Securities News

SEC Charges Tenet Healthcare Corporation With Concealing Scheme To Meet Earnings Targets

The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed civil fraud charges in federal district court against Tenet Healthcare Corporation and its former chief financial officer and co-president, its former chief operating officer and co-president, its former general counsel and chief compliance officer, and its former chief accounting officer for failing to disclose to investors that Tenet's strong earnings growth from 1999 to 2002 was driven largely by its exploitation of a loophole in the Medicare reimbursement system. Once Tenet finally revealed its scheme to the investing public and admitted that its strategy was not sustainable, the market value of Tenet's stock plunged by over $11 billion.

During the relevant time, Tenet was based in Santa Barbara, Calif., and was the second largest publicly traded healthcare company in the United States.

To settle the charges, Tenet agreed to pay a civil penalty of $10 million. The SEC will seek to have these funds placed into a Fair Fund for distribution to harmed investors pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Without admitting or denying the allegations in the SEC's complaint, Tenet also agreed to be permanently enjoined from violating the antifraud, reporting, and recordkeeping provisions of the federal securities laws. Read more at sec.gov.

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	Swap: In general, the exchange of one asset or liability for a similar asset or liability Swap: In general, the exchange of one asset or liability for a similar asset or liability for the purpose of lengthening or shortening maturities, or raising or lowering coupon rates, to maximize revenue or minimize financing costs. This may entail selling one securities issue and buying another in foreign currency; it may entail buying a currency on the spot market and simultaneously selling it forward. Swaps also may involve exchanging income flows; for example, exchanging the fixed rate coupon stream of a bond for a variable rate payment stream, or vice versa, while not swapping the principal component of the bond. Swaps are generally traded over-the-counter.