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A Different Approach to Economic Forecasting: A Hard Look at Whitney's Skill

Thanks for link to Ted Williams article: you hit a homer on that one.

Credit Card Interchange Fee Datapoint of the Day

Hanoch overstates the problem. I carry $20-40 cash for the smallest purchases and use my debit card for medium sized purchases. When I run low on cash, I just get cash back on a debit card transaction: I don't believe I've used an ATM in a couple of years.

Regulatory Arbitrage Anecdote of the Day

This was also pointed out on Planet Money last week.

Credit Card Legislation: An Exchange

www.highyieldcheckingd.../ links to a long list of banks offering high introductory interest rates on, of all things, checking accounts. Most required a minimum, typically 10, of debit card transactions per month. It is alleged that the banks get a fee on each debit card transaction. If so, the debt card users are being subsidized by all the other shoppers.

Furthering the Discussion on Bank Nationalization

I find absurd the notion of the taxpayers guarantying stockholder equity just because the bank followed the regulations. When you invest, due dilligence is your responsibility, otherwise, where would the guaranties end?

The Banker's Choice

Here www.pressdemocrat.com/... is a newspaper account of how Wells Fargo handled one mortgage workout.

The Banker's Choice

www.ironictimes.com/
Some Banks Don’t Know, Others
Won’t Tell What They’ve Done
With Bailout
But bank officers observed laughing all the way to the bank.

Credit Card Crunch

"WHERE IS THE MONEY?" This is a limitation of forums, where information does not accumulate. SA needs a wiki, where those most interested in a particular facet can discuss it to death and post a consensus for others to access.

Lessons From the Banking Meltdown

"...3rd-party insurance on your account so that, if they fail, your assets are safe." Who insures the insurers? It's all one house of cards.