Mar 11 Watch Banking Plan Aims to Combine Public, Private Funds Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said he is working on a plan to remove so-called "toxic" assets from banks by having the government partner with private investors to create special funds. Analysts discuss the pros and cons of the strategy. Continue watching
Mar 11 What Are Mark-to-Market Rules? Question: What are mark-to-market rules? And should they be changed? Paul Solman: When it comes to the current crisis, this is the question (or one major question): To “mark to market” or not to “mark to market”? Consider a… Continue reading
Feb 27 Watch Government to Take Larger Ownership Stake in Struggling Citigroup The Treasury Department and Citigroup announced a new plan Friday in which the government will take ownership in a larger portion of the company's stock. Washington Post reporter Binaymin Applebaum explains the move. Continue watching
Feb 24 Watch As Banking Woes Grow, Debate Over Nationalization Intensifies As turmoil continues in the U.S. banking industry, speculation is intensifying over whether the government should take larger ownership stakes in banks. Columnist Paul Krugman and former FDIC chief William Isaac weigh the pros and cons. Continue watching
Feb 23 Watch Regulators Signal New Moves for Shoring Up Banks Federal regulators vowed Monday to assist struggling banks by increasing the government's ownership stakes while an Obama spokesman said the president supports a private banking system. A financial reporter discusses the deepening crisis amid large market losses. Continue watching
Feb 16 Why Won’t Banks Lend Money? Editor’s Note: Paul recently answered “Five Good Questions” on the economy for the PBS Engage blog. You will also be able to find those answers here on the Business Desk all week. Question/Comment:… Continue reading
Nov 12 Watch Paulson Shifts Economic Rescue Plan to Focus on Boosting Credit Economists discuss Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's announcement Wednesday that the government will shift its focus from buying troubled assets to shoring up institutions that manage credit cards, auto loans and other types of borrowing. Continue watching
Nov 12 Paulson Says Bailout Funds May Not Be Used to Buy Troubled Assets By PBS News Hour Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced a major shift in the government's bailout program Wednesday, saying the $700 billion rescue package will not be used to purchase troubled assets as originally planned. Continue reading
Oct 07 For those of us who are not accountants, can you help explain how bad mortgages work? Question/Comment: For the non-accountants among us: Hypothesize that a bank has $1000 in bad mortgages (cdos, etc) that have dropped to $100 in value. How does this adversely affect the bank if it simply holds onto them and no longer… Continue reading
Sep 26 Watch House Lawmakers Divided Over Scope of Government Intervention Congressional leaders are showing signs of fatigue and frustration over continuing negotiations. Reps. Barney Frank and Mike Pence discuss the progress towards a workable plan. Continue watching