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Senator Elizabeth Warren
Senator Elizabeth Warren

The following video features Senator Elizabeth Warren – who sits on the US Senate Banking Committee – questioning Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf. The BU household believes that it should be made mandatory viewing for our politicians, leaders at large, regulators et al. They should juxtapose for example our non vibrant (defunct?) working committees of parliament e.g. Public Accounts Committee, Committee of Privileges and other with those of the US Senate.

Based on the latest it appears the cross examination of Stumpf by the Senate Banking Committee has yielded a good result.

Wells Fargo CEO forfeits $41 million as company launches probe

Here is a relevant comment posted by PUDRYR:

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, another precedent that is notable while not instructive.

“Board members at Wells Fargo have used the company’s clawback policy to recoup millions in compensation from top executives in the wake of a massive customer scam.”

“CEO John Stumpf will forfeit $41 million in stock awards, not receive a salary during an investigation into the scandal and have no bonus for 2016, the bank’s directors said Thursday evening.”

“Beyond the CEO, the clawback will also affect Carrie Tolstedt, a retiring community banking executive who oversaw that department where thousands of workers opened fraudulent customer accounts to meet quotas.”

Would that the Government of Barbados and, wishfully, the incoming Leader of the Opposition could, as the next duly elected government of Barbados exercise this option through the powers vested in our laws, and which our Director of Public Prosecutions selectively administers depending on if you a not a Guyanese or a body named Bark at a Man, and prosecute these ministerial teifs and robbers.

But that would set a precedence known as the Haman’s gallows

Full hearinghttp://www.banking.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/hearings?ID=B80F9B81-4331-4F95-91BC-718288EC9DA0

#governance


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66 responses to “The Wells Fargo Fraud and Connection”

  1. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Fraud…part and parcel of huge corporate business theft to reel in billions in one shot…upper management in extremely large….too big to fail…..corporations are famous for perpetrating that scam.

    That’s why they should never get corporate welfare. ..taxpayer bailouts.

    Because…

    The very next day after the bailout….they are creating another scam. ….to rake in billions in one massive haul.


  2. @ David

    Please come to understand that people like Warren are thrown up to create the appearance of internal pluralism.

    If Warren is interested in banking malfeasance how come she is campaigning for Clinton? Clinton a woman whose foundation has sequestered 14 billion dollars of Haiti’s earthquake reconstruction funding to offshore accounts controlled by Bill and herself, money which some Clinton watchers, including Charles Ortel, suspect may be currently deployed in her presidential campaign.

    Remember, there is not a single honest wo(man) in Gideon!


  3. @Pacha

    The trust of the BU point is to focus on the vibrancy of the committee compared to our setup. Any system we hasten to add will have ‘warts’.

    >


  4. Barbados have their own Baking Fraud with Sir Richard Cheltenham and Sir CO Williams , Yet you all dont want the talk about the local money and land laundering, First Caribbean and CIBC , Need to write about your local slave Masters of all shades in Bim, The Ministers and Lawyer robbing the Bank each and every day, Keep an eye on UDC and NHC, An IMF Audit will spin your heads as the DOWN DOWN DOWN grades keep coming,

  5. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    It’s a well known game they play in Washington. ..big business set up a scam to rake in billions…they know the SEC is watching…they set aside a billion dollars of their scam , the SEC pounces and fines them a billion dollars….everyone goes home happy….everyone except the employees thrown under the bus and the taxpayers.

    Until next time…


  6. @ Pacha

    Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. Warren is only supporting Hillary because she knew Bernie couldn’t win and obviously she can’t support Trump.
    Maybe I’m naive but I think she means well.

  7. Bernard Codrington. Avatar
    Bernard Codrington.

    @WW&C,
    Well said. are their any similar scenarios in our own landscape? Should we not send this to our local regulators including our fellow BU blogger Jeff?
    Performance based incentive schemes breed this kind of consumer fraud and management irresponsibility and reckless behaviour and then they blame it on the market or the Political Directorate.

