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MattSh

(3,714 posts)
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 01:48 AM Apr 2014

Suspicious Deaths Of Bankers Are Now Classified As "Trade Secrets" By Federal Regulator

Submitted by Pam Martens and Russ Martens of Wall Street On Parade,

It doesn’t get any more Orwellian than this: Wall Street mega banks crash the U.S. financial system in 2008. Hundreds of thousands of financial industry workers lose their jobs. Then, beginning late last year, a rash of suspicious deaths start to occur among current and former bank employees. Next we learn that four of the Wall Street mega banks likely hold over $680 billion face amount of life insurance on their workers, payable to the banks, not the families. We ask their Federal regulator for the details of this life insurance under a Freedom of Information Act request and we’re told the information constitutes “trade secrets.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the life expectancy of a 25 year old male with a Bachelor’s degree or higher as of 2006 was 81 years of age. But in the past five months, five highly educated JPMorgan male employees in their 30s and one former employee aged 28, have died under suspicious circumstances, including three of whom allegedly leaped off buildings – a statistical rarity even during the height of the financial crisis in 2008.

There is one other major obstacle to brushing away these deaths as random occurrences – they are not happening at JPMorgan’s closest peer bank – Citigroup. Both JPMorgan and Citigroup are global financial institutions with both commercial banking and investment banking operations. Their employee counts are similar – 260,000 employees for JPMorgan versus 251,000 for Citigroup.

Both JPMorgan and Citigroup also own massive amounts of bank-owned life insurance (BOLI), a controversial practice that pays the corporation when a current or former employee dies. (In the case of former employees, the banks conduct regular “death sweeps” of public records using former employees’ Social Security numbers to learn if a former employee has died and then submits a request for payment of the death benefit to the insurance company.)

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-04-28/guest-post-suspicious-deaths-bankers-are-now-classified-trade-secrets-federal-regula

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Suspicious Deaths Of Bankers Are Now Classified As "Trade Secrets" By Federal Regulator (Original Post) MattSh Apr 2014 OP
Is there a fund where I can buy shares in that? jberryhill Apr 2014 #1
How is this legal? Rod Beauvex Apr 2014 #2
I think it's officially referred to as 'dead peasant insurance' Matariki Apr 2014 #3
In many cases, the employee becomes more of an asset dead than alive mrdmk Apr 2014 #21
shorting the employee pool....n/t Lodestar Apr 2014 #4
Why don't any of these guys dump private company info onto the web before they jump? Kablooie Apr 2014 #5
the implication is that they didn't jump...better not to work for JP Morgan. diane in sf Apr 2014 #7
The employee may not know he's an unrealized asset gratuitous Apr 2014 #22
I had to authorize this insurance when I worked at Wells Fargo seamonkey58 Apr 2014 #6
"Had to authorize?" Brigid Apr 2014 #10
Do they insure users who have huge loans? Isn't the what AIG is for? I seem to remember that the jwirr Apr 2014 #17
I wonder who does the offing of these employees? diane in sf Apr 2014 #8
How in the hell . . . Brigid Apr 2014 #9
Something stinks. It really, really stinks. blkmusclmachine Apr 2014 #11
No matter how you look at this, it just is not right. Enthusiast Apr 2014 #13
K&R'd. snot Apr 2014 #12
Maybe some banks have decided it's profitable to kill off their employees. reformist2 Apr 2014 #14
As we descend into our new corporate rulership system there will be pains. raouldukelives Apr 2014 #16
hmm... very interesting... arcane1 Apr 2014 #15
Just a new form of hedgefund. jwirr Apr 2014 #18
You can bet they have derivitives based on those insurance policies and are selling those too n/t arcane1 Apr 2014 #19
k&r Duppers Apr 2014 #20
It must be a patented process. Nuclear Unicorn Apr 2014 #23
 

jberryhill

(62,444 posts)
1. Is there a fund where I can buy shares in that?
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 01:52 AM
Apr 2014

They can't sell crappy mortgage backed securities anymore, so if they wrap these life insurance policies into an investment vehicle it sounds like a winner to me!

Where can I get me some of that action?

Rod Beauvex

(564 posts)
2. How is this legal?
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 02:10 AM
Apr 2014

It should not be legal to take an insurance policy out of someone without their explicit, signed-with-lawyer-present consent.

Matariki

(18,775 posts)
3. I think it's officially referred to as 'dead peasant insurance'
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 02:21 AM
Apr 2014

which is sort of ironic in this case. or something.

mrdmk

(2,943 posts)
21. In many cases, the employee becomes more of an asset dead than alive
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 04:25 PM
Apr 2014

Also, another saying is, 'dead men do not talk!'

Kablooie

(18,634 posts)
5. Why don't any of these guys dump private company info onto the web before they jump?
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 02:28 AM
Apr 2014

If a company drove me to do that I'd want to destroy them as well as myself.

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
22. The employee may not know he's an unrealized asset
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 04:38 PM
Apr 2014

It seems these insurance policies can be taken out without the insured's knowledge.

Reminds me of that scene in "Head Office" where newby Judge Reinhold is at lunch with a couple of the big boys, who are discussing the imminent demise of one of their co-workers. The guy's working too hard, under a lot of stress at home, just a matter of time before the fatal heart attack. Reinhold can't believe what he's hearing, the cynical attitude toward this guy's death, and finally blurts out, "Why don't you just kill the guy?"

The other two stop their conversation, and the camera switches between their thoughtful faces. Reinhold, at first incredulous, begins looking apprehensive, which slides into horror as he realizes they're seriously considering killing the guy. After a very uncomfortable silence, they both say "Naaaaahh," and resume eating.

seamonkey58

(19 posts)
6. I had to authorize this insurance when I worked at Wells Fargo
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 02:32 AM
Apr 2014

This was around 2004 in San Francisco. Many coworkers were grumbling about it then, too. It's really very cynical but unfortunately is widespread in the industry.

jwirr

(39,215 posts)
17. Do they insure users who have huge loans? Isn't the what AIG is for? I seem to remember that the
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 11:08 AM
Apr 2014

mob used to insure people and then off them. Full circle.

Brigid

(17,621 posts)
9. How in the hell . . .
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 02:54 AM
Apr 2014

Does a company have an insurable interest in someone who doesn't even work there anymore? How can this be legal?

Enthusiast

(50,983 posts)
13. No matter how you look at this, it just is not right.
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 04:37 AM
Apr 2014

Right is right and wrong is wrong.

I guess people that run these higher financial institutions have not a single shred of honesty or integrity.

reformist2

(9,841 posts)
14. Maybe some banks have decided it's profitable to kill off their employees.
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 04:53 AM
Apr 2014

With profit-driven, amoral (immoral?) capitalism, anything is possible, no?

raouldukelives

(5,178 posts)
16. As we descend into our new corporate rulership system there will be pains.
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 10:52 AM
Apr 2014

One of those is the pain of becoming a commodity. One is worth to them only what one can get from them. As a helpful tool, as an investor or in prison. If one doesn't fit one of those molds, they'd just prefer you die. And they will and they are.
For one to be culpable, to be trusted, one must take a payoff. Just like a dirty cop drama, if you don't share in the wealth, something is going to go wrong for you.
Children now are being born into our rapidly evolving creation. Or that is, the creation of Wall St investors. They have paid for it and we must all learn to live in it. It is what they wish for us. As a life spent and a legacy, they wish it for us all.

 

arcane1

(38,613 posts)
19. You can bet they have derivitives based on those insurance policies and are selling those too n/t
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 11:29 AM
Apr 2014
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