Will this all unwind?
Union Bank
Goodbye, 2009. Typing “2009” is so much easier than typing “2010”, but such is life. And folks who are better at using words than I am (“than me”?) say 2010 is pronounced “twenty-ten”, not “two-thousand ten”. Speaking of “2’s” and “1’s”, The U.S. Treasury had a record year of debt sales last year, selling more
Goodbye, 2009. Typing “2009” is so much easier than typing “2010”, but such is life. And folks who are better at using words than I am (“than me”?) say 2010 is pronounced “twenty-ten”, not “two-thousand ten”. Speaking of “2’s” and “1’s”, The U.S. Treasury had a record year of debt sales last year, selling more
I am very excited, because last night I received news that I had won $5 million in the Netherlands lotto! Unfortunately I will receive $5 a year for a million years… Seriously, not a day goes by that I don’t receive some e-mail like, “Wherein your email address emerged as one of the online Winning
Yesterday was a special day. In the late afternoon I visited Costco, which some people feel simultaneously represents everything that is both bad and good about the retail channel. The change in time over the weekend had made it so the setting sun shone through the front entrance, illuminating the Samsung 46 inch plasma, the
Welcome back to your computer after the Labor Day holiday! Of course, it still feels like a Monday, but at least there are only four work days. Labor Day is usually when the real estate market in most parts of the nation begins to slow down, although lenders are hoping that this year may be
It is well known that big investors, who are servicing large portfolios of home equity loans, are seeing increasing delinquencies. If home equity loans start having more major problems, is the US Government going to come out with HEMP (Home Equity Modification Program)? (I can’t take credit for that one – it came from Rich
Congratulations to David Stevens. On Friday the U.S. Senate confirmed Dave to head the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Stevens will take over the agency in the middle of their huge surge in business, and many feel that with the non-HVCC appraisals and the fact that the FHA insures mortgages with a small down payment for
President Obama said last week that it’s a good time to buy stocks. So this morning, instead of spending $5 on a Grande latte, I used the money to buy 100 shares of GM… FDIC Ups Fees For Banks If the taxpayers should pay for their neighbor’s mortgages, should “good” banks pay for the mistakes
Fed/Treasury to Buy Short-Term Paper “Commercial paper” is defined as an unsecured, short-term loan issued by a corporation, often for financing accounts receivable and inventories, and typically at a discount which reflects current market rates. In yet another step in showing just how far they will go to help alleviate the crisis, the U.S. Federal
Morgan Stanley, fresh off its announcement last week to convert from pure investment bank to commercial bank (Goldman Sachs did the same), has reached an agreement to sell a 21% stake of the company to Mitsubishi Financial for $9b. Earlier this year, Mitsubishi did the biggest bank deal of the year (at the time) by
UPDATE 1: Citi beat Wells on Wachovia, will acquire them for $2.16b. UPDATE 2: Morgan/Mitsubishi deal is done for $9b. The week opens with Wachovia a bit closer to a deal. There were a few suitors for Wachovia which is troubled by a $110b option ARM loan portfolio, including Citigroup, but Wells Fargo has emerged
Consider this list of news for the week (even though it’s only Monday): Best Buy Co. agreed to buy Napster (digital downloading of music) for $121 million. Reddy Ice Holdings (the largest US manufacturer of packaged ice) suspended its quarterly cash dividend indefinitely and said it was undertaking a strategic review of its business. 5,000
Credit Spreads What is a “credit spread”? It is a yield difference, usually compared to a US Treasury security with a similar maturity, which reflects the issuer’s credit quality. One indicator that the bank could be in trouble is the widening of its credit spreads, evidence that investors believe the debt is riskier. Washington Mutual’s
Mitsubishi Financial, Japan’s largest bank, increased its bid today to take over the third of Union Bank of California that it doesn’t already own. It will buy the remaining shares for an estimated $73.50 per share, valuing the bank at $10.1 billion. It’s the biggest bank deal announced this year. This is relevant for California