渣打，收起你的钱，我们要的是真相

    渣打银行（Standard Chartered Bank）被控为伊朗洗钱一案是周三的市场焦点。按计划，这一天该行高管将与美国纽约州金融局（New York Department of Financial Services）局长本杰明•洛斯基举行会谈。（纽约州金融局于美国东部时间周二晚间发表声明称，渣打银行已同意支付3.4亿美元的罚款，就该行隐瞒与伊朗相关交易的指控达成和解。美国司法部、财政部、美联储和曼哈顿地区检察署等其他四家监管部门的渣打洗钱案调查仍在继续。——译注）

    上周，洛斯基单方面发起了对这家英国银行的指控，严厉斥责该行与伊朗实体进行交易，肆无忌惮地违反纽约州和联邦的银行业法规。

    洛斯基对渣打银行发起的这场来势汹汹的指控把同样在调查渣打洗钱案的美联储、美国财政部和其他监管部门甩在了身后。欧洲监管部门很快就开始对洛斯基发出谴责，当然它们也对华盛顿的监管部门表示了强烈的反感。

    渣打显然十分担心其在纽约州的银行业牌照被吊销的可能性。因此，协调所有监管部门协商一项罚款的可行性看起来正在增加。我对此怎么看？

    戏演到这里就收场吧。

    我想我要代表英美两国绝大多数的民众告诉渣打：“收起你的钱吧。这次不会有什么罚款。这是一项彻底的独立调查，目的就是要找出真相。”

    如果形势就此一发不可收拾，那就不可收拾吧。如果我们发现渣打没有逃避美国的银行业法规，那自然是好事一桩，渣打也会变得更加强大。但如果我们发现我们的主要监管部门对渣打行动迟缓，不管出于什么原因（或许是为了让英国监管部门给予美国金融机构类似的待遇），那就把这些丑事都拿出来晒晒吧。

    我最不愿看到的就是罚款。还不如对渣打分文不罚，就是别再让我们再次蒙在鼓里，对真相一无所知。罚款的唯一作用就是掩盖真相。公众已经被蒙蔽得太久了，看够了对美联银行（Wachovia）、汇丰银行（HSBC）、巴克莱银行（Barclays Bank）、瑞银（UBS）、高盛（Goldman Sachs）等大型金融公司的罚款。如果一家银行因为与像伊朗这样的流氓国家进行交易而被罚款，他们支付的罚款也是滴着血的钱。这样的罚款不仅不能重树信心，反而会对公众的信心造成重创，因为真相仍然被掩盖了。

    什么能重树信心呢？真相。如果真相暴露了渣打内部的丑恶交易以及监管部门监督不力，那就暴露吧。这样的尴尬是有益的，更何况尴尬远不如重建全球经济信心来得重要。真相的公布就像向我们的肺部注入新鲜空气，将让公众和全球经济恢复生气。

    蒂姆•盖特纳、本•伯南克、默文•金恩和其他监管部门的负责人都应该辞职，这么长时间了，早该让真相大白天下了。

    会出现这种结果吗？我并没有屏息以待，但我们对监管部门、金融机构和市场信心的持续下降，这个代价远远高于对渣打或其他银行开出的罚单。

    拉里是华尔街资深人士，曾在第一波士顿、贝尔斯登和联邦银行等银行就职。他的博客地址是www.senseoncents.com。

    译者：早稻米

    L'affaire Standard Chartered Bank (i.e., Iranian money laundering) takes center stage tomorrow with an expected meeting between senior bank executives and Benjamin Lawsky, superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services.

    Recall that Lawsky just last week unilaterally castigated the UK-based bank for brazenly and wantonly eviscerating state and federal banking rules against dealing with Iranian entities.

    Lawsky one-upped the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Treasury and other regulators in his aggressive move against Standard Chartered. Regulators across the pond have been quick to condemn Lawsky and have certainly expressed their disgust to their counterparts in Washington.

    Standard Chartered clearly is very concerned about the possibility of having its New York banking license revoked. As such, the likelihood of a negotiated fine coordinated on behalf of all regulatory agencies would seem to be increasing. What do I think of that?

    Stop the music and the drama.

    I think I would speak for an overwhelming majority of the public both here in America and in the UK and tell Standard Chartered: "Keep your money. There will be no fine. What there will be is a thorough independent investigation in pursuit of the truth."

    If it gets ugly, so be it. If we learn that Standard Chartered did not end run our banking rules, then good for them and they will be stronger for it. If we learn that our major regulatory agencies were slow to move against Standard Chartered for whatever reason (perhaps in return for similar treatment by UK regulators in dealings with US-based institutions), let's air that laundry.

    The last thing I want to see is a fine. Better that Standard Chartered pays not a penny than we suffer again from not truly knowing and learning the truth. A fine only serves to suffocate the truth. The public has been suffocated enough by fines against the likes of Wachovia, HSBC, Barclays Bank, UBS, Goldman Sachs and seemingly every other major financial institution. When a bank is merely fined for dealing with a rogue nation such as Iran, that payment is nothing more than blood money. A fine does not rebuild confidence but erodes it dramatically because the public is aware that the truth remains under wraps.

    What rebuilds confidence? The truth. If the truth exposes ugly practices within Standard Chartered and similarly lax oversight from regulators, then so be it. A healthy serving of embarrassment is far less important than a rebuilding of trust and confidence for our global economy. In delivering the truth, the public and our global economy will be reinvigorated by fresh air filling our collective lungs.

    Tim Geithner, Ben Bernanke, Mervyn King and others should all stand down and at long last let the truth stand up.

    Will it happen? I'm not holding my breath — no pun intended — but the continued erosion of trust in our regulators, our financial institutions, and the markets comes with a price far greater than any fine that can be levied against Standard Chartered or any other bank.

    Larry is a Wall Street veteran, having worked at such banks as First Boston, Bear Stearns and Union Bank. He blogs at www.senseoncents.com