Quadrangle Group

Steven Rattner, who engineered the government's bailout of the auto industry, was sued by New York state in a pension kickback case just as he settled similar federal allegations. Two lawsuits filed Thursday by New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo accuse Rattner of paying state officials to steer investment work to his former private equity firm, Quadrangle Group. The suits seek to permanently bar Rattner from the securities industry and to force him to pay at least $26 million.

Days before leaving office, New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo settled lawsuits he filed against former Obama administration advisor Steven Rattner. A financier who led the federal bailout and restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler, Rattner agreed to pay $10 million to end the civil litigation. The suits accused him of paying more than $1 million in kickbacks to help his former firm, Quadrangle Group, win contracts to manage $150 million in assets in a state pension fund. Rattner was one of several investment managers accused of improperly securing business from the fund.

New York private equity group Quadrangle Group agreed to buy Dennis Publishing Inc., owner of magazines for young men including Maxim, Blender and Stuff. The deal also includes nightclubs, resorts and an event-marketing firm, Quadrangle said. Terms weren't disclosed.

Steven Rattner, who engineered the government's bailout of the auto industry, was sued by New York state in a pension kickback case just as he settled similar federal allegations. Two lawsuits filed Thursday by New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo accuse Rattner of paying state officials to steer investment work to his former private equity firm, Quadrangle Group. The suits seek to permanently bar Rattner from the securities industry and to force him to pay at least $26 million.

Will the second time be the charm? Movie theater chain AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., owned by investors led by private equity firms J.P. Morgan Partners and Apollo Management, filed Wednesday to raise as much as $500 million in an initial public offering of stock. AMC had planned a $789-million initial offering in May before withdrawing the issue after investors balked at the proposed $17-a-share IPO price. A month later, J.P. Morgan and Apollo said AMC's parent, Marquee Holdings Inc.

Days before leaving office, New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo settled lawsuits he filed against former Obama administration advisor Steven Rattner. A financier who led the federal bailout and restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler, Rattner agreed to pay $10 million to end the civil litigation. The suits accused him of paying more than $1 million in kickbacks to help his former firm, Quadrangle Group, win contracts to manage $150 million in assets in a state pension fund. Rattner was one of several investment managers accused of improperly securing business from the fund.

Authorities probing pension-fund influence peddling on Thursday announced $17 million in settlements with targets of their investigations, including a high-profile California lobbyist and an investment firm founded by President Obama's former "auto czar." The settlements reached by the Securities and Exchange Commission and New York state Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo mark the latest development in a yearlong scandal centering on intermediaries who collected commissions from investment firms for brokering deals that brought the firms chunks of pension-fund money to manage.

Steven Rattner, the Wall Street millionaire and relentless deal maker who led General Motors and Chrysler through bailout and bankruptcy, is leaving his post atop the government's auto task force just five months after he was handpicked for the job. "With GM's restructuring complete, Steven Rattner, whose leadership and vision were invaluable to the auto task force's efforts, has decided to transition back to private life and his family," Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said Monday.

In the weeks prior to General Motors' historic bankruptcy filing in June of last year, then-car czar Steven Rattner furiously raced to tie up a number of key last-minute details. Chief among them was finding someone to take over stewardship of the 100-year-old company's board. Amid negotiations with Ed Whitacre Jr., the irascible Texan who would go on to take the job, Rattner was troubled by reports about his own finances.

Investment banker Steven Rattner came to Washington in February to help the Obama administration bail out General Motors Corp. and Chrysler -- and maybe even find a larger role in government for himself. But any larger ambitions are now clouded by a pay-for-play scandal that links the New York state pension fund, a low-budget movie called "Chooch" and Rattner's former private-equity firm. There are no allegations of wrongdoing by Rattner or his former company, Quadrangle Group.

In the weeks prior to General Motors' historic bankruptcy filing in June of last year, then-car czar Steven Rattner furiously raced to tie up a number of key last-minute details. Chief among them was finding someone to take over stewardship of the 100-year-old company's board. Amid negotiations with Ed Whitacre Jr., the irascible Texan who would go on to take the job, Rattner was troubled by reports about his own finances.

Authorities probing pension-fund influence peddling on Thursday announced $17 million in settlements with targets of their investigations, including a high-profile California lobbyist and an investment firm founded by President Obama's former "auto czar." The settlements reached by the Securities and Exchange Commission and New York state Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo mark the latest development in a yearlong scandal centering on intermediaries who collected commissions from investment firms for brokering deals that brought the firms chunks of pension-fund money to manage.

Steven Rattner, the Wall Street millionaire and relentless deal maker who led General Motors and Chrysler through bailout and bankruptcy, is leaving his post atop the government's auto task force just five months after he was handpicked for the job. "With GM's restructuring complete, Steven Rattner, whose leadership and vision were invaluable to the auto task force's efforts, has decided to transition back to private life and his family," Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said Monday.

Investment banker Steven Rattner came to Washington in February to help the Obama administration bail out General Motors Corp. and Chrysler -- and maybe even find a larger role in government for himself. But any larger ambitions are now clouded by a pay-for-play scandal that links the New York state pension fund, a low-budget movie called "Chooch" and Rattner's former private-equity firm. There are no allegations of wrongdoing by Rattner or his former company, Quadrangle Group.

Will the second time be the charm? Movie theater chain AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., owned by investors led by private equity firms J.P. Morgan Partners and Apollo Management, filed Wednesday to raise as much as $500 million in an initial public offering of stock. AMC had planned a $789-million initial offering in May before withdrawing the issue after investors balked at the proposed $17-a-share IPO price. A month later, J.P. Morgan and Apollo said AMC's parent, Marquee Holdings Inc.

New York private equity group Quadrangle Group agreed to buy Dennis Publishing Inc., owner of magazines for young men including Maxim, Blender and Stuff. The deal also includes nightclubs, resorts and an event-marketing firm, Quadrangle said. Terms weren't disclosed.

Viacom Inc. may sell its 80% stake in Blockbuster Inc. to a group of private equity firms including Blackstone Group, Quadrangle Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners, people familiar with the discussions said. The private equity firms would pay at least $2.5 billion for the stake in Dallas-based Blockbuster, the world's largest video-store chain, the people said. Viacom Class B shares rose 2 cents to $39.52, and Blockbuster fell 29 cents to $16.94, both on the New York Stock Exchange.

This won't make investors in high-yield junk bonds feel warm and fuzzy. "Frankly, we are all feasting off the imprudence of our lenders," said Steven Rattner, managing principal of private-equity firm Quadrangle Group, at a forum on hedge funds and private-equity investing in New York on Wednesday.