BofA, UBS, JPMorgan sued

Bank of America Corp, UBS AG, JPMorgan Chase & Co and other banks were sued by a California public utility over claims they rigged sales of municipal derivatives and shared illegal profits through kickbacks.

The lawsuit, filed by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, is based on federal and state antitrust claims. It alleges Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America and more than a dozen other banks conspired to pre-select winners of municipal derivative auctions, coordinated their pricing, and accepted kickbacks disguised as fees from co-conspirators.

The allegations resemble those made by a US grand jury in New York last month, according to the lawsuit filed on November 12 in federal court in Sacramento.