Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Money Makes the World Go Around: Deutsche Bank Helps Keep It Nice, Clean, Crisp, and Fresh

Rubles to Euros or Dollars, right Vlad and Donald

Spin cycle almost done, boys, enjoy

Trump received more than $2 billion in loans from Deutsche Bank despite being “deemed untouchable by other institutions”

The Independent March 19, 2019, by Chris Baynes

Deutsche Bank reportedly loaned more than $2 Billion (£1.5 Billion) to Donald Trump over two decades despite multiple “red flags.”

Trump repeatedly exaggerated his wealth to help him secure finance for a string of high-end property developments before entering the White House (source: The New York Times). The German bank is said to have approved huge loans to Trump even after bankruptcies and defaults led to him being “deemed untouchable by most financial institutions.”

The report comes as congressional committees and New York’s AG investigate Trump’s links to Deutsche Bank, which began in the late 1990s and lasted until his presidential campaign in 2016, according to the Times, which interviewed more than 20 current or former Deutsche Bank executives and board members. 

Their ties developed as the bank was reportedly attempting to make inroads in Wall Street by taking on high-risk investments. According to the report, Trump wooed Deutsche Bank investors on his private jet and promised them trips to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in a bid to secure deals.

Classic Example: Seeking to obtain a $500 Million (£377 Million) loan to build a 72-storey skyscraper in Chicago, Trump is said to have told the bank his net worth was $3 Billion (£2.3 Billion). When Deutsche Bank employees reviewed his finances, they concluded his wealth was actually $788 Million (£594 Million). The company still made the loan in 2005, but Trump struggled to sell hundreds of apartments in the resulting Trump Tower.

With the bulk of the loan repayment due in November 2008, his lawyers claimed the financial crisis was an act of God that meant he was not liable. Both sued each other, then the dispute was later settled out of court.

In 2010, Trump again reportedly exaggerated his wealth as he sought a loan to fund his purchase of a $100 Million (£75 Million) golf resort. The bank determined he had overvalued some of his assets by up to 70 per cent, but nonetheless signed off the loan.

Deutsche Bank sought to limit scrutiny of its relationship with Trump after he was sworn in as president, “telling employees not to use the word Trump in external communications,” according to the Times report.

The bank’s managers were said to be concerned Trump could default on his loans, forcing the company to choose between seizing his assets and cutting him a lucrative break.

The House of Representatives Financial Services and Intelligence Committees have each launched probes into Trump’s ties with Deutsche Bank now since Democrats took control of the house.

The New York State AG’s office also issued subpoenas to the bank last week for financial records relating to the Trump Organization. A Deutsche Bank spokeswoman said the company was “committed to cooperating with authorized investigations.”

My 2 cents: It is more and more abundantly clear how much of a con man Donald J. Trump was and remains today as this excellent report shows, and more obvious why he threatened all kinds of law suits to protect his shenanigans even telling Mueller not to cross that “red line of his taxes and business records.” 

'The main crime that I see is fraud and yes, blame on those institutions like Deutsche bank who admits they knew Trump was lying about his assets to gain their loans.

Yet, they still loaned him tons of money. Loaning the money is not a crime, but lying and defrauding, and money laundering sure is.

Related to Deutsche bank money crimes here, here, and here (all very serious stuff).

Well, that is up to the German government whether to shut them down or punish them in other ways.

But on the surface it sure seems that bank is an international money laundry mat, thus no legal action is likely as probably too many big shots are tried to them I suspect. We shall see.

Thanks for stopping by. 


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