The $6.0 billion payment made by the world's largest chip maker Intel Corporation (INTC) over a five year period through January 2007 to its largest customer Dell Inc. (DELL) -- under programs initially titled 'MOAP' (Mother of all Programs) and then 'MCP’ (Meet Competition Payments) -- has backfired on Intel. This is the basis on which an antitrust lawsuit filed recently by the New York attorney general alleging a long business relationship between Intel and Dell. Andrew M. Cuomo filed a federal lawsuit against Intel, accusing the largest chip maker of paying computer makers illegal rebates for maintaining its monopoly and preventing another chip maker, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), from gaining business with PC makers. This is not the only allegation that has been filed against Intel. In a similar case earlier this year, the European ...

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will aggressively pursue a trial against Bank of America Corp. (BAC) for allegedly misleading investors during the acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co. late last year. The SEC accused BofA of failing to disclose to shareholders that it had authorized Merrill to pay up to $5.8 billion in bonuses to employees in 2008 even after it lost $27.6 billion that year.

Last month, the SEC and BofA had reached a settlement on the charges that required the bank to pay a $33 million fine. But US District Judge Jed Rakoff condemned the deal, saying the corporate fine would further unfairly penalize the shareholders instead of the people actually guilty of misleading investors.

Both the SEC and BofA have defended the earlier settlement proposal as appropriate. But after Rakoff's ruling, the SEC weighed its options - to go to trial, drop the

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