June 16 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein assured his firm's retired partners at a meeting that clients are standing behind the company, the Wall Street Journal said.
Blankfein also said the two months since the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused Goldman of fraud have been 'very difficult,' according to the Journal.
About 110 retired Goldman partners attended the meeting on Tuesday, the paper said.
Blankfein did not directly address the SEC civil suit during the meeting, the paper said, citing people who heard the comments.
The SEC has accused Goldman of creating and marketing a debt product linked to subprime mortgages without telling investors that a prominent hedge fund helped choose the underlying securities and was betting against them. . Goldman has denied wrongdoing.
Blankfein declined to comment to the Journal as he was leaving the meeting.
Goldman could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside regular U.S. business hours. (Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; editing by Valerie Lee) Keywords: GOLDMAN/ (sakthi.prasad@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 4135 5800; Reuters Messaging: sakthi.prasad.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
Blankfein also said the two months since the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused Goldman of fraud have been 'very difficult,' according to the Journal.
About 110 retired Goldman partners attended the meeting on Tuesday, the paper said.
Blankfein did not directly address the SEC civil suit during the meeting, the paper said, citing people who heard the comments.
The SEC has accused Goldman of creating and marketing a debt product linked to subprime mortgages without telling investors that a prominent hedge fund helped choose the underlying securities and was betting against them. . Goldman has denied wrongdoing.
Blankfein declined to comment to the Journal as he was leaving the meeting.
Goldman could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside regular U.S. business hours. (Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; editing by Valerie Lee) Keywords: GOLDMAN/ (sakthi.prasad@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 4135 5800; Reuters Messaging: sakthi.prasad.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.