This report is of particular interest to this Blog. On April 17, 2010 the Blog listed what I believed were the necessary contributing factors leading to the 2008 collapse. Both reports are available on line for a full comprehensive reading. In the final analysis the Blog report of a year ago is very close to the same contributing factors of the Commission. No Surprise here.
The Commission report does not state if theses factors were conspiracy in nature or the product of widespread incompetency capable of bringing down the United States of America.
From my view, I believe at some point a conspiracy did evolve and proceeded upon the complete reliance of a full faith effort by the US Taxpayer to bailout the planned collapse. Banking and Finance has relied upon an un-written understanding that became standard business models in Finance since 1999. This plan would eventually identify Silverado Savings and loan Fiasco and the TARP Act. The malfeasance became simply Hank Paulson's 2big2fail and George H Bush's "Read my Lips".
These charges will never be tried in a Court of Law because of the Power of the wishes of those connected. The Commission's facts gathered, show the reckless regard for strong Banking Institution in America from Regulators, Congress, Federal Reserve, US Treasury and Investment Banking. The report indicates Investment Bankers focused on foolish purchase of smaller banks and heavily leveraged assets beyond the logic of a paperboy. The facts overwhelmingly show widespread incompetency as not a possible conclusion. The Banks raced to become the largest of the worst in two decades of buyouts, acquisitions. All approved by the Federal Reserve. The insolvent winner became entirely reliant on the funds of the Federal Reserve to support day to day operations.
The fact they collapsed is not the product of bad luck or consumer confidence. Consumer Confidence is the prudent conclusion to a corrupted Banking system. The TARP Bailouts perpetuate the failed system infusing more capital that will ultimately fail in the same corrupt system. TARP made the problem bigger, it wasn't a solution.
I also believe the United States would be much better off if the collapse were a product of widespread incompetency. Incompetency is a relatively easy fix. You fire those involved and fine tune until the problem goes away.
Conspiracy and corruption are systemic in nature and requires a total rebuild of corrupted systems of finance, banking and government. Closer examinations of the FCIC report indicates the collapse began 30 years ago in deregulation of legislation enacted during the Great Depression of the 1930's. These same legislation's would be declared archaic and not in step with the needs of Modern Day Global Banking. The Chairmen of The Federal Reserve stated the old legislation could be replaced with new methods of control. That control turned out to be print more money and create huge taxpayer debt and destroy confidence in Finance in America.
The legislation of the thirties carried the US through world wars, years of prosperity and tossed hundreds in prison who violated the laws. The collapse of 2008 has not placed anyone responsible in prison.
Absent from the FCIC report is acknowledgement of the fallout from collateral damage of the greedy. The full force of the theft is being paid by the innocent lives of American men, women and children homeless and without good jobs that pay the bills. The rewards for the theft can be found in the captured real estate, salary and bonuses of the Pharaoh's of Wall Street. All made possible through acts of Congressional Greed stretching back some thirty years.
The people responsible continue to be re-elected from lobby money. Today Wall Street Investment Banker Goldman Sachs announced the salary of CEO Lloyd Blankfein would increase three fold from $600,000 to $1.85 million dollars annual salary. Four of Blankfein top henchmen were also rewarded in spite of Goldman Sachs poor last quarter down 53%. Also announced this week were seizures of 11 small commercial Banking Institution thus far in 2011. Commercial Banks seized in 2010 was 157 with ONE MILLION homes foreclosed. This proves competency does not equate to success in America. The American Dream is now based upon conspiracy and corruption in what was formerly known as The United States of America.
Since the collapse of the 2008 Congress has passed legislation that address the fallout but ignores the source systemic corruption.
The Dodd-Frank Financial Regulatory Reform and Consumer Protection Act closes some obvious loophole in Consumer Banking. It fails to address the negative impacts of Investment Banks who now run the DOW Jones Wheel of Fortune as their personal Casino. Nor, does it address the Countrywide Financial VIP loans eligible to "Very Important People" like Chris Dodd (D) Connecticut Kent Conrad(D) North Dakota, 2 US Senators, 2 former Cabinet members and 1 US Ambassador among others.
The Countrywide VIP loans offered reduced interest rate, waived points, lender fees and lacks borrowing rules. Same as money in my book. Countrywide Loans were absorbed by Bank of American in Countrywide's eminent default. Chris Dodd choose not to run again for his senate seat amid the controversial VIP Loan. Chris Dodd instead left his legacy in the Dodd Frank Act that legalized 2big2fail and ignores corrupt lobbyist, legal bribery, Oligopoly Campaign Contribution and subsequent corruption it directly produces. Ditto for Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act 2009. Congress has focused upon curing the fever and not the infection.
