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New York (HedgeCo.Net) – The Obama administration has unveiled its much anticipated program aimed at clearing toxic assets from the books of U.S. banks and finding a middle ground between inaction and nationalization. By financing the purchase of up to $1 trillion in illiquid real estate assets, the government is hoping that its Public-Private Investment Program will revive the lending process while helping to jumpstart the economy.
“This will allow banks to clean up their balance sheets,” Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said. “There is no doubt the government is taking risk. You cannot solve a financial crisis without the government assuming risk.”
The plan entails using up to $100 billion in the Troubled Asset Relief Program funds along with additional capital from private investors to “generate $500 billion in purchasing power to buy legacy assets with the potential to expand to $1 trillion over time,” according to a statement released by the Treasury.
Under the plan, the “Legacy Securities Program” would be instilled to protect private investors’ or hedge funds’ purchase of the assets by using money from half of the original funds. The Treasury would match any private capital that is raised for the purchases dollar for dollar.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation would oversee a facet of the plan called the “Legacy Loans Program,” which is expected to garner interest among many private investors. With this program, the treasury would pony up half of the capital to purchase a bundle of loans while the rest of the cash would come from private investors or hedge funds. The FDIC would then guarantee financing of up to six times the original price, then auction off the loans.
In addition, private-sector purchasers would determine the value of these assets so as to quell any fears that the government might be overpaying for the loans.
Some critics are weary that the program’s success relies exclusively on the action of private investors to step up to the plate. The Fed’s new program to revive consumer credit, called the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, or TALF, was a disappointment as far as popularity was concerned, with just 19 large hedge funds and other firms showing interest. Out of the $200 billion offered, only $4.7 billion in requests for loans came in.
Another reason cited for the lack of big-money interest in the programs is the mess that unfolded after AIG handed out $165 billion in employee bonuses. A near unanimous vote in the House to tax those bonuses 90 percent may have stifled public outcry, but it did little to put to rest investor’s uncertainty regarding the government’s conflicting actions.
Former President Bush declined to buy the toxic securities in November. No banks have agreed as of yet to sell their illiquid assets.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@hedgeco.net
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Reuters – A consortium of private equity and hedge fund firms, including J.C. Flowers & Co, is close to a deal to buy the assets of failed mortgage lender IndyMac, a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
The prospective buyers also include Dune Capital Management, a private investment firm run by former Goldman Sachs executives, and hedge fund Paulson & Co, the source said.
The consortium would buy the bank and its 33 branches, IndyMac’s reverse-mortgage unit and a $176 billion loan-servicing portfolio, the source said.
The presence of private equity and hedge fund firms comes after the FDIC said last month it was expanding the pool of qualified bidders to include those institutions that do not currently have a bank charter, although they must have conditional approval for a charter from the responsible agency.
Boston Globe – TODAY American International Group releases third-quarter results. The insurance giant is expected to post a loss of 90 cents a share, compared with a $1.35-a-share profit last year.
Starbucks Corp. releases fourth-quarter financial results and is expected to earn 13 cents a share, down from 31 cents last year.
TOMORROW TJX Cos. reports third-quarter results. Last year, the Framingham retailer posted net income of 54 cents a share.
WEDNESDAY The House Financial Services Committee holds a hearing on mortgages.
Macy’s Inc. is expected to report a third-quarter loss of 19 cents a share, compared with year-ago net income of 10 cents a share.
THURSDAY The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee holds a hearing on regulation of hedge funds.
Boston Globe – US Representative Barney Frank yesterday staked out the next battlefront in the economic crisis gripping the world: more regulation of hedge funds, investment banks, and other financial institutions.
Frank, who heads the House Financial Services Committee, blamed a lack of strict oversight for the failures of Wall Street investment banks such as Bear Stearns Cos. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., as well as dozens of subprime mortgage companies. He said hedge fund investments in arcane securities based on those mortgages deepened the crisis, which has spread worldwide. In contrast, heavily regulated commercial banks escaped the crisis largely unscathed, Frank said.
"The cause of this problem was a lack of financial regulation in the industry," the Massachusetts Democrat said at a Newton City Hall press conference, one of two events he held in the Boston area yesterday. "If the regulated institutions had made loans, we would not be in the crisis we’re in."
Reuters – Blaming lax regulation for what turn into the worst U.S. financial crisis since the Great Depression, Rep. Barney Frank vowed on Monday to police banks and hedge funds more actively to avoid future financial meltdowns.
Frank, the powerful chairman of the House Financial Services Committee who has been credited with largely shaping the $700 billion bailout plan, also said he expects the cost of to be much less.
Frank said next year’s agenda will include capping runaway executive compensation, imposing restrictions on certain financial instruments and regulating certain areas of the market that are current not restricted.
"It was the lack of regulation that led to this crisis … We have to step in and impose regulations that will not allow this to happen again," Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, said at a news conference in Newton, Massachusetts.
