At least nine banks face investigations by the US Department of Justice into sales of mortgage-backed securities as part of an effort by the taskforce that reached the $13bn pact with JPMorgan Chase, people familiar with the matter say.

知情人士表示，至少有9家银行因抵押贷款支持证券(MBS)销售问题而面临美国司法部(DoJ)调查。特别小组调查的结果之一就是，摩根大通(JPMorgan Chase)同意支付130亿美元与美国司法部达成和解。

The investigations, which span US attorney’s offices from California to Massachusetts, include the largest banks that underwrote and sold residential mortgage-backed securities. They include Bank of America, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS, Wells Fargo.

从加利福尼亚州到马萨诸塞州，美国许多州的检察官办公室都在进行调查。它们调查的对象包括曾承销和销售住房抵押贷款支持证券(RMBS)的一些大银行，比如美国银行(BofA)、花旗集团(Citigroup)、瑞信(Credit Suisse)、德意志银行(Deutsche Bank)、高盛(Goldman Sachs)、摩根士丹利(Morgan Stanley)、苏格兰皇家银行(RBS)、瑞银(UBS)以及富国银行(Wells Fargo)。

Most of the enquiries are looking for civil violations for allegedly misleading buyers of RMBS, not criminal sanctions. It is not clear how many, if any, will result in lawsuits or settlements.

大部分调查针对的是涉嫌误导住房抵押贷款支持证券购买者的民事违法行为，而非寻求刑事处罚。到底会有多少家（如果有的话）银行因此吃官司或同意和解，眼下尚不得而知。

The threat of potential action comes as banks try to put the 2008 financial crisis and mounting legal bills behind them.

潜在法律行动的威胁出现之际，许多银行正试图将2008年金融危机和金额越来越高的法律账单抛到身后。

People familiar with the investigations say document requests and discussions between the banks and government have increased in recent months after Eric Holder, the US attorney-general, indicated that more RMBS lawsuits were coming by the end of the year.

熟悉调查情况的人士表示，在美国司法部长埃里克•霍尔德(Eric Holder)指出年底将有更多有关住房抵押贷款支持证券的官司出现之后，银行与政府间近几个月来的文件请求和讨论已有所增多。

The investigations stem from the state and federal RMBS taskforce formed in January 2012 by the Obama administration. This was set up at the urging of Eric Schneiderman, New York attorney-general, to finalise a national settlement with five major banks over their foreclosure practices.

调查源于奥巴马(Obama)政府在2012年1月成立的州级和联邦住房抵押贷款支持证券问题特别小组。特别小组是在纽约州总检察长埃里克•施奈德曼(Eric Schneiderman)的敦促下成立的，任务是与5家大银行就它们的止赎做法达成全国性和解。

It was widely criticised at the time as a political measure because it came nearly five years after these securities were sold and followed criticism of the DoJ for not holding banks or executives accountable for the financial crisis.

作为一项政治举措，特别小组的成立在当时受到广泛批评，因为它在这类证券售出将近5年之后、以及在美国司法部被批未追究银行及其高管对金融危机所负责任之后才成立的。

But the taskforce’s efforts are gaining ground. State prosecutors in areas hard hit by the housing crisis, including Kamala Harris, the California attorney-general, and the New York attorney-general, who is part of the $13bn JPMorgan Chase settlement, are also investigating banks.

但特别小组的努力已开始取得进展。加州（该州总检察长是卡马拉•哈里斯(Kamala Harris)）以及纽约州等受住房危机冲击最严重地区的一些州检察官，也在对银行展开调查。摩根大通与美国司法部之间的130亿美元和解，就是在纽约州总检察长的参与下达成的。

Bank of America, which owns Countrywide Financial, is under investigation by at least three US attorney’s offices – California, New Jersey and Atlanta – and DoJ for various MBS securities. BofA was previously sued by the US attorney’s office in North Carolina and has denied any wrongdoing.

旗下拥有美国国家金融服务公司(Countrywide Financial)的美银，正因各种抵押贷款支持证券而被至少3个州（加州、新泽西州和佐治亚州）的检察官办公室以及美国司法部调查。美银之前曾被北卡罗来纳州检察官办公室起诉，但不承认自己有任何不当行为。

Morgan Stanley faces a civil investigation by the Northern District of California and state-attorneys, people familiar with the matter say.

知情人士表示，摩根士丹利面临加州北区(Northern District of California)和一些州检察官的民事调查。