Goldman Sachs slapped with subpoena in credit crisis probe: Sources

Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the fifth-biggest U.S. bank by assets, received a subpoena from the Manhattan District Attorney's office seeking information on the firm's activities leading into the credit crisis, according to two people familiar with the matter. “We don't comment on specific regulatory or legal issues, but subpoenas are a normal part of the information request process and, of course, when we receive them we cooperate fully,” said David Wells, a company spokesman. The request relates to the U.S. Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report on Wall Street's role in the housing market collapse, which accused New York-based Goldman Sachs of misleading buyers of mortgage-linked investments, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the inquiry isn't public. The Senate report was referred to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are also investigating. Erin Duggan, chief spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., declined to comment. A subpoena is a request for information and doesn't mean the company is a target of a criminal investigation. Analysts including Sanford C. Bernstein's Brad Hintz have said they don't expect the firm to be criminally prosecuted. Goldman Sachs stock has slid 17 percent since the Senate subcommittee, led by Michigan Democrat Carl M. Levin, used the firm as a case study in a 640-page report on its findings released in April. At the time, Levin also said Goldman Sachs had misled Congress about the company's bets on the housing market. The firm has said its testimony was truthful. --Bloomberg News--