Bank One Mutual Fund Chief Resigns

The head of mutual funds for Bank One, one of four mutual fund companies named in New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s Sept. 3 fund trading complaint, has lost its head of mutual funds, Reuters reports.

Mark Beeson, head of the firm’s fund division, resigned Wednesday, as the bank looks into whether it allowed market timing and/or late trading in its funds. John AbuNassar, who ran the bank’s institutional asset management division, also has left.

David Kundert, who was in charge of investment management, is now running the funds, while Managing Director Norm Cook has replaced AbuNassar.

In an internal Bank One memo that Reuters obtained, Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said that for 11 months ended in May, hedge fund Canary Capital Partners, also named in Spitzer’s suit, was allowed to trade 11 of the bank’s mutual funds more frequently than other customers. Although Canary’s share of assets averaged 0.5% and never topped 1%, Dimon said the practice should never have happened.

More than 20 people have now either been fired or have resigned as a result of Spitzer’s probe.

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