Washington Mutual’s officers, directors, underwriters and auditor have agreed to a $208.5 million settlement to end class-action securities fraud lawsuits, according to court documents.
The settlement is among the largest stemming from the financial crisis, behind a $624 million settlement by the Countrywide Financial Corporation and $475 million by Merrill Lynch & Company.
The lawsuits, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, accused the defendants of concealing from investors poor loan underwriting and inflated appraisals that overstated earnings and inflated the company’s stock price.
As the housing market began to crash, Washington Mutual’s loans soured at an alarming rate. In September 2008, regulators seized the company’s savings and loan business in the largest bank failure in the nation’s history.
The day after the seizure, the bank holding company, Washington Mutual, filed for bankruptcy.
Under the terms of the class-action settlement, announced in court papers dated Thursday, claims against the directors and officers will be settled for about $105 million.
About a dozen underwriters of the company’s securities contributed $85 million to the settlement; the company’s auditor, Deloitte & Touche, contributed $18.5 million.
The settlement is subject to court approval.
