Charles Schwab Corp. filed suit against units of Bank of America Corp.'s Merrill Lynch & Co., UBS AG and Bear Stearns Cos. in state court on June 29 in San Francisco, where Schwab is based. The suit alleges that the banks lied or omitted information on mortgage-backed securities Schwab bought from them. The suit was first reported by Bloomberg on July 14.
The news service reports Schwab, an independent online broker, claims it paid the firms $130 million for three securities, and that more dubious securities are likely to turn up if the suit is allowed to go forward.
The company claims the securities dealers lied or didn't disclose information about loans underlying the bonds they sold, including the loan- to-value ratios of mortgages and the number of properties that were not primary residences, according to the complaint.
A Schwab spokesman did not return calls seeking comment.