Failing Big Banks? Euthanize ‘Em! | Mother Jones

It’s a plan Volcker has been pushing since he emerged on the financial-reform scene in the past year or so, and Obama so far seems to be support some kind of bank wind-down process. “You get very aggressive traders, and they’re out there,” Volcker said. “Millions of dollars are at stake, and personal bonuses, so they have a real incentive to take risks, which is fine, if you’re not being protected by the government.”

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John Thain Makes Bold Promise He Most Likely Can’t Keep | Dealbreaker

This is poetic justice.

John Thain (not in photo) is the former CEO of Merrill Lynch who famously spent millions of dollars redecorating his offices while the firm went down in flames. At left is the office he has sworn not to alter at his new job at CIT Group.

For a man who spent $87,000 on a rug and $1,000 a yard for drapes, this is perfect.

The cardboard cutout in the photo will presumably be removed.

Sweet.

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Find Out Where Your Money Goes! | An Occasional Series

I hear nonstop bitching from Democrats and Republicans and Independents about where all the bailout (or stimulus) money is going. This is one of those times in life where the more educated about reality you are, the better.

Click here to be taken to a map that shows which banks received TARP money. This is from the government website http://www.financialstability.gov. At whim or random, we will keep putting information from this site out because it’s important stuff. But really, you should become familiar with it so you at least know what the facts are (or ‘facts’ are, depending 0n your political affiliation).

You know how to tell when a politician is lying, right?

Euro Area Headed for Break-Up, SocGen’s Edwards Says (Update2) – BusinessWeek

More fallout from the Greece situation:

Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, a former European Central Bank executive board member and Italian finance minister, said today there was no possibility of a partition of the euro-zone.

“I don’t think there is any prospect for such an event and I don’t think it makes much sense to talk about it,” he said in an interview on Bloomberg Television.

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Europe Risks Another Global Depression | The Baseline Scenario

You may or may not be aware, but Greece is on the edge of a complete economic collapse. The problem is that the more prosperous European Union countries don’t want to ride to the rescue of their unfortunate neighbors:

But the Europeans are not being careful – and it’s not just about Greece any more. Worries about government debt and associated public sector liabilities (e.g., because banking systems are in deep trouble) have spread through the eurozone to Spain and Portugal. Ireland and Italy are next up for hostile reconsideration by the markets, and the UK may not be far behind.

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