The Securities and Exchange Commission appears to be turning up the heat on Lehman Brothers’ former chief executive Dick Fuld and some of his lieutenants.
The SEC in recent weeks has been calling in former Lehman officials for a fresh round of interviews to discuss the period leading up to the historic collapse of the 158-year-old investment bank on Sept. 15, 2008, sources told The Post.
Investigators are coordinating sit-downs with former Lehman staffers and are setting up meetings between now and mid-September — around the time of the two-year anniversary of Lehman’s bankruptcy filing, said one source close to the Lehman probe.
An SEC spokesman declined to comment.
SEC officials have ramped up their investigations into whether the bank’s top brass made false statements during its first-quarter and second-quarter earnings calls.
Investigators are said to be asking questions about Lehman’s practice of selling assets to banks in order to make its balance sheet appear healthier, a practice known as Repo 105, which was highlighted by Lehman bankruptcy examiner Anton Valukas.
The SEC is also taking a closer look at bullish statements Lehman made as it raised billions in capital months before the bank’s collapse, as well as the bank’s valuations of companies, including KSK Energy Ventures, which it partially owns.
Regulators have a keen eye on Fuld, along with the firm’s former financial officers, including Erin Callan, Ian Lowitt and Chris O’Meara, sources said. Former Lehman President Joseph Gregory and possibly the firm’s chief legal officer Tom Russo are also being eyed, sources added.
The ratcheting up of investigations at Lehman comes amid reports by Fox Business Network’s Charlie Gasparino that civil charges against top officials including Fuld could be leveled as early as this week.