The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is taking action against a former bank employee who allegedly sold check images that resulted in a six-figure loss for the lender.

The OCC says it’s issuing an order of prohibition against Cricel Santamaria, a former client service representative at Webster Bank in Stamford, Connecticut.

Says the OCC,

“From approximately April 2019 until May 23, 2022, the respondent was employed at the bank. Between approximately October 2021 and April 2022, the respondent obtained approximately 62 check images from the bank’s internal systems and made them available for sale over the internet.

Thirteen bank customers reported fraud on their accounts shortly after their checks were made available for sale on the internet. The total fraud reported was $237,374 and the total Bank loss was approximately $108,000.”

According to the OCC, Santamaria “engaged in unsafe or unsound practices, caused more than a minimal loss to the bank, demonstrated personal dishonesty and willful or continuing disregard for the safety and soundness of the bank.”

The OCC order prohibits the ex-banker from working in the banking and financial services industry.

Santamaria consents to the OCC order without admitting or denying any wrongdoing. Under the order, the Department of Justice (DOJ) retains its right to “bring other actions deemed appropriate” against Santamaria.

The Webster Bank, a commercial bank based in Stamford, Connecticut, has more than $70 billion in assets under management.

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

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XRP is one of the most popular coins on the market, and there is a cult-like community that has supported it for many years. The bullish sentiment surrounding it has made Altcoin work very well and continues to encourage support. The latest development for XRP was ETF filing, suggesting that it could be the next AltCoin to get SEC NOD after Ethereum. The number of filings is also available in Solana, Solana, and Dogecoin Running for next ETF approval.

XRP ETF filing increases to 10

The submission of the XRP ETF has come out of the market for the past year, particularly with approval from the Ethereum Spot ETF. These ETFs are expected to provide institutional investors with a formal tool to obtain appropriate market exposure. With Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs being made and packed with dust, the issuer is aiming to bring it to the market for other big cap altcoins.

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The next favorite on the list is XRP, along with heavy hitters such as Solana, Dogecoin and Litecoin. However, in the race, XRP is clearly differentiated in terms of interest, boasting twice as much filing as other Altcoins.

According to data from Kaito Research, there are currently 10 XRP ETF filings with pending approval or rejection from the SEC. In contrast, there are five Solana ETF filings, three Litecoin filings, and three Dogecoin filings. This clearly shows that XRP as the next Altcoin to get ETF approval is the best.

Additionally, the SEC accepts XRP ETF submissions from industry leaders such as Grayscale. There are also filings from Proshares, Franklin Templeton, Bitwise, 21 shares, and more. However, BlackRock has not made the move to submit XRP ETF files despite leading the Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF campaigns.

Nevertheless, applications for the XRP ETF are a major issue for Altcoinm, and their approval could cause another wave of price increases.

Conclusion of the battle between ETF and SEC

For many, the major obstacle to the SEC approval of the XRP ETF was the ongoing battle between Crypto companies and regulators that began in 2020. However, in March 2025, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced that the incident had officially ended.

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This development raises high expectations that regulators will appear to be positive about the XRP ETF. If ETFs are approved, even with a small portion of the Bitcoin ETF volume, the XRP price is expected to explode accordingly, with some analysts predicting that Altcoin’s price could rise to double digits.

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Deep-pocketed traders triggered a price crash over the weekend after depositing a huge chunk of an altcoin’s supply to digital asset exchanges.

According to blockchain tracking firm Lookonchain, whales in the Bounce (AUCTION) market have been greatly influencing the altcoin’s price action for the past week, causing massive swings in both directions.

Bounce Finance is a decentralized auction platform enabling auctions for various assets, such as physical assets tokenized on the blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

AUCTION tokens are used for governance, staking, and fees for participating in auctions or creating NFTs on the platform.

Lookonchain says that in the last several days, whales sent over 14% of the circulating supply of AUCTION to Binance, the largest crypto exchange in the world by volume, and OKX. Those deposits presumably led to coins being sold on the open market, which ultimately caused prices to plummet.

Says Lookonchain,

“AUCTION Whales deposited 1.08 million AUCTION ($48.6 million, 14.26% of the total supply) into Binance and OKX again, causing the price to plummet by 50%.

Pay attention to price changes.”

At time of writing, AUCTION has not recovered, currently trading at $20.93 with a market cap of $137 million. AUCTION is ranked as the 363rd-largest crypto asset by market cap.

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Lawyer James “MetaLawMan” Murphy of Ludlow Street Advisors, LLC has provided a detailed theory on why the SEC’s dismissal of the Ripple case has been inexplicably delayed. According to Murphy, rather than the delay being solely due to the SEC’s internal processes, it could be that Ripple is engaged in strenuous negotiations aimed at revising key components of Judge Torres’ ruling.

Ripple, Not SEC, Might Be Stalling Case Resolution

Murphy explained that while Judge Torres’ decision was undoubtedly beneficial for XRP holders—particularly regarding aspects that positively impact market sentiment—the decision also contained elements that could jeopardize the company’s future strategic moves. “The Torres decision was unquestionably GREAT for XRP holders, BUT the finding of securities law violations and the injunction with attendant ‘bad boy’ provisions are not so great for Ripple,” Murphy stated via X.

He further speculated that if Ripple is considering a future exempt securities offering or an IPO, the current judgment would represent a significant operational and reputational hurdle. He continued, “I believe the SEC would have accepted a settlement—where both sides dismiss their appeals and the SEC takes the $125 million penalty—in a heartbeat. So, it makes sense that Ripple could be negotiating for a better deal than that.” Although he acknowledges the speculative nature of his theory, Murphy’s comments offer a glimpse into the complex legal maneuvers potentially at play.

Complementing Murphy’s perspective, pro-XRP lawyer Jeremy Hogan delved into the intricate legal process of dissolving the injunction imposed by Judge Torres. Hogan pointed out that the court’s order effectively bars Ripple from making direct sales to customers—a restriction that Ripple would undoubtedly prefer to eliminate.

“Ripple would rather not have the injunction at all,” Hogan remarked. He drew an analogy between the legal process and personal restraining orders, emphasizing that “once a court issues an injunction, the parties themselves can’t simply agree between them to disregard the injunction.” He further illustrated the point with a vivid comparison: many individuals have faced legal consequences for assuming that a restraining order could be casually ignored when personal relationships improved.

Hogan’s analysis extended into the procedural challenges that both Ripple and the SEC must navigate in order to modify the existing court order. He elaborated on the role of Federal Rule 60, which governs “relief from a judgment,” noting that any motion to vacate the injunction must convincingly demonstrate a significant change in circumstances.

“The court based its decision on the Howey test, not on the SEC’s rule changes, and the SEC cannot ‘Trump’ US Supreme Court law,” Hogan explained. This point underscores the rigidity of legal precedent in securities law, which complicates any attempt by Ripple to negotiate a rollback of the injunction solely on the basis of evolving regulatory standards.

Ripple would first need to convince the SEC to sign off on a carefully drafted motion that seeks to dissolve the injunction. Following this, both parties would have to stipulate to dismiss their appeals, and then the trial court would need to rule favorably on the motion. Hogan suggested that “this is why I think the case doesn’t resolve until April-May whereas all these other cases have already been dismissed.” He also left open the possibility that if the motion is crafted and executed with exceptional care, the appeals might be dismissed even earlier—potentially in April, before Ripple’s brief due date.

At press time, XRP traded at $

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