Listed below are findings I felt were most important. All are important and I suggest every American read the complete report and then read again between the lines as I have done.
The Commission Report FCIC is a detached compilation of subpoena inspired information investigated by the Commission. Surprisingly a well written easy read of information gathered. It draws little conclusions and makes no statements of how to avoid another collapse.
FCIC:
Nearly 11 trillion in household wealth has vanished. Businesses large and small have felt the sting of deep recession.
Blog:
Millions of homes foreclosed, unspeakable unemployment and homeless women and children hungry living in the streets. Standing in full view of TARP supported Investment Bank owned and boarded empty properties . Each local municipality should pass zoning legislation to raze empty Bank Owned property. Either sell or pay people to live in the Bank owned homes to negate the windfall bankster profits and provide relief for the Taxpayers. Take down the boards!!!
FCIC:
Many people who abided by all the rules now find themselves out of work and uncertain about their future.
BLog:
Force banksters to hire more workers and double their pay scale to reduce the obscene wealth of Bankster Executives.
FCIC:
Much attention over the past 2 years has been focused on the decision by the federal government to provide massive financial assistance to stabilize the financial system and rescue large financial institution that were deemed systematically important to fail.
Blog:
Rewarding failure is the government center piece that makes the 2008 theft profitable. Remove the motive and the corruption will cease.The fear logic "we all benefit" is pure Government Bullshit. Assumption your retirement money is now been saved is nonsense. Without TARP bailouts homes would return to fair market values not influenced by government in business enterprise. Housing prices would settle in at comparable 1960's wages now common in 2010. Don't worry about me I'll be fine. When viewing possible solution to government, always challenge the basics of the problem. The Iraq War began because of the threats of imaginary WMD's and hostile terrorist camps within Iraq. We would have avoided the entire war if we demanded proof of George W Bush's obvious paranoia. President John F Kennedy had photos of Russian missiles in Cuba. The TARP Bailouts would have been avoided if we allowed the Banks to enter Federal Bankruptcy Court. That is our redistribution of wealth system in America. Lehman Bros, did fail and was resold to Barclay's Bank in 24 hours without bailouts. Instead Americans fell for Hank Paulsons fear tactics the sky was falling with his one hand firmly in the kitty.They had a lot of skin in the game and took huge booty bonuses along the way.
FCIC:
Those decisions and the deep emotions surrounding them will be debated long into the future. While the vulnerabilities that created the potential for crisis were years in the making it was the housing bubble fueled by low interest rates,easy and available credit, scant regulation, and toxic mortgages that was the spark that ignited a string of events, which lead to a full blown crisis of the fall of 2008.
Blog:
The housing bubble gets to much credit. When banks infuse low interest rates, easy credit and scant regulation you accomplish the same with doorknobs or donuts. The vehicle is a non issue in the bank heist. The bubble has been done before and you can bet it will happen again in five to seven years.
FCIC:
The losses were magnified by derivatives such as synthetic securities.
Blog:
Derivatives and synthetic securities are the product of Goldman Sachs. Illegal 12 years ago. The highly complex products proved to be felonious smoke and mirror parlor games. Nothing more than triple AAA rated snake oils. Both so called products were a practice reserved for Houdini and others in slight of hand businesses in former decades. Records indicate Houdini did not attend Harvard or Yale. Anyone sending hard earned money to Greed Street is as insane as gullible. The winners of Greed Street are those who are not eaten along the way.
FCIC:
From 1978 to 2007 the amount of debt held by financial sector soared from $3 trillion to $36 trillion, more than doubling as a share of GDP.
Blog:
During this time deregulation was common. As MEGA banks grew to 2big2fail, industry and manufacturing plummeted with the good jobs they provided. All facets of the American Standard of Living fell with education leading the way.
FCIC:
By 2005 the 10 largest US commercial banks held 55% of the industry's assets more than double the level held in 1990. On the eve of of the 2006, financial sector profits constituted 27% of all corporate profits in the US, up from 15% in 1980.
Blog:
The profits of 2006 were as imaginary as the products sold. Cheap money from the Feds were passed along to the consumer's in the weeds, who unwisely bought into the hidden risks. Savvy investors foolishly believed the figures on monthly statements indicated real wealth. More money was leveraged as reinvestment of the imaginary money. Truly all the money was on paper and had no place in reality. Many youthful investors bought into a system they thought to be ongoing for two hundred years. Sadly, First Time home buyers bought homes like Guinea pigs headed for slaughter. The decade lead by George W Bush of 00's appropriately became a lost decade of circular economics. Leading us on the costly $13 trillion path to where we began. The poor judgment of the Bush Administration seemed to permeate into every aspect of commerce in America. We followed the Weapons of Mass Destruction logic throughout government.
