UBS, Switzerland’s biggest bank, may be fined more than $1 billion by U.S. and U.K. regulators for trying to rig global interest rates, more than double the amount levied against Barclays Plc, according to a person familiar with the probe....The fine will likely be the largest against any bank levied by the U.S. and U.K. authorities in the Libor probes, the person said. [Bloomberg]
Soooo, that doesn't look great.
Like many of its peers in the banking world, RBS used to make a habit of manipulating Libor (among other things). And, as recent reports suggest, the Royalest Bank of Scotland is probably going to be forced to cough up £300m (and fire a couple execs) to convince the government everyone is very sorry and it won't happen again. How does the bank, which has not had a money-making quarter since the financial crisis,* plan to come up with the cash? By 1) taking back bonuses that were already paid out to people who were involved in the scandal and 2) reducing everyone's bonus this year.
Just kidding about that non-prosecution agreement.
And yet the inventor of rate-rigging sits pretty.