JPMorgan, Credit Suisse Pay $400 Million to SEC

Updated with comment from JPMorgan.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Credit Suisse (CS) will pay more than $400 million combined to settle allegations that the banks misled investors in residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS) offerings, regulators said on Friday.

JPMorgan will pay $297 million to settle charges that it misstated information about the delinquency status of the underlying loans of an RMBS offering. JPMorgan received $2.7 million as fees as underwriter, while investors lost $37 million, the complaint said.

JPMorgan's Bear Stearns unit was also charged for its failure to disclose its practice of keeping cash compensation from originators of problem loans that the investment bank has sold into RMBS trusts. That practice earned the unit proceeds of at least $137.8 million.

Credit Suisse will pay $120 million to settle similar charges.

The charges were brought by the SEC in conjunction with the Residential Mortgage Backed Securities Group.

"Misrepresentations in connection with the creation and sale of mortgage securities contributed greatly to the tremendous losses suffered by investors once the U.S. housing market collapsed. Today's actions involving RMBS securities are a continuation of the SEC's strong efforts to pursue wrongdoing committed in connection with the financial crisis," SEC Director of Enforcement Robert Khuzami said.

Read more in the SEC complaint .

Shares of JPMorgan were 0.2% lower in afternoon trading at $39.32.

" The SEC's complaint makes allegations under the negligence-based provisions of the federal securities laws and does not include charges of intentional misconduct. J.P. Morgan is pleased to have reached agreement with the SEC to put these matters concerning RMBS behind it," the bank said in a statement.

"While we have received no assurances from the SEC that additional claims will not be filed in the future, we are unaware of any active SEC investigations into JPMorgan's RMBS activities beyond those we are resolving today. "

-- Written by Shanthi Bharatwaj in New York.

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