banks

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'Humbled' Bank CEOs Will Deny Blowing Bailout

Top bankers face grilling today from furious Congress

(Newser) - Bank bosses being grilled by Congress today will defend their use of bailout cash, according to prepared testimony obtained by Reuters. Chief executives from the eight biggest US banks arrive in Washington this morning—by public transportation instead of private jet this time—and are expected to strike a note...

Skirting Pay Cap Will Be a Piece of Cake

Obama proposal leaves wiggle room, and Wall St. usually good at finding it

(Newser) - The squeeze on big paydays for executives of bailed-out banks will probably leave Wall Street plenty of wiggle room. Consultants on executive pay say the caps imposed by President Obama yesterday will probably apply only to a few executives—not star traders, brokers, and salespeople who routinely earn whopping pay...

Bailout Firms Lobbied Big Time for TARP Funds

Spending on charities, sponsored meetings topped $330,000

(Newser) - Several of the firms who would receive taxpayer funds from the TARP bailout spent money on meetings and charitable gifts that benefited lawmakers, the Hill reports. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, for example, donated $330,000 in the last 6 months of 2008 to politically affiliated charities. Bank of America,...

Big Banks' Lending Drops Despite Bailout Cash
Big Banks' Lending Drops
Despite Bailout Cash
ANALYSIS
Jan 26, 2009 10:23 AM CST

Big Banks' Lending Drops Despite Bailout Cash

Banks say funds can't go straight to loans, and recession cuts down on would-be borrowers

(Newser) - Lending is down at some of the biggest beneficiaries of the $148 billion the Treasury hoped would get US banks lending again, the Wall Street Journal reports. Of 13 banks to receive major government backing, 10 saw a decline in their outstanding loan balances between the third and fourth quarters...

Banks Relish Public Funds, Won't Loan to Public
Banks Relish Public Funds, Won't Loan to Public
ANALYSIS
Jan 18, 2009 7:35 AM CST

Banks Relish Public Funds, Won't Loan to Public

(Newser) - Banks are enjoying a public bailout of billions of dollars, but they're not using the funds the way the way they were intended—to loan money to kickstart the economy, reports the New York Times. Banks are using the bucks to pay off debts and, in some cases, acquire companies....

BoA, Wells Fargo Wrap Up Takeovers
BoA, Wells Fargo
Wrap Up Takeovers
Jan 1, 2009 3:27 PM CST

BoA, Wells Fargo Wrap Up Takeovers

Tough road ahead for merged financial institutions

(Newser) - Bank of America and Wells Fargo completed their respective takeovers of Merrill Lynch and Wachovia this week, expected developments that close the books on a year of unprecedented change in the banking industry, Reuters reports. The acquisition of Merrill makes BoA the largest US bank by assets, with $2.7...

Wall Street Execs Still Fly Private Jets

Costly travel rationalized as time saver

(Newser) - Six ailing Wall Street firms that eagerly took bailout funds still spend thousands to operate fleets of private jets that whisk their executives to company—and personal—events, AP reports. AIG, which scooped up $150 billion from the government, beats its peers with a seven-jet fleet. Fuel alone for a...

Blockade Forces Gaza Banking Crisis

(Newser) - An ongoing Israeli embargo has cut off cash flow in Palestine's Gaza Strip and forced banks there to close, the Financial Times reports. With a Muslim holiday approaching on Monday, tens of thousands are said to be broke; some stormed an insolvent bank this week, prompting officials to shut down...

Credit Relief Flows Slowly&mdash;When It Flows at All
Credit Relief Flows Slowly—When It Flows at All
analysis
Nov 27, 2008 10:14 AM CST

Credit Relief Flows Slowly—When It Flows at All

Consumer aid package won't budge pickier banks

(Newser) - With hundreds of billions of dollars pumping into the calcified credit markets, many struggling Americans are expecting to see some relief, but many will be disappointed, the New York Times reports. Banks continue to stiffen loan eligibility requirements even as strapped consumers face deteriorating credit scores, and whole categories of...

