Court Rules Against BB&T in Tax Case, Resulting in $250 Million Charge

The legal efforts by BB&T to recoup as much as $688 million in taxes paid in conjunction with the disallowance of tax credits for certain deals beginning in 2002 were not successful, according to an announcement yesterday from BB&T.

The court's contention, which came from federal judge Thomas Wheeler, related to transactions BB&T made with Barclays. Wheeler said the deals between BB&T and Barclays amounted to "an economically meaningless tax shelter" and that the IRS was within its rights to rescind tax benefits gained from the transactions. BB&T, according to its statement, paid the tax assessment in its entirety in 2010.

As a result of the negative ruling, BB&T said it will take a one-time charge of approximately $250 million this quarter. The $250 million after-tax charge, "[c]ombined with previously recorded tax reserves, fully addresses our liability for the financing transaction," BB&T Chairman and CEO Kelly King said.

King added that even with the $250 million one-time charge, "we expect to remain profitable for the quarter."

The article Court Rules Against BB&T in Tax Case, Resulting in $250 Million Charge originally appeared on Fool.com.

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