Livinglies's Weblog

To begin with, securitisation violates US State usury legislation. Secondly, all ‘true-sale’, ‘disguised loan’ as well as ‘assignment’ securitisations are essentially tax evasion schemes, and the penalties for tax evasion in the United States are excessively severe.

Thirdly, in all ‘true-sale’, ‘disguised loan’ and ‘assignment’ securitisations, the conflict of interest inherent in the sponsor also serving as the servicer constitutes fraud and conversion. In the fourth place, in all ‘true-sale’, ‘disguised loan’ and ‘assignment’ securitisations where the Special Purpose Vehicle [SPV] is a trust, the declaration of trust is void, as it exists for an illegal purpose.

In the fifth place, off-balance sheet treatment of asset-backed securities (both for ‘true-sale’ and for assignment transactions) constitutes fraud.

Sixth, all ‘true-sale’, ‘disguised loan’ and ‘assignment’ securitisations involve blatant fraudulent conveyances. In the seventh place, securitisation usurps United States bankruptcy laws and is accordingly illegal, as well as being also demonstrably contrary to public policy.

SECURITISATION ENTAILS GROSS VIOLATIONS OF R.I.C.O. STATUTES
In ‘true-sale’, ‘disguised loan’ and ‘assignment’ securitisations, there are fraudulent transactions which serve as ‘predicate acts’ under US Federal R.I.C.O. statutes.

The specific R.I.C.O. sections are: Section 1341 (mail fraud); Section 1343 (wire fraud); Section 1344 (financial institution fraud); Section 1957 (engaging in monetary transactions improperly derived from specified unlawful activity) [‘the money you make from the illegal exploitation of my money, is my money’]; and Section 1952 (racketeering).

Furthermore, securitisation constitutes violations of American antitrust statutes through market integration, syndicate collusion, price formation, vertical foreclosure, tying, price-fixing, predatory pricing, and the rigging of allocations.

Securitisation also involves void contracts, given the lack of consideration, illusory promises, the absence of any actual bargain, the absence of mutuality – and finally illegal subject matter and the contravention of public policy.

Securitisation is riddled with Fraudulent Transfer, Fraud in the Inducement, Fraud in Fact by Deceit, Theft by Deception (Fraudulent Concealment) and Fraudulent Conveyance: see the US securities regulations routinely breached in such activity, listed at the foot of this report and of most of these reports for THE PAST THREE YEARS, and other laws also routinely flouted in this context.

NOTWITHSTANDING THAT IT’S ILLEGAL, U.S. AUTHORITIES
CONTINUE TO PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE SECURITISATION
Yet notwithstanding such crystal-clear indications that securitisation is 100% ILLEGAL under US Law, as well as under Common Law generally (so that these findings are largely applicable in all Common Law countries), US authorities from the highest level downwards, financial institutions, intermediaries, Intelligence Power operatives and others are gearing up for what they doubtless hope will be intensified racketeering and trading activity with (corrupt) foreign counterparties.

This behaviour is being fine-tuned ‘as we speak’, despite the reality that the securitisation activity being planned and implemented violates innumerable US statutes in the manner we summarise above, and notwithstanding that such activity is contrary to public policy.

Indeed, it’s as though the Rule of Law did not exist. From the highest level of the US Treasury, the White House, the US State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency and its subsidiaries such as the lethal Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), the mindset, intention and perverse primary objective has all along been to resume Fraudulent Finance based on securitisation, as quickly and as seamlessly as possible. No wonder the five criminal Presidents DEMANDED immunity from prosecution from the World Bank: did they arrange for key Justices (starting with the American Justice) at the World Court to receive pecuniary reward for granting them their demand?

SUMMARY FORENSIC ANALYSIS PROVING THE ILLEGALITY OF SECURITISATION
From whichever angle securitisation is considered, it is ILLEGAL. For example, the contracts are themselves VOID. This is because the process of securitisation involves several contracts that are either signed simultaneously, or within a short timeframe – many of which are rendered void inter alia because there is no consideration in contracts used in effecting the securitisations.

Many such contracts involve unilateral executory undertakings containing illusory promises. A unilateral executory promise is not a consideration. Such promises typically include a promise made by the Special Purpose Vehicle to pay out periodic interest, whether contingent or non-contingent on whether the collateral pays cash interest.

Collateral-substitution agreements contain a promise whereby the sponsor agrees to substitute impaired collateral. An assignment agreement of future (not yet existing) collateral may well be deemed a unilateral executory promise by the sponsor.

