Barclays Reaches $325M Settlement With National Credit Union Agency Over US Mortgage Claims

British bank Barclays PLC agreed to pay $325 million to resolve two lawsuits related to the sale of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) to now-defunct credit unions in the United States. The bank said it continues to face litigation from similar claims in the U.S.

Barclays said Monday it will include a provision for the settlement in its third-quarter results, which the bank will report Oct. 29. According to the National Credit Union Agency (NCUA), Barclays is settling without admitting any wrongdoing. Monday’s settlements will bring the agency’s recoveries linked to RMBS sales by various banks to $2.2 billion.

"The agency has a statutory obligation to secure recoveries for credit unions and ensure that consumers remain protected, and we take that responsibility very seriously,” Debbie Matz, NCUA chairwoman, said in a news release, according to the New York Times.

Barclays underwrote about $39 billion in mortgage securities in the U.S. between 2005 and 2008, according to a company statement in July.

NCUA, which regulates federal credit unions, has brought several lawsuits against companies over securities sold to credit unions that failed during the financial crisis, according to Reuters.

U.S. bank Wachovia, now part of Wells Fargo & Co, also reached a settlement of $53 million with the credit union regulator over RMBS sales to credit unions, the New York Times reported.

The NCUA had sued Barclays Capital, the bank's U.S. unit, in 2012, accusing it of making false statements in offering documents for mortgage-backed securities sold to U.S. credit unions. Wachovia was accused of similar practices in a 2011 lawsuit by the NCUA, which has accused other banks of underwriting securities that misled the buyers, the Telegraph reported.

The NCUA said it continues to pursue lawsuits against other banks, according to Reuters, including Goldman Sachs Group, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley. Banks like JPMorgan Chase & Co, Citigroup and Bank of America have already paid settlements to the regulator.

Barclays stock closed 1.54 percent up on the London Stock Exchange Monday.