The bank fraud
“We have lost the ability to be blunt,” Black tells Barrons. He is talking about the person he describes to Bill Moyers as a “failed regulator,” Geithner. “Now we have a situation where Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner can speak of a $2 trillion hole in the banking system, at the same time all the major banks report they are well capitalized. And you have seen no regulatory action against what amounts to a $2 trillion accounting fraud. The reason we don’t see it–aren’t told about it–is that if they were honest, prompt corrective action would kick in, and then they would have to deal with the problem banks.”
In other words, the banks are insolvent. That’s why they must rely on the Troubled Assets Relief Program. But at the same time, they are claiming to be healthy. Both things can’t be true.
So we get smiley-face reports about how Goldman and Wells Fargo are posting record profits. Investors and citizens are supposed to be excited to see those profit numbers–comprised of their own tax dollars plus the banks refusing to accurately value their toxic assets.
This is more than an unfortunate downturn, Black says. It is the result of massive, pervasive fraud, and a deregulatory culture that has nurtured criminal behavior by very highly paid bank executives.</em>
Your tax dollars at work.
