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As Citigroup appears close to settling its investigation with New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, at least one independent analyst is questioning the strength of its core businesses. However, a sell-sider says the financial services giant's bonds will continue to benefit from spread tightening in the corporate market.

David Maura was recently dismissed from Merrill Lynch, where he was a high-yield consumer products analyst, because of similarities between a recent research report he published and reports written by his predecessor, George Chalhoub. He has hired counsel and is attempting to resolve the situation with Merrill. Maura, hired in July, was under contract to receive nearly seven figures this January, according to one person with knowledge of the situation. Maura declined to comment on the amount he was to receive. Allan Dinkoff, Merrill's general counsel, referred calls to Mark Herr, a spokesman. "We're going to decline to comment on the substance of this matter, but we're taking a hard look at the situation and will take the appropriate course based on the hard look we're taking," Herr said.

David Whitehouse, a senior collateralized debt obligation salesman at Morgan Stanley, recently left the firm, according to one of his colleagues. The circumstances of his departure could not be determined. Whitehouse, an executive director, structured funds and structured credit products sales, reported to Len Brous, principal who heads the CDO sales effort at the firm. Whitehouse did not return a call to his residence. Brous did not return calls seeking comments.

Royal Bank of Scotland has made a new hire to its London-based securitization team. Malcolm Jackson, formerly a member of Mizuho Corporate Bank's London securitization team, has joined RBS to work on commercial mortgage-backed securitizations and whole business deals, says an official familiar with the move.

J.P. Morgan is the only bank of five U.S. commercial banks reviewed that earned its cost of capital in the large corporate lending business over a five-year credit cycle, according to a report from Salomon Smith Barney. AnalystRuchi Madan, author of the report, said the ability to cross-sell nonlending products is the key to profitability. Even as the "tying" debate heats up in Washington, the point is pushed that banks have to be able to leverage lending relationships into investment banking and other services. "Talk of separating banking from investment banking doesn't make sense," Madan contends. "Banks can't be expected to destroy shareholder capital to provide bank credit to corporations." She declined to comment beyond her report.

Solutia will evaluate its lead banks when the company closes the sale of its resins, additives and adhesives businesses for $500 million to UCB. The proceeds will pay down $127 million of a $300 million revolver and a $300 million term loan, said Liesl Livingston, director of investor relations for Solutia. "The revolver will still be in place, but we will evaluate whether we need the capacity and whether to stick with the lead banks," she added. "We are not looking to change banks, but every option is open to us," she said. Bank of America and Citibank lead the senior secured credit facilities for Solutia. Officials at the banks could not be reached by press time.

Hispamer, Spain's largest consumer lender, is preparing Santander Consumer Finance--a special purpose vehicle through which it plans to securitize at least E3 billion per year in loans originated in Spain, Italy and Germany, says Eduardo San Martin, managing director of treasury and finance in Madrid. The program will start next year. Investment banks have not been mandated for any deals and San Martin says deals will be put out for bid on an issue-by-issue basis.

A report recently published by Standard & Poor's that contains wildly diverging actual recovery rate data for defaults in collateralized debt obligations has left many credit derivatives professionals scratching their heads over the huge variations. The data shows the U.S. dollar amount CDO investors were able to recover on corporate credits after the names had defaulted and therefore how much money they lost.

Wyndham International's term loan "B" traded in the 79 context before changing hands slightly above 80, noted market players. One dealer suggested that the paper was propped up on expectations that as the economy recovers Wyndham will do better. "But is the economy improving?" another dealer questioned, pointing out the company's weak cash flow for the last quarter. According to a company statement, pro forma EBITDA for the third quarter was $55.2 million, down 14.5% compared to last year. Questions to Richard Smith, Wyndham cfo, were referred to a spokesman, who did not return calls.

John Tormondsen, the former head of liquid capital markets at Goldman Sachs, and Raif Ezratty, the former head of fixed-income trading at high-profile hedge fund Moore Capital, are in the process of raising capital for a hedge fund called Zpoint Advisors. Ezratty, reached on his cell phone, says "if it's in the document, it's true," referring to an offering circular for the new fund. A portion of the offering circular was read to BondWeek by potential investors in the fund who had received it. Ezratty declined further comment. Tormondsen, known as "Turbo" for many years, did not return a call by press time last Friday morning. The fund, says hedge fund pros who have the offering circular, will be relative value in scope, albeit with a directional component.

Over the past 35 years, the Federal Reserve has attempted to manipulate the economy through monetary policy. The basic theory behind this policy--monetarism--was a belief that the growth in the quantity of money would affect economic activity. The theory stipulated that the Fed would maintain a specified growth target for various measures of the money supply and then manage policy, i.e., manipulate interest rates, to control the growth of money. The problem with this money-growth relationship is that, as a point of logic, it can be shown that with today's policy of a floating exchange rate for the U.S. dollar, causation runs from the economy to the aggregates, and not vice versa.

UBS Warburg is fully underwriting a five-year, $250 million credit for Hollywood Entertainment Corp., which will refinance existing debt. The line consists of a $200 million term loan and a $50 million revolver. Hollywood's existing $175 million facility is also led by UBS with a $150 million "B" piece priced at LIBOR plus 4%, as well as a $25 million revolver priced at LIBOR plus 31/ 2%. The new term piece is expected to extend the maturity profile of Hollywood's capital structure and improve the company's medium term liquidity position, according to Moody's Investors Service, which rated the credit Ba3. The new bank deal is in concurrence with plans for a sale of $200 million in senior subordinated notes due 2011. Wilsonville, Ore.-based Hollywood operates the second largest video chain in the US. Jim Marcum, cfo of Hollywood, and UBS bankers did not return calls.