Jun 11 Watch ‘Frontline’ Investigates Bank of America Deal An excerpt on Frontline's upcoming report on Bank of America and the government's new role in the banking system, told from the perspective of CEO Ken Lewis and the financial reporters who covered the story. Continue watching
Jun 11 What Happens to California State Bonds if the State Goes Bankrupt? By Business Desk Question: I live in California and own California State Bonds. What happens to state bonds if the state goes bankrupt? Paul Solman: They stop paying, both interest and principal. That’s what a default IS. Last September 15, Lehman Brothers… Continue reading
Mar 05 What Would Happen if Washington Let Big Banks Fail? By Business Desk Question: What would happen if the government let Citibank and Bank of America, et al., just fail? Paul Solman: The possibilities are various, intriguing, and terrifying. Let’s say Citi goes under. The government has to honor all of the company’s… Continue reading
Mar 03 Why Does AIG Need Yet Another Bailout? Question: Why does AIG need yet another bailout? Paul Solman: As Joe Nocera and Frank Partnoy explained on Monday’s show, it’s all about the “counterparties.” These are the large financial institutions with whom… Continue reading
Jan 23 Watch Fallout Continues Over Banking Sector Woes, Forced Mergers In the midst of September's Wall Street meltdown, Bank of America agreed to buy the troubled Merrill Lynch -- a buyout that has proved troublesome. Analysts assess what may come next for the struggling industry. Continue watching
Dec 02 Why Didn’t Bankruptcy Work For Lehman Brothers? Question/Comment: Dear Mr Solman, Many of the “experts” I hear on PBS and NPR think that bankruptcy would be a workable solution for the auto companies. I agree,… Continue reading
Oct 22 Watch New AIG CEO Discusses Company Spending, Troubles Government-appointed AIG CEO Edward Liddy discusses how the financial sector shake-up led to insurer AIG's problems and what measures he intends to take in order to return to successful business strategy. Continue watching
Sep 24 With all of the trouble on Wall Street, is it the end of the world as we know it? By Business Desk Paul Solman: As Lehman was melting down on Sept. 14, I wrote the following “answer,” which remains my best effort to explain what’s been going on. We’re going to keep it as the lead item on this page for awhile… Continue reading
Sep 23 Watch Firms’ Soaring Credit Debt Prompted Federal Rescue Unmanageable loans and debt of firms like Lehman Brothers, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG led to declines in their credibility and the end of growth based on credit. Paul Solman explains how these giants lost control of their finances… Continue watching
Sep 22 Profiles of the Troubled Financial Giants By Admin, PBS News Hour An updated look at some of the players involved the financial industry's recent turmoil:… Continue reading