Story Stocks: Citigroup (NYSE:C), Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), Target (NYSE:TGT)

A federal judge refused to endorse a settlement between the U.S. and a bank for a third time in a year, calling a proposed $298 million fine of Barclays Plc for trading with Iran, Cuba and Sudan “a sweetheart deal.” U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington scheduled a hearing for today to address the question he asked prosecutors yesterday: “Why isn’t the government getting tough with the banks?” U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle in Washington on Aug. 16 likewise held up a $75 million settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Citigroup (NYSE:C) , lawyers in the case said. The scrutiny of civil and criminal penalties began last August with U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff in Manhattan, who rejected the SEC’s proposed $33 million settlement with Bank of …