Legal
US Law Firm To Place Fresh Heat On Deutsche Over "Last Look" Trades

Deutsche Bank, which in recent months has found itself embroiled in various litigation cases around the world, could be facing fresh legal claims.
Germany's largest lender could face fresh legal action over
allegations it delayed foreign currency trades to turn a profit
at customers' expense, according to media reports, just weeks
after a US judge threw out the bank's claim to have a similar
lawsuit dismissed.
Scott + Scott, a US-based law firm, will pursue a claim in Europe
against Deutsche
Bank over its “last look” trades, according to Sky
News.
The practice involves traders exploiting a minuscule time
difference – for example, several tenths of a second - between a
client's order being placed and executed. Although this time
frame may sound insignificant, the delay can enable banks to
reject trades whose terms they dislike, or to alter the prices,
which in turn can allow them to generate a profit.
David Scott, managing partner of Scott + Scott, is expected to
say this week that malpractice involving last looks affected
Deutsche Bank clients globally, according to Sky News,
which cites a person briefed on the contents of the
announcement.
"We are looking forward to fighting Deutsche Bank in court over
its wilful misconduct through the use of 'last look' and
profiting at the expense of our clients," he will reportedly say.
"We intend to bring action in Europe on behalf of those who
suffered their losses outside the US."
A Deutsche Bank spokesperson declined to comment on the
matter.
Scott + Scott's move is expected to come weeks after a US judge
dismissed a claim from Deutsche Bank to have a similar lawsuit
thrown out.
Last month, US
District Judge Lorna Schofield in Manhattan said investors led by
Axiom Investment Advisors could pursue breach of contract claims
over trades on Deutsche Bank's “Autobahn” platform and on
multi-dealer electronic communications networks (ECNs).
The decision came nearly a year after UK-based bank Barclays was
caught in regulators' crosshairs and forced to pay $50 million to
settle a similar lawsuit presented by Axiom Investment Advisors
over its trading platform.
Frankfurt-headquartered Deutsche Bank and Barclays are among many
that have been accused of rigging prices within the foreign
exchange market, which trades roughly $5.3 trillion per day.
Axiom Investment Advisors alleged that, starting in 2003,
Deutsche Bank arranged for algorithms used by its Autobahn
platform and other ECNs to delay trade processing.
The Scott + Scott development comes as Deutsche Bank plans a
strategic overhaul that includes raising more than $8 billion of
capital, partially listing its asset management arm and revamping
parts of its business model in a bid to recover from legacy
issues and billion-dollar dents in its balance sheet.
To read the full details of Deutsche Bank's revamp, click
here.