  8. Bernard Codrington. Avatar
    Bernard Codrington.

    For give the typos some of which I swear is done by the system.


  9. Vibrancy my ass. What good is vibrancy when the shyster will never see the inside of a jail cell and even if he does get a token fine it will be a pittance compared to how much he has stored up from his double dealings over the years.

    Pacha is right, Elizabeth Warren’s dog and pony, circus show is only there to convince the naive American voters that they do live in a democracy where white collar fraudsters and con artists, no matter how rich and powerful, are held to account for their wrong doings. Sure they might throw a Madoff or Stanford to the wolves from time to time, but see:
    “Top Bank Fraud Expert: ALL of the Big Banks’ Profits Come from FRAUD” at this link:

       http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2016/09/top-bank-fraud-expert-big-banks-profits-come-fraud.html
    

    Quote:
    “Well, experts say that we have to prosecute. fraud or else the economy won’t EVER really recover and stabilize.

    But the government is doing the exact opposite. Indeed, the Justice Department has announced it will go easy on big banks, and always settles prosecutions for pennies on the dollar (a form of stealth bailout. It is also arguably one of the main causes of the double dip in housing.)

    Indeed, the government doesn’t even force the banks to admit any criminal guilt as part of their settlements.”

  10. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Bernard…there are similarties in Barbsdos, but on a small, petty scale, the minorities target the poor blacks, aided by the ministers who cant see a scam, even if it rolls over them…..particularly if a bribe is dangled in front of them…..small time con artist stuff.

    It does however, over time, add up in millions in loses, to the taxpayers or policyholders….CLICO, Ionics, the Bizzy, Bjerkham, Maloney contracts, Cahill, Del Mastros etc, etc…..small time crooks.


  11. @ Bernard
    Performance based incentive schemes(PBIS) breed this kind of consumer fraud and management irresponsibility and reckless behaviour and then they blame it on the market or the Political Directorate.
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    No it does not!!

    The problem is not ‘performance based incentive schemes’, which are actually mechanisms designed to drive a meritocracy by tying RESULTS to rewards. The REAL problem is that the albino-centric results defined are fundamentally flawed. In short, they are using the incentive scheme to reward a flawed targeted result.

    This is the point Bushie was making to Vincent about the need to understand and DISMISS albino-centric philosophies.

    Even if you apply a perfectly good process to a flawed vision, you can rest assured that the result will be seriously flawed – even more so when the process is highly efficient – as is PBIS.
    This modern philosophy of defining success in terms of short term profits leads to extremely poor results because it is based on selfish, short-term, materialistic albino-centric objectives.

    What if the targeted goals were community centric, long term (looking at future generations) and quality based (improving efficiencies)?
    Can you imagine the usefulness of PBIS then? This could be almost the ideal merit-based approach that is needed.

    The problem is related to the basic, universally accepted, albino-centric philosophy – not the PBIS approach.


  12. @ Bushie

    Could you please give a brief summary of your negrocentric philosophy so that a dullard like me can follow your arguments?


  13. The overall problem is a total lack of accountability in society. It is pervasive everywhere. “I am sorry” or “I accept responsibility” are easy outs without consequence. And imagine both major presidential candidates have a long list of serious flaws in actions they have taken, yet one will hold the highest office.


  14. @Green Monkey

    At the very minimum the shyster will have to pay a fine, ride off into retirement and suffer a dent in their brand


  15. Bush Tea September 28, 2016 at 9:03 AM #

    Skippah…….wuh yuh caw muh name fuh pun diss blog.

    Like Old Baje,I would love you to elucidate on your whatevercentric philosophy……you need to help us understand your thinking hopefully in a logical manner.


  16. Corruption in society will always reign supreme when journalists fail to report the source of this contagion. Where corruption thrives it must be investigated and reported.

