IndyTB

Toning Down the AIG Bonus Rhetoric

You can't really have it both ways. Congress helped whip the public into a frenzy about the AIG bonuses, but Obama lit the fire. The House version of the bill would affect a whole lot more people than just AIG. Now they want the support of the very bankers they've spent weeks criticizing. Fabulous leadership.

Is the Financials' Business Model Broken?

Actually the former head of AIG is *Hank* Greenberg - who is not Alan.

AIG: Paulson's Folly

"If AIG can’t make it on the money the taxpayers have already apparently squandered, then the Treasury should simply exercise its warrants, take control of AIG, and sell off AIG’s solid insurance businesses for what they are worth."

Well, this high on hubris, low on value suggestion gets repeated a lot. For those paying attention - AIG has been on board with selling most of their "solid busineses" since the first loan.

What makes you think that AIG is dragging their feet on asset sales?, or that Fed ownership will somehow magically create financing for would-be purchasers in this credit environment?

Finally - are we *really* still talking about those retreats? It has been covered extensively that they were non-AIG independent agents (you know, the very folks who will keep those "solid businesses" running for AIG and/or the Fed to sell). AIG may have been policitally tone-deaf on timing, but since their original Libor+850 loan was costing $1B/month -- I think they (and not the taxpayers) have more than covered it.

Ten Iowa Stocks

Typo..49

Ten Iowa Stocks

Umm. okay, but does the author intend to highlight the other 349 states?

Why Have Things Gone So Wrong?

@Roger, define transparency....Who reviews these actions, and when? Also - if this Paulson entity (or one like it) will be buying these assets at market value -- and they have already been marked to nearly zero by accounting rule, isn't that what got us here in the first place? -- then how are the target institutions helped?