I knew there was a reason I loved Jerome Kerviel and today that reason became crystal clear. As previously mentioned, the former SocGen trader admitted faking a buncha trades during his time with the firm. Now, there’s this:

Former Societe Generale trader Jerome Kerviel admitted on Tuesday to creating a fake client called “Matt” to cover massive unauthorised bets with a broker. 33-year-old Kerviel told the court on the sixth day of his trial how he had lied to broker Moussa Bakir about the driven, rugby-loving “Matt”, who worked for a hedge fund, in response to Bakir’s questions about his trading strategy.

I must know more. Did Kerviel tell his bosses he and Matt go way back, having met “one drunken night” at University? Did he have pictures of Matt on his desk and snarl at colleagues’ insinuation the photos were the ones that come with the frames? Did he ever pick up the phone and pretend to be talking to Matt when no one was on the other line, or he’d dialed whatever is french for 411 and told the operator to play along? I need that last one to be true more than I’ve ever needed anything in my life.

Ex-trader Kerviel admits to fake client [Reuters via BI]

Comments (30)

  1. Posted by Anonymous | June 15, 2010 at 3:44 PM

    Oh, sure, and I bet “Matt’s” account number at SocGen was “88888″. That frog wanker ripped me off!

    ~Nick Leeson

  2. Posted by Anonymous | June 15, 2010 at 3:45 PM

    Did Matt have a Facebook page? They could have checked that.

    ~AIG Quant

  3. Posted by Pfluger the Barbarian | June 15, 2010 at 3:47 PM

    That kid in “The Shining” had an imaginary friend too. It turned out that the imaginary friend saved his life.

  4. Posted by EvilBuzzard | June 15, 2010 at 3:50 PM

    And he was a dirty, Tight-Head Prop; head-spearing hookers on every pitch the tour visited…

  5. Posted by Anonymous | June 15, 2010 at 3:51 PM

    Bess, remember when you made up that guy Zach Kouwe?

  6. Posted by Bess Levin | June 15, 2010 at 4:00 PM

    @5 yeah. how hilarious was that?

  7. Posted by OHHHHYEAAAAHHH!!! | June 15, 2010 at 4:05 PM

    met one drunken night and decided to play just-the-tip. Cute without the E

  8. Posted by Kenneth Griffin | June 15, 2010 at 4:18 PM

    “Did he have pictures of Matt on his desk and snarl at colleagues’ insinuation the photos were the ones that come with the frames?”

    Very funny. Haha. Fuck you.

    Sometimes an imagination is the truest asset one holds.

  9. Posted by Anonymous | June 15, 2010 at 4:19 PM
  10. Posted by Operator Francois | June 15, 2010 at 4:20 PM

    Bonjour! C’est Quatre-un-un! Comment allez-vous?

  11. Posted by Jan | June 15, 2010 at 4:20 PM

    His name? umm.. his name is…. um… George….. yeah, George Glass and he is groovy!

  12. Posted by DDF | June 15, 2010 at 4:21 PM

    I don’t love you because love is for girls and girls are disgusting

  13. Posted by Anonymous | June 15, 2010 at 4:22 PM

    Kerviel was actually calling Jim Cramer to talk stock tips, KErviel obviously took the other side knowing Jim’s track record…

  14. Posted by Kenneth Griffin | June 15, 2010 at 4:25 PM

    If you really want to make it your business, that colored gentleman is Christopher, with his golden retriever, Oliver. And yes, he got that ice cream with me in Wisconsin. 1987. And no; I don’t have any recent pictures.

    Now, kindly excuse yourself.

  15. Posted by Jan | June 15, 2010 at 4:26 PM

    His supervisor never saw The Brady Bunch???! Le Paquet de Brady?? WTF? Think he was picturing Matt Damon or Matt Dillon? Or did he reference the old classic american joke: Qu’appelez-vous l’avec aucuns bras ou aucunes jambes qui s’assied devant votre porte ? Matt!! ahhhhhahahahaahahahaha.. Tres Bien!!! Tres Bien!!

  16. Posted by Confusez-moi | June 15, 2010 at 4:28 PM

    I just got an error message saying “You are not posting fast enough.”

  17. Posted by Iced Tea | June 15, 2010 at 4:38 PM

    A french man in finance is as useful as a lubricated dildo for a rapist.

  18. Posted by Jefferies 4 life | June 15, 2010 at 4:41 PM

    Nothing like this would ever happen at Jefferies. Suck on my prestige bitches!!!!

    - Jefferies Analyst

  19. Posted by Anonymous | June 15, 2010 at 4:49 PM

    can you please post a picture of this jerome guy you keep talking about

  20. Posted by Benjamin the Banker | June 15, 2010 at 4:53 PM

    whew that was close – i know how much the french like Harvey

    Elwood P. Dowd

  21. Posted by Anonymous | June 15, 2010 at 5:04 PM

    Bess, why do you keep @# yourself, like in comment 6? It seems schizophrenic. I was thinking the same thing.

  22. Posted by Anonymous | June 15, 2010 at 5:33 PM

    I have a friend too, its a big black talking dog.

  23. Posted by Anonymous | June 15, 2010 at 5:46 PM

    God bless @20 for the “Harvey” reference.

  24. Posted by Anonymous | June 15, 2010 at 5:48 PM

    My imaginary friend mysteriously controls my well developed right hand and wrist from time to time.

    ~CG

  25. Posted by Someone who once met Soros | June 15, 2010 at 6:58 PM

    cow_anus

  26. Posted by StillNotNasser | June 15, 2010 at 7:39 PM

    Actually, he had a thing about the Today Show “Matt.”

    “Mon ami, Matt, du Spectacle d’Aujourd’hui….”

  27. Posted by Anonymous | June 15, 2010 at 9:29 PM

    Wow, that is so cool. Kerviel just exposed the secret of getting trades past compliance. Apparently if “Matt” has done the trade, then that turns off all the risk monitoring flags, KYC and AML.

  28. Posted by Hamilton | June 16, 2010 at 4:02 AM

    Checkmatt.

  29. Posted by Anonymous | June 16, 2010 at 9:44 AM

    My imaginary friends talk me out of killing you

    -Dixie Normous

  30. Posted by Anonymous | June 16, 2010 at 10:14 AM

    @22 willing to bet that your “friend” is BIG and Black but definitely not a dog

Leave a comment

You can log in with your account or comment as a guest below.