FCIC:
We conclude this financial crisis was avoidable. The crisis was the result of human action and inaction. The captains of fiance and the public stewards of our financial system ignored warnings and failed to question, understand , and manage evolving risks within a system essential to the well being of the American public.
Blog:
Very well put although short a commitment to conspiracy and corruption. Investors would be wise to understand the rules of Greed Street can be changed at any time. Money thought to be safe today, is at risk tomorrow. A constant vigil on investments and legislation is required.
FCIC:
To paraphrase Shakespear, the fault lies not in the stars, but in us.
Blog:
Exactly, if an 17th century playwright saw it coming where was Allan Greenspan.
FCIC:
There were warning signs. There was an explosion in risky sub prime lending and securitization, and securitization, an unsustainable rise in housing prices, widespread reports of egregious and predatory lending practices, dramatic increases in household mortgage debt, and exponential growth in financial firms trading activities, unregulated derivatives and short term "repo" lending markets. Yet there was pervasive permissiveness; little meaningful action was taken to quell the threats in a timely manner.
Blog:
What began as mysterious products quickly evolved into entrapment of innocent people who provided the demands for more mortgages to feed the derivative and CDO's to sell triple AAA to ignorant investors worldwide. The people who provided the mortgages thought they were buying a house, not a house of cards. I was one who did see the collapse coming. When home values quadrupled and outpaced available rents it was inevitable a correction was eminent. What I didn't foresee was the bailout TARP that allowed the Banks to hoard homes.
FCIC:
The prime example is the Federal Reserves pivotal failure to stem the flow of toxic mortgages, which it could have done by setting prudent mortgage lending standards.
Blog:
Strongest language found in the report criticizing the Federal Reserve. "Pivotal failure" is not unlawful then or today? Ya can't fix stupid
FCIC:
The record of our examination is replete with evidence of other failures: financial institutions made, bought, and sold mortgage securities they never examined, did not care to examine, or new to be defective; firms depended on tens of billions of dollars of borrowing that had to be renewed each and every night, secured by subprime mortgage securities; and major firms and investors blindly relied on credit rating agencies as their arbiters of risk.
Blog:They new it was crap and new values would plummet. They new they would be bailed out. The assumption the Credit Rating Agencies didn't know is the nature of their business. They effectively sell information to investors for profit. Malpractice is found in all aspects of government, investment banking, credit ratings, AIG the bagman and Brokers who sold the snake oils.
FCIC:
We conclude widespread failures in financial regulation and supervision proved devastating to the stability of the nation's financial markets.
Blog:
Double DUH
FCIC:
More than thirty years of deregulation and reliance on self regulation by financial institutions , championed by former Federal Reserve Chairmen Allen Greenspan and others, supported by successive administrations and Congress, and actively pushed by powerful financial industry at every turn, had stripped away key safeguards, which could have helped avoid the catastrophe.
FCIC:
In addition the government permitted financial firms to pick their preferred regulators in what became a race to the weakest supervisor.
Blog:
You must be kidding. The foxes are guarding the hen house. You can bet the weakest supervisor had a Ivy League Degree and pulling down $300,000 annual salary of taxpayer waste. Tim Giethner had trouble computing his personal taxes owed, How could he be entrusted with the Treasury.
FCIC:
The Securities and Exchange Commission could have required more capital and halted risky practices at the big investment banks. The Federal Reserve of New York and other regulators could have clamped down on Citigroups excesses in the runup to the crisis.
FCIC:
Too often they lacked the political will in a political ideological environment that constrained it--as well as the fortitude to critically challenge the institutions and entire system they were entrusted to oversee.
Blog:
Sounds like Credit Reporting Agencies worked for the Banks. The Treasury and Federal Reserve worked for the Banks. Congress worked for the Banks The Banks were clear to sell their snake oils on Greed Street worldwide.
FCIC:
From 1999 to 2008 the financial sector expended $2.7 billion in reported federal lobbying expenses; individuals and political action committees in the sector made more than $1 billion in campaign contributions.
Blog:
You can bet Dodd-Frank Act does not address the legal bribery of politicians
FCIC:
We conclude dramatic failures of corporate governance and risk management at systemically important financial institutions were a key cause of this crisis.
FCIC:
To many of theses institutions acted recklessly, taking on too much risk with too little capital, and with too much dependence on short term funding.