    The time has come for our media to raise their game. Take a look at this extraordinary investigation which has shined a spotlight on corruption in Ghana and brought international fame to this journalist.

    http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/specialseries/2015/11/justice-151122124135186.html

  17. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    That was so cool Exclaimer.

    Many African countries are fighting the blight of corruption, trying to destroy corruption.


  18. @Exclaimer

    How many African countries rank above Barbados on the Global Corruption Perception Index?


  19. @ Old Baje
    Sorry…about the omission.
    Bushie’s alternative to the “albino-centric” philosophy can be called the ‘community-centric’ philosophy. It all stems from the Bible story of Naaman in Kings.

    The current philosophy that drives our modern world is based on capitalism which is driven by profit-oriented goals, and which rewards any actions that enhances personal profits.
    This system is all about SELF…. at any cost…. and we glorify those who ‘succeed’..

    While this can and do lead to phenomenal wealth for a few lucky individuals, it condemns the vast majority to squalor… typically in the range of 95% plus poor to less than 5% wealthy….and societies where the large majority are forced to await scraps from the table of the few rich.

    It is instructive that despite this glaring shortcoming, the situation has been getting worse at an alarming rate -withf the ridiculously wealthy getting even richer – while the desperately poor gets poorer…

    The ALTERNATIVE is a ‘community centric’ view point, where the goals that define success are based on community aspirations, where the focus is on long term objectives – as in providing for future generations, and where continuous improvement in social quality (community development) is a KEY measure of success.

    The VERY BEST organisational representation of this philosophy is called a COOPERATIVE, and the real joke is that in the past 40 years, THIS has represented the VERY BEST example of progress for black people in Barbados – in the form of Credit Unions….. yet still, we model everything (including these same credit unions) on the failed albino-centric systems that overwhelm our chained minds…..


  20. Elizabeth Warren is part feminist and part party hack. That is why she supports a fat, old, unhealthy, corrupt politician like Hillary.


  21. Bush Tea September 28, 2016 at 3.48 PM

    A Cooperative…..a bit like getting a group of people together to collectively solve whatever issues are concerning them…..an interesting old concept full of merit…….sounds like what John suggested on another post.


  22. A Cooperative…..a bit like getting a group of people together..
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Before you make a complete fool of yourself Vincent, do some research…. or ask Caswell a question.
    It is a complete, complex, philosophical concept.
    Some of the largest and most complex businesses on this earth are coops….and very different to the old plantocracy that existed back when John is daydreaming of…


  23. Bush Tea September 28, 2016 at 4:26 PM #

    A cooperative is based on people the members and it sole function is to satisfy the wishes of its members so jointly agreed upon

    …….that is the basis for any cooperative movement…..you can add all the bells and whistles you want and talk your mumbo jumbo about complex business to your hearts content.

    The concept would have been arrived at all over this planet by people realising that strength lies in unity………yet you cannot understand why a federated Caribbean is essential.

  24. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Cheney needs to be hanging from the end of a rope.


  25. @ David,

    You asked me the question “How many African countries rank above Barbados on the Global Corruption Perception Index?”.

    If you were to take a look at the most recent Global Corruption Perception Index for 2016 you would have noticed that Barbados declined to be included in the research.


  26. @Exclaimer

    It was a rhetorical.

    Why do you think Barbados declined?


  27. @ Well Well,

    If Barbadians lack the will to tackle corruption from within then we must look to the international community to expose and to penalise those stakeholders who are engaged in profiteering from the misery of our fellow Barbadian citizens.

    I read that the great American actor Danny Glover and political activist is planning to visit Barbados very shortly. I hope that his visit will not be wasted and that activists from the island will make the effort to inform Mr Glover what has been taking place in Barbados in terms of corruption, racism and the betrayal of the islands Negro citizens.

    I presume that Mr Glover’s visit will be covered by a number of international journalists. I trust that all home based social activists will make the most of the opportunity presented.


