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Stockholders Sue Sterling Financial
At least six class action lawsuits have been filed against Sterling Financial, a parent company of the Bank of Hanover. Initial findings from an internal investigation revealed a “sophisticated loan scandal” at an affiliate company.More lawsuits are expected to be filed in the near future as law firms on the East Coast are looking for investors who bought Sterling stock between April 24, 2004, and May 24, 2007.
A Haverford law firm filed a securities class action lawsuit Wednesday in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
One plaintiff is named in the lawsuit and the law firm would not say how much money the investor lost when Sterling stocks plummeted. If a judge certifies the lawsuit as a class action, other shareholders would be able to join in.
The lawsuit alleges that Sterling violated federal securities laws by issuing a series of materially false and misleading statements from April 27, 2004, to May 25, 2007, that artificially inflated the price of the stock.
Sterling launched an internal investigation after finding financial irregularities at Equipment Finance LLC, an affiliate financial institution also based in Lancaster. Sterling said its initial findings unveiled an elaborate loan scandal and revealed that financial statements from as far back as 2004 were compromised. Five Equipment Finance employees, including the chief operating officer and executive vice president, were fired.
The alleged fraud will result in an after-tax change of $145 million to $165 million to the company's 2006 financial statements. Such an impairment will swing the company to a major loss for last year. Sterling's 2006 net income was $36.5 million.
To maximize capital and maintain its daily business operations, Sterling Financial moved to consolidate four subsidiary banks. Sterling will also halt the payment of dividends to shareholders for a period of time and explore other strategic options, including raising additional capital, to make up for the loss.