Sterling Bancorp pleaded guilty to falsifying securities statements and will pay approximately $27.2 million in restitution, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

Sterling avoided a criminal penalty in the case, as the DOJ opted to focus the payment total on restitution without threatening the viability of the bank’s operations, the agency said in a press release Wednesday.

Adrianne Appel writes regulatory news, policy, and trends for Compliance Week. She previously reported about policy developments for Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Government. Email: adrianne.appel@complianceweek.com LinkedIn:...