Each business day HedgeCo.Net keeps you informed with the top hedge fund industry news, opinion and insight from around the globe. From the latest hedge fund launches, to the impact of regulation, competition, and investor activism - we track the topics and people that make a difference to you.
Here Is The City – Bloomberg reports that CEOs at Wall Street’s top five securities house earned a staggering $3bn between them from 2003 and 2007, during the time when the subprime and toxic securities timebomb was ticking away in the background. Goldman Sachs CEOs were paid the most in this period ($859m), followed by Bear Stearns ($609m).
And talking of Wall Street finest, former Merrill Lynch CEO Stan O’Neal (who bagged $172m in pay between 2003 – 2007), is said to be thinking of making a comeback. According to The Financial Times, O’Neal is considering joining Vision Capital Advisors, a small hedge fund and private equity firm.
Bloomberg also reports that JPMorgan Chase has acquired Washington Mutual’s branch network for $1.9bn, as the thrift was seized in what has been described as the largest bank failure in US history. JPMorgan will not acquire any of WaMu’s liabilities. CEO Jamie Dimon said: ‘This is a fabulous franchise. We think we got this at a price that protects us’.
Politico.com – Even as the storied financial names vanish — Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and Bear Stearns — they’re being quietly replaced by less familiar ones: Cerberus Capital Management, Citadel Investment Group, SAC Capital Partners and the other biggest hedge funds and private equity shops in the world.
The consensus in Washington is that the Wall Street meltdown means an inevitable resurgence of regulatory authority over the financial sector. But what it may actually portend is just the opposite: the emergence of an almost entirely unregulated financial sector that replaces investment banks that were more rigorously regulated.
It has now become very clear to market insiders that the $2.1 trillion hedge fund industry is larger in terms of capital than the remnants of the investment banking sector.
Gotham Gazette – The turbulent financial market events of recent days demonstrably signal the end of Wall Street as we know it. More uncertainty lies ahead, on Wall Street but also for the national economy. How is this affecting New York and what will it take to get the economy moving again?
Six months ago, a "disastrous foray into financial wizardry" by banks and lenders led us to the sight of the Federal Reserve giving J.P. Morgan Chase $28 billion to take over Bear Stearns. It was thought that this unprecedented action might calm the panic triggered by the sub-prime lending fiasco.
The bursting of the housing bubble destroyed billions of dollars of equity people held in their homes and started to jeopardize millions of mortgages across the country, prime as well as sub-prime. This mortgage meltdown led the U.S. Treasury Department earlier this month to take over the two quasi-public mortgage giants- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which together hold nearly half of the $12 trillion in outstanding mortgage debt in the U.S.
New York Post – The JPMorgan Chase CEO is seeing the coffers of the bank he runs being filled with "billions of dollars a day" coming from hedge funds that have pulled their cash from Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, according to several large hedge-fund managers and other Wall Street sources.
The flood of new business has actually caused a bottleneck at the banking giant, as the prime brokerage unit scrambles to quickly conduct due diligence and credit checks to set up new clients, a source close to the bank said.
Most of JPMorgan’s new clients are being serviced through the old Bear Stearns prime brokerage force, which was a key part of Dimon’s acquisition of the fallen brokerage firm.
A spokesman for JPMorgan confirmed that the bank has seen a significant jump in volume and "they are managing it well."
He also said the bank is maintaining firm due diligence and credit-review procedures.
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – Just one day after reaffirming their stance they would not rescue America International Group Inc., the Fed has agreed to lend the collapsing insurer $85 billion in exchange for a 79.9 percent majority stake.
The Fed justified the move, stating “a disorderly failure of AIG could add to already significant levels of market fragility.” The two-year loan will assist AIG in “meeting its obligations,” although the government has the right to halt dividends to common and preferred stockholders. Parts of the company may also be broken off and sold to pay off the debt.
The move came after a whirlwind week of plunging share pricing and other Wall Street firms trying to stay afloat. With the recent bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers and Bank of America’s purchase of Merrill Lynch hanging in the background, AIG looked to be another casualty of the credit crunch.
The federal government had urged AIG to seek a private investor, not wanting to use taxpayer funds to support a bailout. However, fears of larger worldwide market implications forced the Fed to retract on that belief while denying any aid to Lehman Brothers, who collapsed this week.
Fears of systematic risk and greater market turmoil have been the catalyst for many actions taken by the federal government as of late. Just weeks ago, the Fed stepped in and took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac after it was clear the companies could not weather the mortgage crisis. Earlier this year, the Fed helped to facilitate the purchase of Bear Stearns by JPMorgan by providing the needed financing.
AIG has agreed to an interest rate that is 8.5 percentage points above the three-month London Interbank Offered Rate, putting it at about 11.4 percent.
