By Greg Bishop/Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – It’s not quite $1 billion, but the amount of money Illinois’ attorney general says she’s collected in 2015 for the state’s coffers is close.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said her office brought in more than $983 million in 2015. She said a lot of the newer money is from the aftermath of the 2008 mortgage foreclosure crisis.
“Last year we brought in over $50 million from a settlement with Standard and Poor’s as well as over $20 million from a settlement with Morgan Stanley,” Madigan said.
Madigan’s office said that money adds to the $400 million collected for the state’s pension funds just from the mortgage foreclosure crisis settlements alone.
More than $320 million from last year’s total is from collections.
“That is when state agencies will ask us to go after people who owe it money,” Madigan said. “So it’s damage to state property, child support, enforcement, other fines and penalties.”
Some of that collected money goes to the general revenue fund and other special funds like child support, the tobacco fund and funds for state property.
Madigan said she has brought in more than $12 billion to the state’s coffers through settlements and collections since she took office in 2003.
