Johnson Says U.S. Being ‘High-Handed’ on Standard Chartered
London Mayor Boris Johnson accused U.S. regulators of acting in a “high-handed” way over Standard Chartered Plc (STAN) and said criticism of British banks stems from jealousy of London as a financial center.
The U.S. “is still the land of the free and the home of the brave and, every now and then, just a tiny bit high-handed in her treatment of other nations,” Johnson wrote in a column for the London-based Spectator magazine due to be published tomorrow.
“I mean, what is all this stuff about Standard Chartered? This British bank has generally enjoyed a high reputation for probity (as these places go) until yesterday, when some New York regulator apparently denounced Standard as a ‘rogue institution,’” he wrote.
Standard Chartered shares have slumped about 15 percent in London this week after New York regulator Benjamin Lawsky threatened to strip the bank of its license to operate in the state, alleging it processed $250 billion of deals with Iranian banks subject to U.S. sanctions. The London-based lender denies the allegations.
“Well, if people have broken the law of this country, then by all means bang them away,” wrote Johnson, who has consistently defended the interests of the banking industry amid the public and political backlash triggered by the 2008 financial crisis.
“But you can’t help wondering whether all this beating up of British banks and bankers is starting to shade into protectionism,” he wrote. “And you can’t help thinking it might actually be at least partly motivated by jealousy of London’s financial sector -- a simple desire to knock a rival center.”
‘Catastrophic’
Lawsky’s order described how the head of Standard Chartered’s U.S. unit warned his superiors in London in 2006 that the bank’s actions could expose it to “catastrophic reputational damage.” The official received a reply referring to U.S. employees with an obscenity.
“Who are you to tell us, the rest of the world, that we’re not going to deal with Iranians?” a bank superior in London said, according to the order.
Referring to the comment, Johnson wrote: “I disapprove of the language, of course. But I have to say -- and I speak as the proud possessor of an American passport -- that there seems to be something fine and sound about the underlying sentiment.”
Bank of England Governor Mervyn King earlier today criticized Lawsky for failing to coordinate the announcement of the probe into Standard Chartered.
To contact the reporter on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at jhertling@bloomberg.net
London Mayor Boris Johnson
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
London Mayor Boris Johnson wrote in a column for the Spectator magazine due to be published tomorrow, the U.S. “is still the land of the free and the home of the brave and, every now and then, just a tiny bit high-handed in her treatment of other nations.”
London Mayor Boris Johnson wrote in a column for the Spectator magazine due to be published tomorrow, the U.S. “is still the land of the free and the home of the brave and, every now and then, just a tiny bit high-handed in her treatment of other nations.” Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Simon Maughan, a financial industry strategist at Olivetree Securities, talks about money-laundering allegations filed against Standard Chartered Plc and his recommendation for the stock. He speaks with Guy Johnson on Bloomberg Television's "City Central." (Source: Bloomberg)
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