Archive for the ‘The Banking Crisis’ Category

Fannie and Freddie – Is the Public Itself in Denial?

Saturday, August 16th, 2008

Evan Newmark points out (WSJ, Aug 15, 2008) the fundamental facts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s (henceforth F&F) existence. None of them are news but his conclusion, that F&F should be closed, is news of a sort. I have not seen this conclusion before in the popular press, although ...

The Auction Rate Municipal Securities Bare Washington’s Greatest Fear

Sunday, August 10th, 2008

It is not the intent of this article to explain exactly what banks are doing to mislead investors with regard to the sale of auction-rate municipal securities. That is the trap into which most articles on the subject fall, and since confusing the public is the purpose of every significant ...

Freddie and Fannie Offed? Dare to Dream.

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

A reader asked me the other day when Freddie and Fanny were created. I knew the answer was that rarest of events, something that happened before my time. God created the earthquake, so I thought it might have been on the third day of all time or something. So I ...

Classifying Banks During the Banking Crisis: Wells Fargo Was Never “One of the Boys.”

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

In the 21st Century there have been four archetypical ways of making a living as a bank. First there has been the way with which we have become most familiar since the crisis. Find the best scam the bank regulators are passing out and push it to the max. This was ...