After helping AIG avoid surpassing Lehman as the largest bankruptcy ever filed, the U.S. government has now spent over $700 billion in efforts to stabilize the markets and reverse the damage caused by the housing crisis.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@hedgeco.net
HedgeCo.Net is a premier hedge fund database and community for qualified and accredited investors only. Membership on www.hedgeco.net is FREE and EASY. We also offer FREE LISTINGS for Hedge Funds! Be sure to check out our sister sites. For more information, visit www.hedgeconetworks.com
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – In an effort to stave off bailout rumors, the Federal Reserve is urging American International Group Inc. to find private investors and warns that they should not expect a loan from the central bank. However, talks have become increasingly difficult in the wake of all three major ratings agencies casting a shadow of doubt of the company.
AIG had its key credit ratings cut late on Monday to A minus, down from AA minus by Standard & Poors, due to the huge losses the company has endured from its mortgage-backed investments and credit derivatives. S & P warns that they could face further ratings cuts, unless they ”implement further liquidity options” and/or complete ”the successful sale of at least a portion of its business assets.”
Meanwhile, Moody’s cut AIG’s ratings to A2, down from AA3 while Fitch Ratings cut their ratings to A, down from double A minus.
The ratings cut could potential cost AIG billions from collateral payments on its derivatives trades.
Governor David Patterson facilitated a deal between AIG and New York state insurance regulators when he allowed the company access to $20 billion of assets from its subsidiaries to use as collateral against any needed loans. Patterson is hoping this will prevent a repeat of what happened with Lehman Brothers Holding Inc. and Bear Stearns.
Shares of AIG were trading as low as $3.50 on Monday and closing at $4.76, down over 60 percent.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@hedgeco.net
HedgeCo.Net is a premier hedge fund database and community for qualified and accredited investors only. Membership on www.hedgeco.net is FREE and EASY. We also offer FREE LISTINGS for Hedge Funds! Be sure to check out our sister sites. For more information, visit www.hedgeconetworks.com
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – Despite valiant efforts to find investors and stay afloat the credit crisis, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. is now at the center of the biggest bankruptcy filing in history.
The fourth-largest investment bank filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Manhattan court today, after write downs stemming from the subprime mortgage fall-out that it helped create proved to be too much to take.
Lehman, who was the largest underwriter of mortgage-backed securities, listed over $613 billion in debt, including over $157 billion owed to unsecured creditors and over $155 billion owed to bondholders.
"The uncertainty, particularly among the banks through which the company clears securities trades, ultimately made it impossible for the company to continue to operate its business,” said Chief Financial Officer Ian Lowitt in the filing.
Shares of Lehman were trading as low as 29 cents this morning; a fitting finale after losing 94 percent of its market value this year. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and the Federal Reserve had been trying to come up with a deal that would keep Lehman afloat. Paulson made it clear that he did not want to use taxpayer money to bail out Lehman.
While London-based Barclays looked to be interested in investing in Lehman, they pulled out yesterday amidst concerns over the lack of guarantees from the U.S. government to protect against losses on assets. Bank of America then followed suit, withdrawing from talks with Lehman only to acquire Merrill Lynch shortly thereafter.
Lehman was planning on selling a majority stake in their asset-management unit for around $4 billion. While talks are still in the works, no conclusion has been reached. Speculations that more losses were to come coupled with its liquidity crunch have prevented any sale from taking place as of yet and ultimately led to the demise of the bank.
Lehman now joins Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch in the group of banks that were "too big to fail,” that couldn’t weather the credit crunch.
Lehman’s assets are listed at $639 billion. They have about 25,000 employees worldwide.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@hedgeco.net
HedgeCo.Net is a premier hedge fund database and community for qualified and accredited investors only. Membership on www.hedgeco.net is FREE and EASY. We also offer FREE LISTINGS for Hedge Funds! Be sure to check out our sister sites. For more information, visit www.hedgeconetworks.com
New York Times – To the ranks of chief executives who blame those terrible meanies who run hedge funds for their troubles — Jeffrey Skilling at Enron, say, or Jimmy Cayne at Bear Stearns, or Patrick Byrne at Overstock.com — we can now add a new name: the one and only Steve Jobs. According to Jim Goldman, who interviewed Mr. Jobs today on CNBC after his latest razzle-dazzle product announcement, the Apple chief executive said the rumors that he had suffered a recurrence of cancer came from “hedge funds with a big short position in Apple.”
Let’s quickly review the facts: In June, Mr. Jobs, who survived pancreatic cancer four years ago, appeared at an Apple developer’s conference looking gaunt and haggard. Naturally, investors worried that the cancer had returned. At first, Apple’s public relations folks lied — saying he had a common bug. Then, the company refused to say anything at all, even when asked during a conference call by an analyst. “Steve’s health is a private matter,” was the party line.
So today, Mr. Jobs appeared on stage under a sign that read, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated” before plugging the latest iteration of iPods. These fairly minor product announcements got enormous attention as a result. So apparently, during marketing events at least, he is willing to put aside his privacy concerns. Interesting.
