resolve government investigations, exceeding the total collected in the whole of 2013.

今年到目前爲止，各家銀行爲與政府調查機構達成和解，已支付逾500億美元，超過了2013年全年此類費用的總和。

The pact will involve several US agencies, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, and state attorneys-general, people familiar with the matter said. Both sides were still hashing out the details of the consumer relief package and admissions the bank would make as part of the settlement agreement.

知情人士表示，美國銀行的和解協議將牽涉多個政府機構和個人，其中包括美國聯邦存款保險公司(Federal Deposit Insurance Corp)和州檢察總長。目前，雙方仍在就一些細節展開討論——比如補償客戶的方案細節以及該行應承認內容的細節。

The tentative deal was struck last week following a phone call on Wednesday evening between Eric Holder, the US attorney-general, and Brian Moynihan, BofA’s chief executive, these people said. The DoJ demanded BofA pay at least $9bn in cash as part of the deal – an increase from the bank’s offer of $7bn.

知情人士稱，美國司法部長埃裏克•霍爾德(Eric Holder)和美國銀行首席執行官布賴恩•莫伊尼漢(Brian Moynihan)上週三晚通過電話，之後美國銀行同意了這一臨時協議。作爲協議的一部分，司法部要求美國銀行支付至少90億美元的現金——高於美國銀行此前表示願意拿出的70億美元。

During the Wednesday night call, Mr Holder relayed that the US attorney’s office in New Jersey had a lawsuit ready to file against the bank should a deal not be reached, a person close to the matter said.

在該協議達成之前，爲了結聯邦住房金融局(Federal Housing Finance Agency)的類似訴訟，美國銀行曾支付95億美元。上週，一位美國法官還曾令該行再向美國當局支付13億美元。