It probably won't even end up costing them the headline amount. Much of the settlement will likely be tax deductible similar to other government deals [1][2].

It probably won't even end up costing them the headline amount. Much of the settlement will likely be tax deductible similar to other government deals [1][2]. [1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2016/01/19/goldman-sachs-historic-5-billion-settlement-has-silver-lining-tax-deduction/#45d41fac37be http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2016/01/19/goldman-sa... [2] http://www.newsweek.com/2014/11/07/giant-penalties-are-giant-tax-write-offs-wall-street-279993.html http://www.newsweek.com/2014/11/07/giant-penalties-are-giant...