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – Shares of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. plummeted on Tuesday amidst increasing investor concerns over the bank’s ability to raise capital. The stock dropped 45 percent to $7.79 in early afternoon trading, marking the lowest level in more than decade for the company that has been pummeled by the credit crisis.
Lehman is expected to announce their third-quarter results on September 18. They were hoping to avoid another quarter of sharp losses, after having written down over $8.2 billion since last summer.
Some analysts are expecting Lehman to report losses up to $4 billion this quarter, with plenty more to come. Lehman still has holds about $65 billion in mortgage-backed assets that are continuing to lose value as the subprime fallout trudges along.
Hoping to quell a repeat of the Bear Stearns collapse, Legman has unsuccessfully tried to secure a major investor. Talks with state-run Korea Development Bank ended yesterday due to rumored lack of progress.
"Their talks had not developed to a serious level. There have been several investors who have been in discussions with Lehman other than us," said one Korean official.
Lehman has been in talks with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and the Carlyle Group in regards to buying parts of its real estate and asset-management units.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@hedgeco.net
HedgeCo.Net is a premier hedge fund database and community for qualified and accredited investors only. Membership on www.hedgeco.net is FREE and EASY. We also offer FREE LISTINGS for Hedge Funds! Be sure to check out our sister sites. For more information, visit www.hedgeconetworks.com
Reuters – U.S. federal prosecutors asked securities regulators to delay a civil case against two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers while they hold grand jury hearings in building a criminal case against the pair.
Fund managers Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin were arrested and indicted in June, the first executives to face federal criminal charges in fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis. Both pleaded not guilty. A trial date has not yet been set.
The Securities and Exchange Commission had also begun civil securities fraud charges against Cioffi and Tannin, accusing them of misrepresenting the investments of two funds they oversaw.
A memorandum filed on Wednesday by U.S. Attorney Benton Campbell in the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn asked for a stay in the civil case until the conclusion of the criminal case.
"A stay is necessary in the civil case to preserve the secrecy of the ongoing grand jury proceedings," the memorandum said.
The document said the SEC was consulted and took no position on the stay, and that the defendants had declined to comment on the request.
CNN Money – Third Point Management, a New York hedge fund run by one of the country’s most outspoken and controversial investors, has come under investigation from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The $5.6 billion fund, whose founder Daniel Loeb is well known for his pointed regulatory filings targeting chief executives he deems underperforming, informed investors in a letter last month that it has been notified that the SEC has commenced a formal investigation into its communications with other hedge funds.
The SEC’s investigation into Third Point comes at a time when hedge funds are being criticized for playing a key role in the trading of various companies as well as in the continuing financial crisis. The SEC is investigating the actions of up to 50 hedge funds in the collapse of Bear Stearns and in the continuing troubles of Lehman Brothers and mortgage guarantors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
According to reports, the SEC is investigating whether hedge funds knowingly and intentionally spread falsehoods about the financial strength of these – and other – brokers and banks. According to Institutional Investor magazine, which broke the Third Point story Tuesday, Loeb told investors that the communications were uncovered during the course of a routine audit last year after Third Point became a registered investment adviser.
A posh part of London or New York can be suitable, as in Pershing Square Capital, Cheyne Capital and Thames River Capital.
Or you could choose something slightly aggressive such as Tiger Capital, Citadel Capital or Centaurus. Among the big financial firms, it is voguish to squeeze as many meaningless words as possible into the title of a hedge fund. Length is not a sign of quality, however; a Bear Stearns hedge fund which went from $642m to zero was called the "high-grade structured credit strategies enhanced leverage fund".
2 Get a brass plaque in the Cayman Islands
Nearly all hedge funds are legally registered in tax havens to avoid both the taxman and to skirt regulatory hurdles – the sunny climes of the Caymans and Bermuda are particularly popular. Theoretically, a fund registered in London would have to register with the Financial Services Authority, but this has never actually happened. An FSA spokeswoman says: "Nobody ever registers hedge funds in the UK. If somebody did, we’d be scratching our heads over how to deal with it. We’d have to devise something."
3 Set your fees
The real fun starts here. Hedge funds are enormously lucrative – their standard fee arrangement is "two and 20". This means that as a fund manager, you can take 2% of clients’ money up front before you do anything, then keep 20% of any appreciation on the value of your fund. For successful hedgies, that means a phenomenal payday. For example, if a fund raises $1bn from investors and achieves a 30% rise in value over a year, the fund’s management earns $78.8m. Crispin Odey – one of London’s leading hedge fund managers – has just paid himself £28m after his firm successfully negotiated the credit crunch to make more than £55m profit in the past financial year. Most of the remaining £27m will be shared among Odey Asset Management’s 11 other partners. The fund manages around £2.7bn of assets.
