In a sense, the complaint brought against JPMorgan Chase for bad behaviour in the mortgage market is history. It concerns Bear Stearns, the ill-fated investment bank acquired by JPMorgan in spring 2008 as the financial crisis broke out.

But the suit from Eric Schneiderman, the New York attorney-general, which is part of a broader regulatory initiative to crack down belatedly on mortgage securitisation abuses, is still a fascinating portrayal of how bad things got. Read more