Citi Rescue Could Lead to More Trouble

Rivals may take risks, expecting taxpayer protection

(Newser) - The Citigroup rescue bolstered confidence in the financial sector in the short term, but in the long term it could spell more trouble for taxpayers and other struggling banks, writes Eric Dash in the New York Times. Other banks will see the bailout as a template for future ones—giving...

Home for the Holidays: Florida Mulls Foreclosure Ban

Governor wants holiday moratorium

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is considering a Christmastime moratorium on home foreclosures similar to the 90-day halt urged by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, reports the Tallahassee Democrat. Crist is unsure whether he has the legal authority to impose a moratorium. He may have to negotiate a halt with the state's...

Insurers Buy Troubled S&Ls in Ploy for Bailout Cash

Crisis has insurance titans desperate for capital

(Newser) - Four huge insurers are in the process of buying small, troubled S&Ls in order to qualify for a chunk of the Treasury’s bailout cash, Bloomberg reports. Genworth Financial, Lincoln National, Hartford Financial Services, and Aegon NV have set their sights on US banks cited for “unsafe and...

Feds Indict UBS Exec on Tax Evasion Charges

Raoul Weil has headed wealth management division since 2002

(Newser) - The US Department of Justice indicted UBS’ head of global wealth management for enabling the Swiss bank’s American clients to avoid taxes, the Financial Times reports. Although authorities are only specifically pursuing Raoul Weil at this time, they hold that several senior UBS executives are “unindicted co-conspirators.”...

US Pushes Banks for More Lending, Less Spending

Officials drafting guidelines to encourage banks to loan their bailout cash

(Newser) - Officials from several US banking regulators are finalizing guidelines for financial firms that will encourage them to lend more and curb executive pay, the Washington Post reports. The Treasury is taking $250 billion in equity stakes in various financial firms, but critics complain the firms are passing the taxpayer money...

Virus Helps Violate 500K Bank, Credit Accounts

Infects computers through 'drive-by downloads"

(Newser) - A computer virus has stolen log-in information for over 500,000 bank accounts and credit and debit cards. The Sinowal Trojan virus has infected computers around the world through “drive-by downloads” that install it without users' knowledge when they visit Web sites running the virus code. Individuals can best...

Banks Owe Execs Billions— in Previous Years' Pay

Under bailout rules, banks can honor past obligations to execs with federal cash

(Newser) - The financial titans receiving huge portions of federal bailout cash are sitting on some massive IOUs, but they aren’t to taxpayers or shareholders—the banks owe billions to their own executives for previous years' pay and pensions. Under the rules of the bailout, they can be paid with taxpayer...

Japan's Own Banking Crisis Informs Current Power Play

Segue to international market could bolster declining profits

(Newser) - Japanese banks, which just years ago needed US investors to save them from bankruptcy, are using the current crisis to scoop up low-priced international firms. The timing is perfect for the Asian banks, desperate to bolster profits limited by a saturated domestic sector, the Financial Times reports. Though expansion may...

China Embraces Credit Cards
 China Embraces Credit Cards 
Oct 22, 2008 1:36 PM CDT

China Embraces Credit Cards

Untapped market prompts banks to aggressively market plastic

(Newser) - Banks are moving to tap China’s lucrative market for credit cards, issuing millions in new plastic in recent years, the Los Angeles Times reports. There are about 100 million credit cards today in China, up from 3 million in 2003. And the market is still tiny, by American standards:...

World Narrows Eyes at Exec Pay
 World Narrows Eyes at Exec Pay 
Oct 21, 2008 12:30 PM CDT

World Narrows Eyes at Exec Pay

Germany's bailout plan imposes broader curbs than US version

(Newser) - As governments worldwide implement bailouts for ailing financial institutions, the movement to curb executive compensation at those firms, and others, is gathering steam. Golden parachutes and pay practices that encourage excessive risk-taking are extremely unpopular in the public eye, the Wall Street Journal reports, and governments are finding restrictions necessary,...

Treasury Hopes Bailout Will Spur Bank Mergers

Paulson seeks to reshape banking with new capital

(Newser) - Treasury's $250 billion cash infusion into financial institutions is meant to increase liquidity and get banks to start lending to each other again, but it might have another effect: accelerating mergers. The New York Times reports that the government's unprecedented recapitalization is also meant to give bigger banks the...

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