Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Banks sue MBIA over $5 billion restructuring

(Reuters) - A group of major banks including Citigroup Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Barclays Plc has sued MBIA Inc, charging that the bond insurer illegally restructured its operations by moving $5 billion of assets and leaving a key unit effectively insolvent.

The group of around 20 financial institutions and affiliates are seeking to ensure that MBIA pays valid claims on insurance it issued on defaulting bonds, but did not put a value on such claims.

MBIA, along with rival bond insurer Ambac Financial Group Inc, suffered huge losses in the recent financial turmoil as they were hit by claims on insurance policies they issued on repackaged debt, which turned out to be more risky than they assumed.

A spokesman for MBIA, which reported a profit of $697 million last quarter, declined comment on the lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday in New York State Supreme Court.

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