Illusory promises are not valid consideration for a contract. Such promises may be found in the Subscription/Purchase Agreement, whereby an existing asset is being exchanged for a future asset that does not exist as of the date of the subscription/purchase agreement. To make matters worse, none of the agreements typically signed by the investor as part of his/her purchase of the Special Purpose Vehicle’s Asset-Backed Securities expressly incorporates the (typically illusory) promises embodied in the offering prospectus.

OR: The Special Purpose Vehicle’s promise to pay interest and/or dividends on Asset-Backed Securities ‘Interest-Onlys’, Preferreds and ‘Pincipal-Onlys’ are essentially illusory promises because the underlying collateral may not produce any cash flows at all: so there won’t be any interest/dividend payments.

Moreover the lack of mutuality characterising such contracts renders them null and void, by definition. In any such contract, each party must have firm control of the subject matter of the contract and the underlying assets (consideration), and there MUST be a direct contractual relationship between the parties concerned.

But this is not the case, especially as the Special Purpose Vehicle’s corporate documents (trust indentures or bylaws or articles of incorporation) may typically limit the right of each Asset-Back Security investor; while there is typically no mutuality at all between the Special Purpose Vehicle and the sponsor/originator, because both entities are essentially the same, and are controlled by the sponsor before and after the securitisation takes place.

SECURITISATION: A COVER FOR TAX EVASION
In addition to their multiple violations of American State usury laws, all ‘true-sale’, ‘disguised loan’ and ‘assignment securitisations’ are essentially tax evasion arrangements. In the United States, the applicable tax evasion statute is the US Internal Revenue Code Section 7201 7 which reads: “Any person who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax imposed by this title or the payment thereof shall, in addition to other penalties provided by law, be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $100,000 ($500,000 in the case of a corporation), or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution”.

Under this statute and related case law, prosecutors must prove three elements beyond any reasonable doubt:

(1): The actus reus (the guilty conduct) – which consists of an affirmative act (not merely an omission or failure to act) that constitutes evasion or an attempt to evade either: (a) the assessment of a tax or (b) the payment of a tax.

(2): The mens rea or “mental” element of willfulness – the specific intent to violate an actually known legal duty. In the case of ‘true sale’ transactions, the tax evasion occurs because:

(a): The sponsor determines the price at which the collateral is transferred to the SPV, and hence, can arbitrarily lower/increase the price to avoid capital gains taxes – it being assumed here that the sponsor is a profit-maximising entity and will always act to minimise its tax liability and to avoid any tax assessment;

(b): The sponsor typically retains a ‘residual’ interest in the SPV in the form of IOs, POs and “junior piece”, which are typically taxed differently and on a different tax-basis compared with the original collateral: hence, the sponsor can lower the price of the collateral upon transfer to the SPV, and convert what would have been capital gains, into a non-taxable basis in the SPV “residual”;

(c): There is typically the requisite “intent” by the sponsor – evidenced by the arrangement of the transaction and the transfer of assets to the Special Purpose Vehicle;

(d): Before securitisation, collateral is typically reported in the sponsors’ financial statements at book value (that is, lower-of-cost-or-market: under both the US and the international accounting standards, loans and accounts receivable are typically not re-valued to market-value unless there has been some major impairment in value) which does not reflect true Market Values, and results in effective tax evasion on transfer of the collateral to the SPV, as any unrealised gain is not taxed;

(e): The actus reus is manifested by the execution of the securitisation transaction and transfer of assets to the SPV;

(f): The mens rea or specific intent is manifested by the elaborate arrangements implicit in securitisation transactions, the method of determination of the price of the collateral to be transferred to the SPV, the aims of securitisation, and the sponsor’s transfer of assets to the SPV;

(g): The unpaid tax liability consists of foregone tax on the capital gains from the collateral (the transaction is structured to avoid recognition of capital gains), and tax on any income from the collateral which is ‘converted’ into basis or other non-taxable forms;

(h): Income (from the collateral) that would have been taxable in the sponsor’s own financial statements, is converted into non-taxable basis in the form of the SPV’s Interest-Only (IO) and Principal-Only (PO) securities: part of the Interest-Spread (the difference between the SPV’s income and what it pays as interest and operating costs) is paid out to PO-holders, and this transforms interest into return-of-capital or just capital repayment, with no tax consequences. [Leaving aside the Ponzi scam dimension here – Ed.].

