Attorney General Eric Holder has confirmed that the Justice Department is preparing to bring more cases against banks and payment-processing companies as part of its Operation Choke Point probe. The probe is aimed at shutting down financial frauds, including scammers and Internet-based short-term lenders, by cutting off their access to banks. "In the months ahead, we expect to resolve other investigations involving financial institutions that chose to process transactions even though they knew the transactions were fraudulent, or willfully ignored clear evidence of fraud," Holder said. His remarks come amid a backlash by lawmakers and business groups who say the probe and parallel efforts by bank regulators are squeezing out legitimate businesses.