The fallout for the Swedish pension fund embroiled in the US banking crisis deepend on Thursday after the country’s watchdog said it was formally opening an investigation.
(Bloomberg) — The fallout for the Swedish pension fund embroiled in the US banking crisis deepend on Thursday after the country’s watchdog said it was formally opening an investigation.
Alecta’s risk management systems will be scrutinized by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority in the wake of the fund’s failed US bank bets that led to losses of nearly $2 billion, according to a statement.
The debacle sparked an outcry in Sweden — where Alecta oversees 1.2 trillion kronor ($116 billion) of retirement savings for a quarter of the population — and has already led to the ousting of the fund’s chief executive and its head of equities.
Read How Sweden’s Biggest Pension Fund Was Roiled by a US Bank Crisis
The starting point of the FSA probe will be Alecta’s three stakes in SVB Financial Group, First Republic Bank and Signature Bank. The authority said that it decided to initiate the investigation after conducting meetings with Alecta about the process behind its investments.
“We will examine whether Alecta has had control over its risks in accordance with the rules or not,” the authority’s head of risk supervision, Ellinor Samuelsson, said. Samuelsson added that pension firms following these regulations is a central part of protecting consumers.
On Wednesday, Bloomberg News reported that Alecta would have seen its US banking losses climb by a further $214 million had it decided to hold onto its stake in First Republic Bank instead of selling in March.
(Updates with context throughout.)
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