AIG Sues Bank Of America Over Alleged Fraud In RMBS

On August 8, 2011, American International Group sued Bank of America Corp., Countrywide Financial Corp., and Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York state court, claiming that between 2005 and 2007 the defendants fraudulently induced AIG to invest in 350 residential mortgage-backed securities at a cost of $28 billion. AIG claims that the defendants did not engage in prudent underwriting practices, and ignored mischaracterizations made by borrowers about income and employment. The AIG complaint cited a forensic investigation done of the securitizations before the suit was filed, alleging that 40% of loans sampled were improperly evaluated on the risk metrics the defendants included in their offering materials. AIG alleges violations of Sections 11, 12(a)(2), and 15 of the ’33 Act, and state law claims of fraudulent inducement, aiding and abetting fraudulent inducement, negligent misrepresentation, and vicarious and successor liability. AIG seeks $10 billion in compensatory damages, among other remedies. Complaint.