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Urgent: Sign the petition now

ycombinator.com

161–170 of 864 posts

Re: Urgent: Sign the petition now

#161
post #90
post #8

LOL, nope. Not interested in taking another spin on the “privatize gain, socialize loss” merry-go-round. The banks had to be saved in 2008 because they were, like, the financial system. I don’t see why private companies and funds that are much less integral to the functioning of the economy as a whole should be saved by the public fisc. Sorry about your disruption.

These are depositors of a bank. Most startups only have one bank. Startups should live or die because they create good products and solve real problems in real markets, not because they made an arbitrary choice like which bank they started using. There's also a real risk of bank contagion if it is only safe to deposit in the largest banks.

> Startups should live or die because they create good products and solve real problems in real markets, not because they made an arbitrary choice.

If you choose a bank because they were offering better products because they were taking more risks, why I should bare the cost?

Re: Urgent: Sign the petition now

#162

They're asking to "be made whole," but are "not asking for a bailout." What exactly do they want, then?

The most plausible idea would be some other bank buys SVB. Depending on the current state of SVB’s balance sheet (which is not publicly known), other banks may be willing to pay as little as $0 or there may be no takers.

What is the incentive for someone to buy SVB? Just to stop the spread of contagion or is there any scenario in which that was a profitable move?

Re: Urgent: Sign the petition now

#163
post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Source for SVB lobbying against banking regulations?

“In 2015, SVB President Greg Becker submitted a statement [0] to a Senate panel pushing legislators to exempt more banks – including his own – from new regulations passed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.” [0] https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-114shrg94375/pdf/CH...

Thanks!

Re: Urgent: Sign the petition now

#164

I honestly can’t think of a sector less deserving of a bail out.

Why is that? This is small and medium sized venture-backed startups, a sector that’s taken a tiny fraction of US investment but represented a major portion of its GDP growth. They did nothing wrong and were failed by their bank. Why are small tech startups building something new less deserving than say, giant banks that knowingly took extreme risks in 2008, or giant auto businesses that refused to modernize and truly…

Anyone building anything useful or just the next version of the same thing that has been done before?

Re: Urgent: Sign the petition now

#166
post #90
post #8

LOL, nope. Not interested in taking another spin on the “privatize gain, socialize loss” merry-go-round. The banks had to be saved in 2008 because they were, like, the financial system. I don’t see why private companies and funds that are much less integral to the functioning of the economy as a whole should be saved by the public fisc. Sorry about your disruption.

These are depositors of a bank. Most startups only have one bank. Startups should live or die because they create good products and solve real problems in real markets, not because they made an arbitrary choice like which bank they started using. There's also a real risk of bank contagion if it is only safe to deposit in the largest banks.

Contagion, you say?

SVB had $20 billion in unrealized losses. There's estimated to be $600 billion more in the banking system.

Re: Urgent: Sign the petition now

#167
post #127
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are depositors of a bank. Most startups only have one bank. Startups should live or die because they create good products and solve real problems in real markets, not because they made an arbitrary choice like which bank they started using. There's also a real risk of bank contagion if it is only safe to deposit in the largest banks.

There was nothing arbitrary about that choice. This bank promised better deals BECAUSE they were not careful enough about the risk it entailed. That was their competitive advantage, and they made bank for it. Well, tough luck, now it's not anymore: it has nothing to do with being a large bank or a small bank, it has to do with healthy business practices.

Many startups chose SVB because they were the ones willing to open a bank account for them at all.

I remember going to a branch of Bank of America to open a bank account for Posterous and not being able to.

Re: Urgent: Sign the petition now

#168
post #90
post #8

LOL, nope. Not interested in taking another spin on the “privatize gain, socialize loss” merry-go-round. The banks had to be saved in 2008 because they were, like, the financial system. I don’t see why private companies and funds that are much less integral to the functioning of the economy as a whole should be saved by the public fisc. Sorry about your disruption.

These are depositors of a bank. Most startups only have one bank. Startups should live or die because they create good products and solve real problems in real markets, not because they made an arbitrary choice like which bank they started using. There's also a real risk of bank contagion if it is only safe to deposit in the largest banks.

BOA should buy the bank, it'll be a big loss, but the clientele are some of the richest in America, or may someday become so, of course I'm not sure they could make everybody whole fast enough.

Re: Urgent: Sign the petition now

#170
post #92

I'm 100% in support of a bailout... ...with the federal government taking equity in return, at the last valuation, diluting existing owners. That would let the businesses keep running, without the "privatize gain / socialize loss" merry-go-around.

What equity are you talking about? It’s already wiped out, anyone can buy SVB for $1
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