Saturday, March 31, 2012

RBS Was Taking Requests from Hedge Funds to Change Libor

Who knew?
And, who knew it was that easy?
From the Telegraph:

Former RBS trader Tan Chi Min claims hedge fund asked UK bank to change Libor
One of Europe's largest hedge funds is alleged to have asked Royal Bank of Scotland to alter the London interbank borrowing rate (Libor) five years ago, according to a court filing by a former trader at the lender.

Tan Chi Min, a former RBS trader who claims he was wrongfully dismissed by the bank after it fired him for allegedly trying to manipulate Libor - the average rate at which banks lend to each other - said he had received the request in 2007 from Brevan Howard.
"Brevan Howard telephoned on 20 Aug 2007 to ask the defendant to change the Libor rate," according to a paper filed with the Singapore High Court cited by Bloomberg.
The court filing alleges RBS "received this request without objection". Brevan Howard is not a party to the lawsuit and is not being investigated or sued for any alleged wrongdoing. RBS and Brevan Howard both declined to comment.
Mr Tan claimed in his filing that Scott Nygaard, head of short-term markets finance at RBS, knew about the call from Brevan Howard. However, the filing contained no further details to support his allegations. However, he is reported to have said he would provide further evidence at a later stage....MORE