Executives At Bankrupt Subprime Auto Lender Tricolor Charged With Fraud

Core Viewpoint - Tricolor Holdings' former CEO and COO have been charged with bank and wire fraud for allegedly defrauding banks and private credit lenders of hundreds of millions of dollars through a complex scheme involving double-pledging collateral and manipulating loan data [1][3]. Group 1: Allegations and Charges - Daniel Chu and David Goodgame were indicted for financial schemes that began in 2018, which included double-pledging collateral and manipulating delinquent loan characteristics to meet lender requirements [3]. - The U.S. Attorney's Office stated that fraud became an integral part of Tricolor's business strategy under Chu's direction, involving falsification of auto-loan data [4]. - Former CFO Jerome Kollar and financial executive Ameryn Seibold pled guilty to fraud charges and are cooperating with the investigation [4]. Group 2: Financial Misconduct - Chu directed Tricolor to double-pledge loan collateral and manipulate data on nonperforming loans, leading to the company obtaining approximately $2.2 billion from lenders while only having about $1.4 billion in actual assets [5]. - The financial misconduct led to significant charge-offs for lenders, including JPMorgan Chase, which recorded a $170 million charge-off due to exposure to Tricolor debt [7][8]. Group 3: Company Operations and Bankruptcy - Founded in 2007, Tricolor operated over 60 dealerships primarily in California and Texas, utilizing a buy-here-pay-here financing model that attracted subprime borrowers [6][7]. - The company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in September 2023, following a series of operational shutdowns and employee layoffs [6][8]. - Chu allegedly directed the payment of a $6.25 million bonus to himself even as the company faced financial collapse [8].