FCIC:
You will read among other things about AIG senior management's ignorance of the terms and risks of the company's $79 billion derivatives exposure to mortgage-related securities; Fannie Mae's quest for bigger market share, profits, and bonuses which lead it to ramp up it's exposure to risky loans and securities as the housing market was peaking; and costly surprise when Merrill Lynch's top management realized that the company held $55 billion in "super-senior" and supposed "super-safe" mortgage-related securities that resulted in billions of dollars of losses.
Blog:
They were clueless. For being so stupid they sure made a lot of money along the way. Remember these inept people drew huge bonuses as the bubble grew. Posting imaginary profits co-sponsored by Congress. The salary and bonus were a tribute to their business savvy.
When the collapse came they continued to believe they earned further tribute and did.
FCIC:
We conclude a combination of excessive borrowing, risky investments and lack of transparency put the financial system on a collision course with crisis.
FCIC:
For example five major banks-- Bear Sterns Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley were operating with extraordinarily thin capital. By one measure, their leverage ratios were as high as 40 to 1, meaning for every $40 in assets there was only $1 in capital to cover the losses. Less than 3% drop in asset values could wipe out a firm. Much of the borrowing was short term, in the overnight market- meaning the borrowing had to be renewed each and every day. 2007 Bear Sterns had $11.8 billion in equity and $383.6 billion in liabilities and borrowing as much as $70 billion in overnight market.
Blog:
We were never told the outcome of the Treasury Department Stress Testing. Now we know the truth.
FCIC:
The kings of leverage were Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two behemoth government sponsored enterprises. 2007, Fannie Mae and Freddie's combined leverage ratio including loans they owned and guaranteed stood at 75 to 1.
Blog:
Congratulations, taxpayers you now own Fannie Mae, Freedie Mac, GM and Fiat. The Toxic Assets, Snake Oils, Smoke and Mirrors now belong to the Taxpayers and the Banks are solvent with Federal Reserve Funding. Your 401-k and other retirements investment have been off loaded by the Banksters into toxic assets of Fannie and Freedie. Your retirement is as empty as your Social Security.
FCIC:
2001 to 2007 mortgage debt per household rose 63% from $91,500 to $149,500 even while wages were stagnant.
Blog:
This is the hardest to accept. If John Q Citizen did not borrow above his ability to pay the collapse would not occur. Many investors did borrow heavily and got in and out, sold over and over. The average guy got in and caught in the mess.
FCIC:
When the housing mortgage markets cratered, the lack of transparency, the extraordinary debt loads, the short -term loans, and the risky assets all came home to roost What resulted was panic. We reaped what we had sown.
Blog:
Some reaped obscene rewards as most Americans lost homes jobs and dignity, WHY?
FCIC:
We concluded the government was ill prepared for the crisis, and it's inconsistent response added to the uncertainty and panic in the financial markets.
FCIC:
The Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve Bank of New York who were best positioned to watch were ill prepared for the events of 2007 and 2008.
FCIC:
Throughout the summer of 2007 both Federal Reserve Chairmen Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson offered public assurances the turmoil in subprime mortgage markets would be contained.
Blog:
They did not tell the truth.
FCIC:
Days before the collapse of Bear Sterns in March 2008, SEC Chairman Christopher Cox expressed "comfort about the capital cushions" at the big investment banks. It was not until August 2008 weeks before the government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, that the Treasury Department understood the full measure of the dire financial conditions of those two institiutions. And a month before Lehman's Collapse, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York was still seeking information on the exposures created by Lehman's more than 900,000 derivitive contracts.
Blog:
More lies to save the bubble.
FCIC:
We conclude there was a systemic breakdown in accountability and ethics.
FCIC:
As early as September 2004 Countrywide executives recognized that many of the loans they were originating could result in "catastrophic consquences" . Less than a year later, they noted that certain high risk loans they were making could result not only in forclosure but also "financial and reputational catastophe" for the firm. But they did not stop. They sold those securities to investors as safe.
Blog:
Crooks and Reckless Malpractice at Countrywide, AIG and Reporting Agencies were the puppets of Investment Banksters. The Federal Reserve and Treasury provided blind support. Congress provided the deregulation that enabled the malfeseance.
FCIC:
We do place special responsibility with public leaders charged with protecting our financial system.
Blog:
Public leaders have not been asked to sacrfice for thier non-performance. WHY?
FCIC:
We conclude the failure of the credit reporting agencies were essential cogs in the wheel of financial destruction.
Blog:
Credit Reporting Agencies have not been asked to sacrfice for their failures. Why should the taxpayer pay for the failures of others.WHY?
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