Citigroup to pay $285 million to settle SEC charge

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)
Citigroup will pay $285 million to settle charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission that it misled investors about a collateralized debt obligation tied to the housing market.
The CDO defaulted within months, leaving investors with losses while Citigroup made $160 million in fees and trading profits, the agency charged Wednesday.
The SEC alleges that Citigroup Global Markets structured and marketed a CDO called Class V Funding III and exercised significant influence over the selection of $500 million of the assets included in the CDO portfolio.
Citigroup then took a proprietary short position against those mortgage-related assets which it didn't disclose to investors.
The SEC also charged the employee who structured the transaction, as well as Credit Suisse and a Credit Suisse portfolio manager, as that bank served as collateral manager.