Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP today filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio, on behalf of all persons who purchased the common stock of Huntington Bancshares, Inc. (“Huntington” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ:HBAN) between July 20, 2007 and January 10, 2008, inclusive (the “Class Period”), against the Company and Thomas E. Hoaglin, the Company’s Chairman and CEO, alleging fraud pursuant to Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. §§ 78j(b) and 78t(a)] and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the SEC [17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5] (the “Class”). The case name is styled Rowe v. Huntington Bancshares, Inc. and Thomas E. Hoaglin. A copy of the complaint filed in this action is available from the Court, or can be viewed on the Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP website at www.whafh.com.
Throughout the Class Period, Defendants issued materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business and financial results. As a result of the dissemination of the false and misleading statements set forth in the complaint, the market price of Huntington common stock was artificially inflated during the Class Period. In ignorance of the false and misleading nature of the statements described above, and the deceptive and manipulative devices and contrivances employed by said defendants, plaintiff and the other members of the Class relied, to their detriment, on the integrity of the market price of Huntington common stock. Had plaintiff and the other members of the Class known the truth, they would not have purchased said common stock, or would not have purchased them at the inflated prices that were paid.
On July 1, 2007, Huntington acquired Sky Financial for $3.3 billion (the “Acquisition”). The Acquisition exposed the Company to losses of more than $1.5 billion in losses because of Sky Financial’s investments in sub-prime mortgages. Contrary to Defendants’ assurances, Huntington failed to properly prepare and implement defensive measures to integrate Sky Financial and weather the dismal real estate and credit markets inherited as part of the Acquisition. As a result of Defendants’ assurances of ongoing financial stability, which were false statements, Huntington’s stock traded at the artificially inflated price of approximately $18 per share during much of the Class Period. Defendants’ concealment of Huntington’s growing exposure to the housing and credit crisis caused the Company’s stock to be artificially inflated and was the proximate cause of Plaintiff’s injuries.
If you purchased Huntington common stock during the Class Period, you may request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff before February 19, 2008. A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member’s claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Under certain circumstances, one or more class members may together serve as “lead plaintiff.” Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. You may retain Wolf Haldenstein, or other counsel of your choice, to serve as your counsel in this action.
Wolf Haldenstein has extensive experience in the prosecution of securities class actions and derivative litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. The firm has approximately 70 attorneys in various practice areas; and offices in Chicago, New York City, San Diego, and West Palm Beach. The reputation and expertise of this firm in shareholder and other class litigation has been repeatedly recognized by the courts, which have appointed it to major positions in complex securities multi-district and consolidated litigation.