Sebi probes insider-trading in shares of cos party to Housing-Finance scam

Market watchdog Sebi has initiated a probe into possible front-running and insider trading in shares of over two dozen companies, including some blue chips, by entities and persons involved in the housing-finance scam unearthed by CBI. The initial findings, when corroborated with the charges made by the CBI, indicate towards a lage-scale front-running deals or shares being purchased or sold in these companies on the basis of prior knowledge about investment decisions being made by large institutional investors, a senior Sebi official said. These large institutional investors could be LIC, whose Secretary (Investments) figures among those arrested by CBI in connection with the multi-crore scam, as also those investors who participated in share or debt placements arranged by investment banking and financial services firm Money Matters, sources said.