Gardener

Ending the Off-Balance Sheet Charade

It's time that SIV and off balance sheet sheltering be criminalized for the fraud it is. Investor tolerance of this behavior has been stunning. It seems to be a case of, "everyone else is doing it".

Citi: Not Earning Its Way Out of Bailouts

For Pandit to refer to the situation as 100 yr storm is disgusting. As though his actions had nothing to do with what has happened. Why will none of these people take responsibility for their incompetence?

Why Did We Bail Out the Banks?

We love fractional reserve banking for the ease of credit it provides and are addicted to an inherently fragile system. We will continue to bailout banks as long as we use fractional reserve banking as the dominant system of banking. FDIC insurance does not help this problem and could be argued encourages recklessness. Banks used to at least compete and advertise how safe they were compared to their competitors but this control mechanism has also been dismantled. People want the benefits of a free market system without the risk or discipline.

Whatever Happened to Acting in the Best Interest of Shareholders?

I can't believe that people are complaining about shareholder dilution. Shareholders should be wiped out. These banks are insolvent. This country does not understand that risk and reward are linked.