Credit Suisse and Julius Baer are among five Swiss banks which have sought government approval to hand data to U.S. prosecutors in a bid to reach settlements in a long-running tax dispute, four sources familiar with the matter said. The requests represent a push towards sealing a final deal for some of the dozen Swiss banks in the crosshairs of U.S. prosecutors for helping wealthy Americans evade taxes through hidden accounts. Some of the five, which also include local government-backed banks Zuercher Kantonalbank and Basler Kantonalbank and the Swiss arm of Britain's HSBC, expect the government to approve their request in the coming days, two sources said. The Swiss government, which has been trying to reach a deal for the banks for three years, declined to comment on Friday. The banks under investigation have long been keen to cooperate to avoid indictment, which put Swiss private bank Wegelin out of business this year. But they have been prevented from doing so in full by strict
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