MetroBank International

Two former executives of a now-closed U. S. bank that provided correspondent services to many offshore financial institutions are targets of a criminal investigation. They are Eduardo Masferrer and Carlos Bernace, formerly Chairman/CEO and Executive Vice President/Director, respectively, of the Hamilton Bank, in Miami.

The U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a lawsuit alleging fraud against three former senior officers of Florida-based Hamilton Bank N. A., which was closed down by U. S. regulators in January, 2002. Eduardo A. Masferrer, Juan Carlos Bernacé and John M.R. Jacobs are defendants in the action, which was filed at federal court in Miami on September 25, 2003.

Recently-unsealed court documents have thrown up allegations of money laundering and "unsafe banking practices" that led to the forced closure in January of Miami-based Hamilton Bank, which provided correspondent services to many offshore banks. This activity included receiving deposits of approximately $1.9 billion per year via courier from Latin American countries without conducting any checks as to its legitimacy, it has been alleged.