  28. @ David,

    “Why did Barbados decline?”

    Greed, laziness and dishonesty. The trend in Barbados appears to be making money dishonestly as opposed to generating long term and sustainable development in an ethical manner for the benefit of the nation.

    Take a look at how vast sums of monies are being made within english football. The national game is awash with dirty money. We have just lost our England football manager as a result of an investigation by a newspaper. Not being content with managing England – already, on an excellent salary – he decided that he would attempt to negotiate a deal which would have enrich him further. Never mind that such a deal would have been morally incomprehensible.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/28/exclusive-the-corruption-at-the-top-of-the-championship/


  29. So sad that corporate greed is so poisonous that it seeps down to the lowly worker who have to reach outrageous goals to keep the the fat cats at the top rich and happy.

  30. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Exclaimer. …I hope that is the intent….that is the best opportunity I have seen to expose the nastiness that goes on in Barbados between, government and business people, their collusion in disenfranchising blacks on the island for decades….

    …..the tag team 2 party crap that is not conducive to progress for majority blacks, their children, grandchildren and future generations of black Barbadians. …something gotta give…the shit has to end.

    Danny Glover is very powerful in the international community.

    They better use the opportunity wisely to expose the slaveminded jackasses in parliament who still live in this bullshit colonial fantasy that they preside over slaves…enough is enough.

    Expose the nasty minorities who still believe they own slaves.

    Expose the nasty insurance companies who steal from bajans.

    Expose them, expose them, expose them.

  31. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Is Andrew Bynoe of Carlton supermarket not a senator in this government. ..that piece of crap did the same thing the other piece of crap Haloute of Chefette did, disrespected the people who keep their business doors open.

    They have no regard for the safety and wellbeing of their employees……disrespected a government call for a nationwide shut down for the safety of their workers. .

    What corporate what, those are small chains of supermarkets and fast food restaurants on a small island…yall make them think they too big that’s why they are so greedy and brutal.

  32. peterlawrencethompson Avatar
    peterlawrencethompson

    @Bush Tea September 28, 2016 at 3:48 PM #

    Community centric enterprise is the key to social and economic development in the Caribbean, and cooperatives are an excellent structural model for them. However coops (and credit unions & building societies and friendly societies) are not the only possible organizational frameworks. In the UK there are Community Interest Companies (CICs) where the company has an explicit community service mandate, not just service to membership, and the assets of the company cannot be diverted to individual enrichment by the directors. The Community Contribution Company (C3) structure in Canada achieves much the same thing.


  33. Before Peter takes us off on the tangent of the CICs, I would like to see several people attempt serious evaluations of the strengths and weaknesses of the Co-op.
    Bush Tea has on a previous occasion rejected my main criticism of the model, which is that over time the elected board members prove to be no match for the men and women who take on the roles of top management in the senior leadership team (SLT) — as the CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, etc.
    Once these top managers take effective control of the organization, and intimidate the less sophisticated members of the elected board, they abuse their power, and turn the Co-op into their personal fiefdom. They make many foolish business decisions in secret, spend heavily on travel and entertainment for themselves, hire and fire employees in a way which increases their power to instil fear, and generally behave irresponsibly. There is no mechanism in the Co-op system to check their authority, because the voting strength of members in a large Co-op is too widely scattered.
    I am speaking from experience. I have actually seen this happen in large Canadian co-operatives.


  34. I want to say that this post is grossly misleading.
    It glorifies US Senator Elizabeth Warren for her public attacks on Wells Fargo chairman John Stumpf, who is shamed as the evil CEO responsible for bank fraud.
    However, John Stumpf is a fall guy. The real criminal at Wells Fargo is its former head of retail banking, a woman named Carrie Tolstedt, who was the mistressmind (so to speak) of this fraud. She gave the instructions that led Wells Fargo Bank employees to open about 2 million accounts, and charge fees to customers, without their permission. She enriched herself with millions in sales commissions from the scheme, and has not been held accountable.
    The fraud was only exposed when a male customer sued the bank. The Consumer Fraud Protection Bureau, the regulatory agency that Senator Warren helped establish, failed to prevent or detect the fraud.


