Interesting, but it does not settle the question as to whether the US justice system is inconsistent based on the nationality of the corporation. This list might carry some weight if it discussed the fact that some of these are settlements, and how did these compare to the size of the infraction.

Given that there is a serious and ongoing discussion about the lack of criminal proceedings, but that there are other kinds of very much lesser processes, it is legitimate to be concerned that financial institutions, and their employees and directors, are getting off too lightly. Then, in light of successful prosecutions against foreign corporations, the original question is legitimate.

Actually, the pattern of national bias is well established from well before the last great meltdown. And given that, these foreign prosecutions make one wonder why there have been so few against US banks.

Perhaps this is splitting hairs, but those charges are either the result of settlements from complaints brought by their customers, or are the fallout from the market crash and general marketwide mortgage mis-selling.

In other words, no-one needed to seek out hidden wrongdoing by these banks, their own customers were complaining about their behaviour, or there was conspicuous obvious malfeasance. (I'm not trying to downplay the banks' bad play and criminality in these events though). It would have been difficult not to act on these things (at least, I'd like to think so!)

The spate of huge fines against the non-US banks has been direct investigations that haven't been broadly obvious from the outside, i.e. someone had to go digging.

Man I would give an arm and a leg to see some jail time in that list. Aren't corporations people supposedly?

Hard to imprison a corporation, though.

Just use the Prisoner Work-Experience model -- for every hour of work the company does pay them ¢19. So if they have 1000 employees, the company gets $19/h to split amongst itself. Its the same rate we would pay prisoners who are on work detail.

I love it.

I would've thought it hard for a corporation to practice a religion too.