Chase mortgage memo pushes ‘Cheats & Tricks’
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A newly surfaced memo from banking giant JPMorgan Chase provides a rare glimpse into the mentality that fueled the mortgage crisis.
The memo’s title says it all: “Zippy Cheats & Tricks.”
It is a primer on how to get risky mortgage loans approved by Zippy, Chase’s in-house automated loan underwriting system. The secret to approval? Inflate the borrowers’ income or otherwise falsify their loan application.
The document, a copy of which was obtained by The Oregonian, bears a Chase corporate logo. But it’s unclear how widely it was circulated or used within Chase.
Bank spokesman Tom Kelly confirmed that the “Cheats & Tricks” memo was e-mailed from Chase but added that it does not reflect Chase corporate policy.
“This is not how we do things,” he said. “We continue to investigate” the memo, Kelly said. “That kind of document would neither be condoned or tolerated.”