Morgan Stanley has offered to pay $15 million to settle an ongoing regulatory investigation into its failure to retain e-mail records.
In a regulatory filing posted Monday, the US investment bank said it had reached agreement in principle with the SEC to resolve the probe into its e-mail archiving lapses.
The firm is also seeking a similar deal with the National Association of Securities Dealers.
Morgan Stanley's shoddy record keeping practices were central to the imposition of a massive $1.58 billion fine by the US courts last year in a dispute with billionaire financier Robert Perelman.
The Wall Street investment bank has since become embroiled in an embarassing $10 million wrongful dismissal lawsuit brought by former staffer Arthur Riel. The suit alleges that Riel was terminated for uncovering improper business practices that included the destruction of e-mail. Morgan Stanley has denied the claims.