State Street to Pay $382M to End Probe in Currency Trades

State Street has agreed to pay $382.4 million to settle U.S. authorities' allegations that it applied hidden markups to clients' currency trades.

State Street made "substantial" revenues by telling customers it guaranteed the most competitive rates on foreign exchange trades, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday. Instead, State Street made no effort to obtain the best prices, according to the regulator.

The company will pay $167.4 million in disgorgement and fines to the SEC, a $155 million penalty to the Justice Department and $60 million to resolve allegations by the Labor Department.

State Street admitted to some of the SEC's claims in settling the case.

"Matters of this nature can drain both time and resources; so where possible and appropriate we feel it is in State Street's and our clients' best interests to pursue settlements," said Mike Rogers, the Boston-based bank's president and chief operating officer.

"State Street misled custody clients about how it priced their trades and tucked its hidden markups into a corner where they were unlikely to notice," said Andrew J. Ceresney, director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement. "Financial institutions cannot mislead their customers about their trading costs."

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