In cases of ‘disguised loan’ or ‘assignment’ securitisation transactions, tax evasion occurs:
(a): Because the sponsor determines the price at which the collateral is transferred to the SPV, and hence can lower/increase the price of the collateral to avoid capital gains taxes;

(b): Because the sponsor typically retains a ‘residual’ interest in the SPV which is normally taxed differently and on a different tax-basis compared to the original collateral: hence, the sponsor can lower the price upon transfer to the SPV, and convert what would have been capital gains, into non-taxable basis for tax purposes;

(c): Because the transfer of collateral to the SPV and the creation of Interest-Only and Principal-Only securities converts what would have been taxable capital gains into non-taxable basis;

(d): Because gain in the value of the collateral is not recognised for tax purposes, because there has not been any ‘sale’;

(e): Where the ABS is partly amortising, any capital gains are converted into interest payments;

(f): Because actus reus is manifested by the execution of the securitisation transaction and transfer of assets to the SPV;

(g): Because the mens rea or specific intent is manifested by the elaborate arrangements implicit in securitisation transactions, the objectives of securitisation and the sponsor’s transfer of assets to the Special Purpose Vehicle;

(h): Because the unpaid tax liability consists of tax on the capital gains from the transfer of the collateral (the transaction is structured to avoid recognition of a sale, whereas the transfer to the Special Purpose Vehicle is effectively a sale), and tax on any income from the collateral which is ‘converted’ into basis or other non-taxable forms, by securitisation.

SECURITISATION VIOLATES THE U.S BANKRUPTCY CODE
AND THEREFORE ALSO CONTRAVENES PUBLIC POLICY
Any transfer or conveyance of the assets of a debtor that is deemed to be made for the purposes of hindering, delaying or defrauding actual or potential creditors, may be determined by Courts to be a Fraudulent Conveyance under Section 548 of the US Bankruptcy Code or under a relevant theory of Constructive Fraud.

Although each US State has its own laws regarding the appropriate elements of proof of Constructive Fraud, Section 548(a)(2) of the US Bankruptcy Code permits an inference of Constructive Fraud if the following factors exist:

(1): The debtor received less than reasonably equivalent value for the property transferred; and:

(2): The debtor was insolvent or became insolvent as a result of the transfer, or else retained unreasonably small capital after the transfer, or made the transfer with the intent or belief that it would incur debts beyond its ability to pay.

The following theories of Fraudulent Conveyance within the context of securitisation may apply:

• Where the sponsor/originator receives insufficient value for assets transferred.

• Where there is an ‘intent to hinder, delay or defraud’ creditors (representing an implicit pre-petition waiver of one’s right to file for bankruptcy), with regard to the originator’s transfer of assets to the SPV, or the originator’s transfer of assets to the SPV has clearly not been undertaken on an arms’-length basis.

• Where securitisation increases the originator’s bankruptcy risk; and:

• In all instances where securitisation usurps the United States’ bankruptcy laws and is therefore illegal on such a basis alone.

SECURITISATION VIOLATES FEDERAL R.I.C.O. STATUTES
Turning now to the reality that securitisation constitutes a violation of US Federal R.I.C.O. Statutes [see Legal Notes below], we can state without equivocation that the entire securitisation process constitutes violations of Federal R.I.C.O. statutes, because:

(1): There is the requisite criminal or civil ‘enterprise’ – consisting of the sponsor/issuer, the trustees and the intermediary bank. These three parties work closely together to effect the securitisation transaction.

(2): There are ‘predicate acts’ of:

(a): Mail fraud – using the mails for sending out materials among themselves and to investors.

(b): Wire fraud – using wires to engage in fraud by communicating with investors.

( c): Conversion – where there isn’t proper title to collateral.

(d): Deceit: misrepresentation of issues and facts pertaining to the securitisation transaction.

(e): Securities fraud: disclosure issues.

(f): It entails loss of profit opportunity.

(g): It involves the making of false statements and or misleading representations about the value of the collateral.

(h): It entails stripping the originator/issuer of the ability to pay debt claims or judgment claims in bankruptcy court – a state of affairs that may apply where the sponsor is financially distressed and the cash proceeds of the transaction are significantly less than the value of the collateral.

There is also typically the requisite ‘intent’ by members of the enterprise – evident in knowledge (actual and inferable), acts, omissions, purpose (actual and inferable) and results. Intent can be reasonably inferred from:

(a): The existence of a sponsor that seeks to raise capital – and cannot raise capital on better terms by other means;

(b): The participation of an investment bank that has very strong incentives to consummate the transaction on any agreeable (but not necessarily reasonable) terms.