Archive for January, 2010

Banks Bundled Bad Debt, Bet Against It and Won

Monday, January 4th, 2010

– I’ve long said that corporations are like junk yard dogs; in their search for unending profits, they will bite anything and everything that looks likely.  Here’s a lovely story along that line.

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In late October 2007, as the financial markets were starting to come unglued, a Goldman Sachs trader, Jonathan M. Egol, received very good news. At 37, he was named a managing director at the firm.

In late October 2007, as the financial markets were starting to come unglued, a Goldman Sachs trader, Jonathan M. Egol, received very good news. At 37, he was named a managing director at the firm.

Goldman’s own clients who bought them, however, were less fortunate.

Pension funds and insurance companies lost billions of dollars on securities that they believed were solid investments, according to former Goldman employees with direct knowledge of the deals who asked not to be identified because they have confidentiality agreements with the firm.

More…