by Calculated Risk on 4/18/2010 10:03:00 PM

Several articles tonight ...

From Gretchen Morgenson and Landon Thomas Jr. at the NY Timmes: A Glare on Goldman, From U.S. and Beyond

“We request that S.E.C., with all due haste, pursue investigations into the remaining 24 Abacus transactions for securities fraud, evaluate the extent of any receipt, by Goldman Sachs, of fraudulently generated A.I.G.-issued credit default swap payments, and vigorously pursue the recovery of such payments on behalf of the U.S. taxpayer,” the [Representatives Elijah E. Cummings and Peter DeFazio] wrote to Mary L. Schapiro, the head of the [S.E.C.], in a letter dated April 19. Mr. Cummings and Mr. DeFazio are still gathering signatures from other members of Congress to add to their letter, so it has not yet been sent.

From Trish Regan at CNBC: Pursuing Banking Fraud is 'Top Priority': SEC'S Khuzami

In the Securities and Exchange Commission's first public statement since its press conference announcing charges against Goldman Sachs on Friday, S.E.C. Enforcement Director Robert Khuzami told CNBC, "We have brought and will continue to pursue cases involving the products and practices related to the financial crisis." ... a wide range of cases are currently being investigated.

From Carrick Mollenkamp, Serena Ng, Scott Patterson, and Gergory Zuckerman the WSJ: SEC Investigating Other Soured Deals

The Securities and Exchange Commission ... is investigating whether other mortgage deals arranged by some of Wall Street's biggest firms may have crossed the line into misleading investors.

From Edward Wyatt at the NY Times: S.E.C. Puts Wall St. on Notice

In the last few years, the Securities and Exchange Commission seemed like the cop in the doughnut shop, sitting idly by while the likes of Lehman Brothers and Bernard L. Madoff ran amok.
...
In interviews this weekend, Mary L. Schapiro, the commission’s chairwoman, and Robert Khuzami, its new director of enforcement, said the agency was stepping up both its rule-making and its investigations in the wake of the financial crisis.

And from John Emshwiller at the WSJ: Countrywide Probe Shows Signs of Life

Federal criminal investigators looking into the collapse of Countrywide Financial Corp. have been calling witnesses before a grand jury, say people familiar with the matter. Such a step suggests that the investigation of the one-time mortgage giant, which has been continuing for about two years, could be moving closer to a resolution.