The Justice Department sued a Chicago banking company  Thursday, accusing it of submitting false insurance claims on defaulted   student loans.   
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, charges that Corus  Bankshares violated the Federal False Claims Act by seeking reimbursement   for thousands of defaulted loans that "were not serviced in accordance with   federal regulations."     
  
The bank improperly collected $11.8 million, the government said.
Corus said in 1994 that some employees, who were later fired, falsified  records. But the company maintains that it was not required to keep records   on every delinquent loan.   
  
"We think we have substantial legal defenses," said Robert J. Glickman,  president and chief executive officer at $2.3 billion-asset Corus. The   company continues to make student loans and has a $400 million student loan   portfolio.     
The violations were alleged to have occurred between 1988 and 1994, when  Corus was known as River Forest Bancorp. During those years the bank's   student loan portfolio jumped to $297 million from $88.5 million, according   to the U.S. Department of Education.     
The suit is seeking more than $35 million in damages, plus $10,000 for  each allegedly false claim submitted. No trial date has been set. The   investigation took five years to complete.