Countrywide Financial Corp. agreed to pay $600 million to settle shareholder lawsuits in the largest payout so far from the mortgage meltdown. U.S

The fiancee of an unarmed man killed by police in a 50-bullet barrage and a friend who survived the shooting said Wednesday that a settlement of the federal civil lawsuit with New York City that topped $7 million was fair but not cause for celebration. The deal awards $3.25 million to the estate of Sean Bell, $3 million to Joseph Guzman and $900,000 to a third victim, Trent Benefield, minus 30 percent for legal fees. City officials confirmed that the settlement amount is the largest ever for a fatal police shooting.

Florida millionaire George Levin, whose Banyon Investors Fund was the main feeder fund that funneled about $830 million into Scott Rothstein’s Ponzi scheme, has agreed to surrender most of his assets under a bankruptcy settlement. In what appears to be the largest settlement to date in the case, the former hedge fund manager has agreed to give up most of his 29 properties and business interests. The value of the properties was not disclosed, but Levin has said in financial papers he is worth $100 million to $200 million.

In the largest-ever penalty paid by a Wall Street firm, Goldman Sachs on Thursday agreed to pay $550 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that it misled investors in a collateralized debt obligation by misstating and omitting key facts. Goldman admitted that it made mistakes and regretted its failure to disclose relevant information. The case was viewed as a bellwether for Robert Khuzami, director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, and Chairman Mary Schapiro, who vowed to ramp up agency enforcement.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals will pay upwards of $152.5 million to potentially thousands of female employees to settle the remainder of gender bias claims brought by field representatives who claimed they were discriminated against in pay, promotion and pregnancy policies. On May 19, a New York jury awarded $250 million in punitive damages, the largest-ever award in a gender bias case.