RSS Feed for Banking InstitutionsCategory: Banking Institutions

How Will Bank Failures Impact the Economy? »

Will the failure of a small bank in a small community truly impact America? Analysts discount the impact that the expected massive number of bank failures will have on the U.S. economy.
Additionally, analysts also discount the fact that the FDIC fund to cover depositors of failed institutions is close to zero. This fund can be [...]

Banks Build Better Mousetrap »

Is there truly any reason to trust financial institutions these days?
Developments within the credit card space have exposed the true colors of these institutions . . . not that there was ever any doubt. Recall how consumer outrage at rapidly rising interest rates on credit cards pressured Washington to rein in the usurious business practices [...]

Rep. Edolphus Towns on Bernanke’s Testimony: “Something Rotten in the Cotton” »

I commend Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Rep. Town’s closing statement at yesterday’s Congressional hearing culminated some riveting theatre. That said, this is not a one act play. Rep. Towns highlights the need to dig deeper in exposing what truly happened in the midst of the [...]

Is Ben Bernanke a Well-Intended Crook? »

Do the ends ever justify the means? Does being well-intended preclude one from committing a criminal act? If our legislative bodies do not possess the heart and courage to ask these difficult questions, can we assume they are implicitly approving them? Oh, what a tangled web trillions of dollars in financial losses will weave.
The intrigue [...]

“Obama As A Brand” »

Talk about your marketing ploy, which I, along with others, have been doing for a while now (most recently, “The Campaign’s Over, Obama: It’s Time To Lead“). But the incomparable Chris Hedges has done a remarkable job at highlighting just exactly how true that is (and it is true - his campaign won the [...]

How Would You Like to Earn -5% On Cash Deposits? »

Can you imagine putting money into a bank and agreeing to accept a minus 5% rate of interest? Well, the Federal Reserve believes the appropriate rate of interest for this economy is in fact -5%. The FT reports, “Fed Study Puts Ideal U.S. Interest Rate at -5%.”
The world is awash in a sea of debt. [...]

Now that the damage is done, our President pledges Credit Card reform »

Pretty much everyone you know has already been gouged by credit card companies while the Band Played On.
Congress said nothing, the President said nothing. Nobody stopped every major credit card company in the USA from screwing with everyone’s credit scores by cranking up their interest rates in mid-stream and offering customers no options other than [...]

Ken Lewis: Great American or Mere Corporate Pawn? »

When Ken Lewis, CEO of Bank of America, purchased Merrill Lynch last Fall did he put country first but his shareholders’ interests second? The WSJ Reports Lewis Testifies U.S. Urged Silence on Deal.
The BofA purchase of Merrill did not feel “right” to me from the outset. Why? Recall that at the time of this deal, [...]

Repaying TARP Funds: Playing Ball With Uncle Sam »

Last evening on NQR’s Sense on Cents with LD, I proposed that the Obama administration would not release individual results of the Bank Stress Tests. I further added that I thought the administration may encourage stronger banking institutions to channel funds to weaker institutions. In so doing, these stronger banks - such as JP Morgan [...]

Citigroup’s Earnings: More Fuzzy Math »

In reviewing bank earnings this week, I truly get the sense with a number of institutions that they determine just how much they want or need to outperform analyst expectations and then they figure out how to “manage” the books in order to get there.
This “managed earnings” process can be played for an extended period, [...]

Calculated Risk: Chula Vista Big Bounce? »

Calculated Risk’s choice California Jim the Realtor posts today a surprising positive indication in Chula Vista, California.

Open Thread + Tune in Sunday Evening to NoQuarter Radio’s “Sense on Cents with Larry Doyle” »

BUMPED DOWN . PROGRAM CONCUDED . LISTEN to ARCHIVED SHOW!
(Editor’s Note: Paulie Abeles is taking Monday night, April 13th, off to be with family.)
Please join me Sunday evening from 8-9 p.m. ET for NoQuarter Radio’s Sense on Cents with Larry Doyle. What is truly going on in the economy? Where are markets headed? The [...]

Mum’s the Word »

The movie Goodfellas provides a wealth of material for comparative analysis of the markets. The “insider activity,” the “fooling around,” “the payoffs,” and “the gambling” all make for great drama on the screen. Truth be told, one does not have to look all that hard to find striking similarities to certain activities in the world [...]

In 15 Minutes, Join NoQuarter Radio’s “Sense on Cents with Larry Doyle” »

PROGRAM CONCLUDED . POST BUMPED DOWN . LISTEN to the ARCHIVED SHOW!
(Editor’s Note: Paulie Abeles is taking Monday night, April 13th, off to be with family.)
Join me from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. ET on NoQuarter Radio for Sense on Cents with Larry Doyle. These are truly historic times in the global economy. Let’s “navigate the [...]

“Beholden to Failed Banksters” »

Any investor or manager with a degree of experience knows that the “first loss is the best loss.” What do I mean by that? Once the market detects a loss or a weakened position, the price for that asset will remain capped unless and until the asset is sold or liquidated. This price action [...]

Elizabeth Warren Top TARP Cop Reading “Goodnight Moon” [UPDATE] »

Editor’s UPDATE: Below the fold, there’s a pithy, explanatory description of what the T.A.R.P. oversight panel (Chair Elizabeth Warren et al.) concluded in its worrisome report on Treasury’s handling (or not) of the economy’s downturn.
John Batchelor: From my blog. Don’t miss Larry Johnson on my show Sunday nights. Watch for NoQuarter’s promo on Sundays.
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Batchelor & Constable: Through the Looking Glass »

Batchelor & Constable: Through the Looking Glass.
     Simon Constable and I make no sense of the senseless news from the worldwide financial crisis — the Great Depression in Denial.  From banks buying each other’s junk competitively to a bullish call by hedgies and funds guys meeting in a super secret location west [...]

Games of Chance: TALF, PPIP, TARP, FDIC, FASB »

In thinking about the economy, markets, and our banking system, my memory brings me back to my early days in New York. While working my way along 8th Avenue back to my apartment in Hell’s Kitchen, I would happen upon numerous versions of the classic NYC “hustle.” The shell game (also 3 card monte) was [...]

The Junk Game Within the Junk Game »

From the John Batchelor Show blog. Susan’s Note:I can’t state enough how important it is to read this article.
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Pirate Bankers Rising.
Francesco Guerrera, FT, reported to my financial roundtable on the show, Sunday 5, that the bankers are preparing to game the junk assets on their books.  Here is the part of the scheme that [...]

A Fraud By Any Other Name »

A few loyal readers have graciously shared video clips of interviews with former banking regulator, William K. Black. These interviews address the fact that a tremendous amount of mortgage originations at the core of our current economic turmoil were fraudulently underwritten. The borrowers were never qualified only then to fall upon hard times. [...]