Is Anonymous’ Bank of America Leak Real?

BY TARA GRIMES
ANCHOR ALEX HOLLEY

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For two years, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has threatened to release documents on Bank of America.

But on Monday morning, it was the WikiLeaks-allied group Anonymous that published emails claiming to expose the bank’s fraudulent activities.

Reports indicate an ex-Bank of America employee leaked the emails to the hacker group. The emails in question deal with Balboa Insurance, a firm formerly owned by Bank of America and used to keep track of loans for lenders. Allegedly, the emails reveal an attempt to destroy and withhold foreclosure information from regulators -- something the federal bank denies.

MARKET NEWS VIDEO ANCHOR: “Bank of America told Reuters that the claims are ‘untrue’ and that the emails in question merely pertain to clerical matters and are not foreclosure related.”

But despite the hyped leak, some analysts remain skeptical of any wrongdoing -- especially because the leaker appears to be just a disgruntled employee, whose list of grievances has some scratching their heads. The Washington Independent sums it up:

“[The leakers] grievances range from vague (‘They took everything from me.’) to oddly specific (for example, he claims that his employers spilled soil on his American flag when they were packing up his belongings after he was fired).”

Gawker’s Adrian Chen says skepticism is understandable -- but reveals he has a source within Anonymous -- and has been adequately convinced.

“Anonymous has a proven track record with leaks, and Bank of America has been in their crosshairs since they cut off payments to Wikileaks in December. If it's real, it could be big.”

Nonetheless, a writer for Business Insider notes many may not be able to make an accurate judgment because the information is over their heads. -- but “part two” could put Bank of America in even hotter water.

“...perhaps more incriminating correspondence is to come. And to be honest, these messages could be incredibly damaging, but we're not mortgage specialists and don't know if this is or isn't common in the field. The beauty is, you can see and decide for yourself...”

Finally, a writer for the Christian Science Monitor says whatever the case, despite the source of the leak, Bank of America needs to take the issue seriously.

“[The leaker] is certainly a disgruntled employee. Nevertheless, Bank of America's robo-signing antics have impeached its credibility as well.”

So what do you think? Big leak -- or big lie?

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4. Added :18-Mar-11
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