Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Six Banks Reported Agreeing to $86.4M Bond Settlement

Six major banks' Mexican banking affiliates agreed to an $86.4 million settlement to end an eight-year U.S. antitrust lawsuit alleging coordination to rig prices and allocations in Mexico's government bond market, with the preliminary filing in Manhattan pending judicial approval. When combined with earlier settlements by Barclays and JPMorgan Chase, the deal would total about $107.1 million, and the banks deny wrongdoing while investors—led by pension funds—cite evidence of trader communications showing price manipulation from 2006 to 2017.