"Banker Reveals Trump's Financial Statements Played Crucial Role in Loan Approvals, Despite 'Sanity Checks'"

A retired bank official testified in Donald Trump's civil fraud trial that the former president obtained loans worth hundreds of millions of dollars using financial statements that were later deemed fraudulent. The statements played a key role in securing a $125 million loan for his golf resort in Florida and a $107 million loan for his Chicago hotel and condo skyscraper. While the bank didn't conduct full appraisals, they applied "sanity checks" to the values Trump had placed on his properties. Trump denies any wrongdoing, emphasizing disclaimers on the documents, and a judge ruled last month that he committed years of fraud by exaggerating the value of his assets and net worth.