THE first real signs that the Irish banking system was in deep trouble appeared on March 17, 2008.

An Irish branch of global banking giant JP Morgan last year recorded a large increase in profits compared to the previous year.

The sequence of events leading up to the offences can be traced back to a meeting in a Navan hotel in September 2007 involving Ireland’s then richest man and two Anglo Irish Bank directors.

Ireland’s once richest man Seán Quinn was facing regular demands for hundreds of millions of euro from late 2007 on in order to maintain his shareholding in Anglo Irish Bank.

The trial of three former Anglo Irish Bank directors has heard from its first witnesses including the former CEO of the Quinn Group.

The trial of three former Anglo Irish Bank directors has heard from its first witnesses including the former CEO of The Quinn Group.

The largest bank in the US, JPMorgan Chase, will pay $614m and improve mortgage lending procedures under a new deal.

The US government and JPMorgan Chase have agreed a record $13bn settlement over the company’s sales of low quality mortgage-backed securities that collapsed in value during the financial crisis, a source close to the talks has said.

JPMorgan Chase says it has reached a $4.5bn settlement with investors over mortgage-backed securities.

JP Morgan Chase & Co has reached a $13bn (€9.5bn) deal with the US Justice Department and other government agencies to settle investigations into bad mortgage loans the bank sold to investors before the financial crisis.

Many of the world’s largest investment banks have been accused of secretly acting together to maintain fees they made from financial products known as credit derivatives.

This weekend, as we relax between two bank holiday weekends, maybe we should for a fleeting moment — anything longer would be too frightening — imagine ourselves Cypriot.

It’s not a case of all for one and one for all between financial institutions and shareholders, writes Anat Admati

The Juice — Vinous Veritas

JPMorgan Chase & Co, the biggest US bank by assets, says it has suffered a trading loss of at least $2bn (€1.53bn) from a failed hedging strategy, a shock disclosure that hit financial stocks and the reputation of the bank and its chief executive Jamie Dimon.

JP MORGAN Bank Dublin reported pre-tax profits of almost $1m (€706,000) for last year compared with a loss of $13.9m in the previous year.

THE blame game is under way between former Anglo bosses over who was in control at the bank when the finance crisis hit.

PEOPLE with breathing difficulties may benefit from riding in a roller coaster – or at least that is what one of the winners of this year’s silliest science awards has suggested.

TREACHERY? Infamy? Infamy! They’ve all got it in for me!

Royal Bank of Scotland today announced the sale of its metals, oils and European energy business for $1.7bn as it looks to meet EU demands following its multi-billion pound state bail-out.

Part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland is preparing to hand out huge bonuses to investment bankers despite expected annual losses of £7bn (€8bn), it was reported today.

US banking giant JPMorgan Chase kicked off a bumper results season for Wall Street titans after more than doubling profits in 2009. The figures revealed pay, bonuses and benefits across the bank as a whole rose 18% to $26.9 billion (€18.7bn).

US banking giant JP Morgan Chase kicked off a bumper results season for Wall Street titans today after more than doubling profits in 2009.

US giant JP Morgan Chase is set to unveil a multibillion dollar bonus pot when it kicks off the results season for Wall Street banks today.

IRELAND’s former richest man, Sean Quinn, has confirmed that state investigations into his family’s financial dealings with Anglo Irish Bank have been widened.

US banking giant JP Morgan Chase today posted first-quarter profits of $2.1bn (€1.6bn), adding to hopes that the sector’s worst storms are behind it.

IT’S BEEN a tough few months for wasteful spenders, and the backlash against squandermania continued in Croke Park yesterday.

Caution returned to Wall Street today as investors gave back some gains from last week’s rally even as they found encouragement from President-elect Barack Obama’s calls for an economic stimulus package

Fallen US financier Bernard Madoff was today forced into the humiliation of wearing an electronic tag as part of his bail conditions.

A US financial watchdog chief said his agency repeatedly failed for at least a decade to pursue allegations of wrongdoing by Wall Street figure Bernard Madoff, the alleged perpetrator of a $50bn (€35.63bn) pyramid scheme.

RUDYARD Kipling wrote: “Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” Well, never say never, Rudyard.

The US government unveiled a bold plan to rescue troubled Citigroup, including taking a $20bn (€15.7bn) stake in the firm as well as guaranteeing hundreds of billions of dollars in risky assets.

Wall Street got another dose of painful reality today, with stocks falling sharply as investors recognised that few industries are safe from the consumer spending slump.

TO say we live in interesting times somehow doesn’t capture the enormity of the events in the global financial system.

The leading shares on the London Stock Exchange sank into the red today as investors took scant comfort from President Bush’s pledge to “rise to the occasion” with a banking rescue.

The man taking multi-million euro bets against UK banks is believed to have earned the largest one-year payday in Wall Street history.

Asian stock markets soared today as a news of a US government plan to rescue banks from risky mortgage debt brought hope of a let-up in the world’s worst financial crisis in decades.

FIVE jet pilots used smoke plumes to script “Welcome to the 37th Ryder Cup” in the sky — officially re-igniting America and Europe’s intense biannual golfing rivalry.

Stocks plunged on Wall Street today as investors remained worried about chaos in the US financial market even after the government forged an extraordinary $85bn (€59bn ) rescue of insurance giant American International Group.

The US government was “forced” into proposing a $85bn bail-out of insurance giant AIG because of “failed regulation, reckless management and a casino culture on Wall Street”, Republican presidential nominee John McCain said today.

London’s leading shares plunged to a three-year low today as markets endured a second day of turmoil in the aftermath of the Lehman Brothers collapse.

Stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic were braced for more turmoil today in the wake of the Lehman Brothers collapse.

Wall Street stocks plunged today, with the Dow Jones industrials sliding 500 points, or 4.4%, in their worst point drop since the September 2001 terrorist attacks.

Shares tumbled today as US investors reacted to a stunning reshaping of the landscape of Wall Street.