http://www.institutionalriskanalytics.com Welcome to the RSS feed for "The IRA Analyst", the weekly information newsletter of Insitutional Risk Analytics. en-us info@institutionalriskanalytics.com finance RSS 2.0 generation class http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rsshttp://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=4147-Mar-2010(This is most recent IRA Analyst edition.) - In this issue of The IRA, we feature a discussion of the acquisition of IndyMac Bank by OneWest Bank Group and why the FDIC is not giving away sweet deals to investors in failed banks. We also feature a comment on mark-to-market accounting by Brian Wesbury and Bob Stein of First Trust Advisors.http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=4131-Mar-2010In this issue of The IRA, we discuss how the zero interest rate policy by the Fed is destroying cities, states, pension funds and any other entities that are dependent on interest earnings. And we suggest that it is possible for investors to walk away from deceptive OTC derivative contracts. http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=41121-Feb-2010In this issue of The Institutional Risk Analyst, we feature a conversation with Yves Smith, the nom de plume of the creator of Naked Capitalism and one of the most savvy and respected members of the blogosphere. In professional life Yves is known as Susan Webber and is the founder of Aurora Advisors in New York. She is a graduate of Harvard College and a Baker Scholar and Loeb Fellow graduate of Harvard Business School. http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=41016-Feb-2010If the Fed wants to break the deflationary cycle that now threatens the global economy and truly restore investor confidence, then it is time to let interest rates start to rise. http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=4099-Feb-2010As the DTCC evolves from a record-keeper today and into a central counterparty for OTC derivatives and particularly CDS in the future, the question seems to be begged: Is the Warehouse Trust and DTCC now "too big to fail?" In the DTCC and Warehouse Trust, have we arrived at the functional equivalent of a multilateral exchange, via unauthorized public bailouts and the monetization of debt by our independent central bank, but in a decidedly sloppy and haphazard fashion? http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=4082-Feb-2010To put the growing combat in the loan repurchase channel into perspective, keen analysts will already know that a new item has appeared in the disclosure for non-interest income by many larger banks that have been active in the securitization markets.http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=40727-Jan-2010Bottom line: A "yes" vote for Chairman Bernanke raises the likelihood of defeat for every member of the Senate standing for election in 2010 and 2012. And in any event, the rising tide of popular unhappiness with Washington and Wall Street promises to remake the American political landscape in a way not seen in the post WW II era.http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=40624-Jan-2010The Volcker Rule conveniently ignores the securities sales and underwriting side of the business and instead talks about hedge funds and proprietary trading desks operated inside large dealer banks. But this is no surprise. http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=40519-Jan-2010This week we feature profiles of two banks, Florence Savings Bank and JPMorgan Chase. Is 2010 about economic recovery or soft revenue? http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=40412-Jan-2010In this issue of The IRA, we talk about the prospect of financial services reform legislation in Washington and the political power of large banks as it affects access to capital. We then feature a commentary by Alex Pollock of AEI regarding Sarbanes-Oxley in the Light of the Financial Crisis. http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=4033-Jan-2010In this issue of The IRA, we talk about the Move Your Money campaign launched last week by The Huffington Post and the Roosevelt Institute. Then we comment on the latest bailouts for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and GMAC, parent of Ally Bank. Finally we feature an interview with FASB Chairman Bob Herz.http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=40221-Dec-2009Simply stated, the Fed's intervention in AIG and the subsequent purchase of $2 trillion in MBS and Treasury obligations is a massive fiscal act and thus a political action. To talk about "central bank independence," we need to discuss how to make our political class independent of the monetary excesses of the Bernanke Fed.http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=40113-Dec-2009This week in The IRA we feature a conversation with Mike Krimminger of the FDIC regarding the new draft rule on bank securitizations that will be make public by that agency later this month. But before we go to the main event, we need to tie up a few loose ends from the comment last week regarding the re-nomination of Ben Bernanke as Fed Chairman.http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=3996-Dec-2009To us, the confirmation hearings last week before the Senate Banking Committee only reaffirm in our minds that Ben Bernanke does not deserve a second term as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Including our comments on Bank of America (BAC) featured by Alan Abelson this week in Barron's, we have three reasons for this view:http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=3981-Dec-2009The Fed can write its own budget without dictation from anyone for the practical reason that printing money is profitable and the central bank always shows a surplus. But under our system of government, the Congress can no more give the Fed full policy independence than the President can resign as commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy.http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=39729-Nov-2009In this issue of The IRA, we talk to David Kotok and Bob Eisenbeis of Cumberland Advisors about the proposal that bank issue convertible bonds to prevent future taxpayer bailouts. http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=39623-Nov-2009Last year we featured an interview with Jim Lucier about the energy outlook in the US. In that discussion, James focused on electricity and the huge supply of gas hydrates off the coast of the US, sufficient supply to meet the needs of the US economy for centuries. But the fact of offshore gas deposits has been overshadowed by reports of a technology breakthrough that would make existing onshore gas fields productive for decades longer. This made the outlook for gas supplies brighten even further and forced gas prices lower. But now John Dizard, writing in the FT, believes that much of the hoopla concerning the viability of extracting gas from shale deposits is leading investors to a dry hole.http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=39516-Nov-2009Before we go to our feature, we could not let pass the silly commentary last week in the Big Media regarding the fiscal situation of the Federal Housing Administration, the Federal Home Loan Banks and the other GSEs. http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=39410-Nov-2009This week we feature a comment from a member of the Herbert Gold Society on the question of reforming OTC derivatives.http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=3931-Nov-2009In this issue of The IRA, we present the views of our friend and mentor Ed Kane of Boston College, who argues that the problem with the financial regulatory framework is not the law, regulation nor even the regulators, but rather the confluence of poorly aligned incentives and financial innovation. http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=39128-Oct-2009As we wrote earlier this year regarding the GMAC and GM, the political end game being played by President Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress is to keep GMAC, the crippled automaker GM and the United Auto Workers afloat through next year's election.http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=39025-Oct-2009The thing that scares me is commercial real estate. These guys were professional borrowers, completely unlike the residential home borrower. http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=38920-Oct-2009These large flows of fiat paper dollars, I submit, explain the increasingly manic behavior of markets, investors and large banks over the past decade as true investment opportunities are increasingly outnumbered by speculation.http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=38715-Oct-2009Last month, an IRA reader named Frederick L. Feldkamp sent us a very interesting article on the various cycles in financial markets over the past couple of decades that delved into the swings in interest rate arbitrage, monopoly lower taken by and from the banks, and enabling rules changes at the SEC.http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/IRAstory.asp?tag=38613-Oct-2009The hearings this past week on reform of OTC derivatives before the House Financial Services Committee run by chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) are a bad joke, even if the bill is amended by the proposal from the House Agriculture Committee. http://us1.irabankratings.com/pub/Catalog.asp11-Mar-2010IRA has been publishing commentary on banking and finance since 2003. This link takes to you a catalog page of all these articles.http://us1.irabankratings.com/demo/banklooklist.asp11-Mar-2010Look beyond the headlines of Wall Street and see what banks real people are interested in. This link takes to you a page showing the 50 most recently requested bank demo pages on the IRA system.