  35. @chad9999

    Where should the buck stop?

    Isn’t there an independent investigation underway?

    Wasn’t the senior executive forced to retire and forfeit 50 million dollars?

  36. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Chad….as I know it in the corporate wprld…the CEO of any major corporation….is not a piece of furniture…he receives daily reports….and SIGNS OFF ON THEM.

    The female’s boss iS the CEO….he gotta go down..you will lose any discussion on this. I know of what I speak..

  37. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    And just to be equal, fair and balanced:

    Chad….as I know it in the corporate world…the CEO of any major corporation….is not a piece of furniture…he or SHE receives daily reports….and SIGNS OFF ON THEM…..daily…just like the leaders in any small or big country.


  38. @ Chad & Bushie

    Communism failed because it goes against human nature. Co-operatives sound like a good idea but is it possible that they also go against human nature?

    We just don’t have the necessary level of trust among us Bajans to make co-operatives work across many different types of businesses. On many occasions staff at large organisations in Barbados tried to form buying clubs in order to get wholesale prices. It always fell apart. Similarly, small retailers tried to get together to import products and that also failed.


  39. WE wonder why some would cherry pick as to who was responsible for malfeasance at Wells Fargo, its systemic. To suggest that leaders of corporations are better than leaders of similarly sized cooperatives is a nonsense.

    On cooperatives, those who make those arguments know little about cooperatives. They do not know that cooperatives are amongst the largest organisations in the world, not the mum and pop, one door shops, implicit in these misguided discourses.

    We have scores of cooperatives with over 100 billion dollars in assets. Some leaders in their industry segments.

    It can never be possible for one man or a few people to have more brain, more insight, more vision than all the people contributing to a single goal, with shared power. If we’re wrong, why don’t the corporate gurus do it all themselves, without employees.

    At Wells Fargo and all corporations the systemic crimes come from the nature of the beast. It will always be so. When people get paid based on share price increases you should expect self-centered corporate elites to do whatever is necessary to make those large bonuses.

    This is first hand experience.

    We are prepared to put the largest cooperatives up against the largest corporations any day and we will find cooperatives a far better formation than the unaccountable corporate dictatorships.


  40. @ Chad99999
    You concern about the power of employees of successful coops versus the elected committees is a valid one, but it only arises where many persons fail in their basic responsibilities.
    One of the major planks in the movement is education of leaders and of members. This requires ongoing investments in ensuring that committee members and prospective members stay aligned with the growth and development of the operation.
    Obviously if the organisation defaults on this requirement the scenario you outline can well arise.

    @ PLT
    Bushie agrees with Chad99999 that your CIC interjection is a red herring.

    @ Old Baje
    Human nature is naturally deceitful and selfish. It is our natural state – and it explains why albino-centric thinking comes naturally to us.
    All other systems will therefore tend to ‘go against human nature’ … much like going uphill …rather than coursing downhill. Good thing no cheap; cheap thing no good.


  41. David,
    According to yesterday’s story in CNN Money, Carrie Tolstedt was supposed to retire at the end of this year anyway. Her retirement was moved up a few months so she could escape the heat, and she is supposed to be losing her severance package. But that still leaves her with a retirement payday of $77 million in stocks and stock options, a reduction of between $23 and $50 million, depending on who is counting.
    She has not had to give up any of the $9 million she made in salary and commissions last year, in part because of the fraud. And so far, no criminal charges.

  42. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Gotta make yhis real easy for Chad to read.

    CEO Stumpf…is truly stumped. ..didn’t the Enron CEO dude kill himself, Kenneth Lay…George Bush the dummy used to call him “Kenny boy”…when he was the golden boy, scandal broke and nobody called him anything anymore. …his sidekick Jeffrey Skilling had his prison sentenced reduced to 14 years.

