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JP Morgan Office Raided as Part of Tax Fraud Probe

JP Morgan Office Raided as Part of Tax Fraud Probe

Finance giant JP Morgan Chase has confirmed the company's Frankfurt office was raided as part of a tax fraud probe. 

Financial Times reported that company spokespeople for the U.S.-based bank stated the office was "visited" by Cologne prosecutors, and that they are continuing to co-operate with the investigation.

The outlet also shared that the raid "is the latest step in a sprawling investigation into the dividend tax scandal, which dates back more than a decade. Prosecutors and police in Germany have this year also raided the offices of foreign lenders Barclays, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley."

Bloomberg went on to share that the Cum-Ex scandal, despite going on for over a decade, is still "roiling the financial industry." Their report shared additional details about how the so-called Cum-Ex strategy functioned:

Cum-Ex was a trading strategy that siphoned off at least 10 billion euros ($10 billion) in government revenue. Named for the Latin term for “With-Without,” the deals took advantage of German tax laws that seemed to allow multiple investors to claim refunds of a tax on dividends that was paid only once. The nation moved to abolish the practice in 2012.

Despite its abolition, Wall Street continues to feel the effects of the trading tactic. In Germany, four Cum-Ex trials are currently underway, with more likely to begin as officials continue their ongoing investigations.

Recently, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who took over as head of the banking giant in 2005, was in the news for reportedly warning wealthy clients to be on the lookout for financial problems far worse than a standard recession might bring in newly released reports. 

The CEO reportedly stated that the probability of a "soft landing" are, in his estimation, about 10% and the probability of a "harder landing" or "mild recession" are between 20% and 30%, per JP Morgan's projections.

Dimon also reportedly estimated that the likelihood of a "harder recession" or "something worse" also ranges from 20% to 30%. 

What do you think about the recent raid of JP Morgan in Frankfurt?

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Rebekah Barton

Rebekah Barton

Rebekah's search engine optimization career began completely by accident as a college student. Over the course of her career so far, she has "grown up" with the SEO industry, from writing content while juggling classes to managing her own teams of writers and overseeing SEO strategy in subsequent roles. She is excited to bring her passion for high-quality content to CountingWorks, Inc.

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