Write-Offs: 02.15.11

$$$ A Delaware judge harshly criticized Barclays Capital's role in the $4 billion takeover of Del Monte Foods Co., saying the bank "secretly and selfishly manipulated the sale process" to boost its fees, and in a rare step delayed the deal's closing to give other bidders a chance to jump in. [MarketWatch]

$$$ 100-foot-long narco sub found in Colombia [CNN]

$$$ John Paulson’s Interview With the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission: The Signs Were There [SSA]

$$$Barclays Grows Staff and Compensation, Bonuses Slashed [FINS, DB]

$$$ Brian Kim, who had appeared on CNBC in the past as an Asian futures derivatives trading expert, allegedly convinced at least 45 people–many in the technology industry–to invest in what he claimed were “safe, stable and consistently profitable securities,” Vance said. Instead, Kim allegedly diverted vast amounts of investor money to himself and also generated enormous financial losses in highly speculative futures contracts, Vance said. [WSJ]

$$$ JPMorgan Has Three Perfect Trading Quarters in 2010 [Bloomberg]

$$$ America shouldn’t fear German takeover of NYSE [Reuters via Heidi Moore]

$$$Are You An Asshole On The Street? [WSJ]