    Tyco’s CEO got 25 years in prison…lol

    “Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf is running “a criminal enterprise” and should be fired or even jailed, several members of Congress claimed.
    Rep. Michael Capuano on Thursday said the Wells Fargo (WFC) scandal and the people who lead the bank reminded him of “the guys who ran Enron,” evoking a company that was found guilty of massive financial fraud.

    Capuano said Stumpf is “clearly and unequivocally guilty” of a range of crimes, including conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to commit identity theft and racketeering.
    Powered by SmartAsset.com

    Stumpf sought to defend his bank in front of a very hostile audience of members of the House Financial Services Committee. However, Stumpf wasn’t able to get much of a response in beyond his prepared remarks apologizing for the scandal.

    Stumpf was seeking to rebound from a disastrous appearance before the Senate, a hearing that was highlighted by Senator Elizabeth Warren’s epic takedown, that quickly went viral on social media and got laughs on late-night television.

    He was repeatedly cut off by members of Congress, Republican and Democrat, who pummeled him by comparing him to an actual bank robber and calling Wells Fargo a “school for scoundrels” with a “broken culture,” among other things.

    Stumpf’s appearance comes as calls for his resignation have gotten more strident. Several House members repeated those demands.

    “I recognize we could have done more earlier,” Stumpf said. “I try to lead with courage and conviction, but of course we make mistakes.”


  43. In a feminist society, many female criminals get off scot free, and men have to take responsibility for their crimes. Carrie and Hillary are untouchable. Both should be in prison.

  44. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Lol….men should have been going to prison for centuries for all types of get rich and get wealthy quick schemes and atrocities..

    Example…

    Slavery

    Land theft

    Killing natives of foreign lands

    Rapes of cultures

    Human trafficking and murders

    Identify theft….etc.

    But they did not go to prison.

    So grow a pair Chad.


  45. TIMOTHY SIMMONS ENTERPRISE GROWTH FUND (EGFL)

    Timothy Simmons is a big thief and a fraud. This man as CEO has been stealing from the Growth Funds that government has in place to help businesses grow. He stole funds over the years to set up and operate Tims Restaurants and the T & T Barbecue located at the bottom of University of West Indies.

    This inside scam he has been doing over 15 years. If that was not good enough some of those awarded with growth funds he also extorted for a percentage when they received approval from the Board of Directors. I would know as my company was one that received funds and I was forced to hand over $25,000 to Timothy Simmons. This is fraud and extortion.

    Timothy Simmons also bullies many of the businesses that received funds and is a very poor people’s person. He works closely with Terrence, one of the top boys at CLICO, who along with Parris stole and brought down CLICO. Timothy Simmons is also formerly from First Caribbean Bank.

    BARBADOS IS ROTTEN TO THE CORE!!!

    Timothy Simmons likes to bad talk about other people but he should look in the mirror. This man has pocketed millions over the years from EGFL and some clients, and this has gone on for a long, long time.

    The money is taxpayers’ money and all Bajans should know what goes on in the Enterprise Growth Fund (EGFL) with its long-time CEO.


  46. Birds of a feather flock together, Timothy what goes around comes around do good and good will come, look at who is the Chairman of EGFL’s Board Terrence Thornhill who is Leroy Parris right hand man.

    Terrance is also very arrogant and think he is high and mighty but they are all crooks and frauds. Maybe if the fraud squad dig a little deeper the puzzle will come together and alot of heads will role. Look at who would have help audit the books at Clico.

    What government needs to do is investigate these people. Imagine these frauds living comfortable and poor people suffering. Timothy & Terrence change your wicked ways.

  47. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    http://ow.ly/9xvG304LRpd

    Wells Fargo CEO ignored employees concerns about scam and lack of ethics.

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