Three more Swiss banks said they would work with U.S. officials in a crackdown on wealthy Americans evading taxes through hidden offshore accounts, a trickle that could rise to about one third of the country's private banks. The number that participate in the government-brokered scheme is important for larger banks facing criminal investigations in the United States, such as Credit Suisse, Julius Baer and Pictet & Cie. These banks' talks with U.S. justice officials to settle their cases have been frozen pending a solution for the wider Swiss banking sector. If the U.S. deems its deal with Switzerland a failure because too few banks come forward to make amends for aiding tax evasion, it is likely to hold up settlements for the larger banks. The deal for second-tier banks, agreed in August, is part of a U.S. drive to lift the veil of Swiss bank secrecy which in 2009 led to UBS paying $780 million in a settlement where the bank agreed to hand over U.S. client names with secret Swiss
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