Facing a spat of lawsuits from angry investors, Everbright Securities' future looks bleak indeed. The beleaguered stockbrokerage was dragged down by the "fat finger" mishap last month, and, in the process, lost one of the most valuable assets of any financial establishment, trustworthiness.

Branded an insider trader, the company was slapped with a record fine of 523 million yuan ($85.46 million) by China Securities Regulatory Commission. What's more, four of the company's senior executives have taken the blame and resigned.

The brokerage has not contested the penalty, which, though high by most reckoning, is not going to cripple the company that posted earnings of more than 800 million yuan for the first six months of this year. The potential lawsuits can.