Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Banks Line Up For Bailout Loot

"US gives $35b in cash to 19 banks; Stakes part of bid to loosen credit" by Bloomberg News | October 28, 2008

Umm, yeah, except
: U.S. Banks Driving Credit Crunch ON PURPOSE!!

Bush Administration Created Credit Crunch Crisis

NEW YORK - At least 19 regional US banks, including SunTrust Banks Inc. and Capital One Financial Corp., accepted $35 billion in government cash as the Treasury rolled out the second half of its $250 billion package to shore up lenders and thaw frozen credit markets.

TAXPAYER DOLLARS!


Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is doling out cash to recapitalize struggling lenders and jump-start takeovers in an industry suffering from the worst housing crisis since the Great Depression. SunTrust, Capital One, KeyCorp, and PNC Financial Services Group Inc. are among regional lenders that have agreed to take cash so far by selling preferred shares to the United States.

"This is just unprecedented," said BMO Capital Markets analyst Peter Winter. "What the government has said is that you can't let the financial system fail, and if this doesn't work they'll come up with another plan."

Translation: They will dole out MORE TAXPAYER MONEY!!!!

The capital infusions come as governments worldwide do all they can to ensure the stability of banks. Kuwait's central bank said it will guarantee deposits at Gulf Bank KSC, which remains solvent after clients defaulted on currency derivatives contracts, the state-run Kuwait News Agency reported. Paulson already gave $125 billion to nine of the biggest US lenders.

See: Healthy Banks to Get Bailout Bill Loot

Some banks are raising money on their own. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., the Japanese bank investing $9 billion in Morgan Stanley, said it will sell up to $10.7 billion of stock to replenish its capital.

Then WHY CAN'T OUR CORPORATE GREED HOGS do that? Why PORK-POOCH the TAXPAYER?!

The latest US banks to benefit from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program spanned the nation, ranging from City National Corp., in Beverly Hills, Calif., to First Niagara Financial Group Inc., in upstate New York near Niagara Falls. The banks may be joined by life insurance companies, some of which are now in talks with the government about potential Treasury investments, said Jack Dolan, spokesman for the American Council of Life Insurers in Washington.

See: Insurance Companies to Benefit From Bailout Loot

And AUTO CORPORATIONS (as we see today) and ANY OTHER SPECIAL INTEREST with it's greasy little palm out!

Dolan declined to say which companies are involved in the talks. Spokesmen for MetLife Inc., the biggest US life insurer, and number two Prudential Financial Inc. declined to comment yesterday. Most US property and casualty insurers won't participate, according to a statement yesterday from Evan Greenberg, the chief executive of Ace Ltd. and chairman of the American Insurance Association.

That's what he says; if the government was waving "free money" at you, would you refuse?

Other financial firms participating in the program included State Street Corp., which is selling a $2 billion stake. Northern Trust Corp., a custody bank that oversees $3.53 trillion, plans to sell the government a $1.5 billion stake. --more--"

And unload all their crap on the American taxpayers while they keep the cream!!!

You got sooooooo LOOTED on this, Amurka!!