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How to cut megabanks down to size

nytimes.com

11–20 of 107 posts

Re: How to cut megabanks down to size

#11
post #7

Start the Bank of the United States, cancel FDIC insurance. There problem solve.

We tried that. Our country has had great difficulty with central banking in the past, and today. Entire books have been written on this topic, if you wish to learn more, I'd start with the history of the First and Second bank of the United States.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Bank_of_the_United_State... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bank_of_the_United_Stat...

Re: How to cut megabanks down to size

#12
post #11
post #7

Start the Bank of the United States, cancel FDIC insurance. There problem solve.

We tried that. Our country has had great difficulty with central banking in the past, and today. Entire books have been written on this topic, if you wish to learn more, I'd start with the history of the First and Second bank of the United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Bank_of_the_United_State... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bank_of_the_United_Stat...

The East Asian economic miracle is all about the state in control of the banks (printing).

Read Quest for Prosperity -- the private/public construct of distinction is a complete myth that is exposed by the titans in Asia and Latin America. The more we stick to the myth in the US, the longer it will take for us to have the same degree of success. Innovation comes not out of motive for profit, but ou of need and desire and capability.

Re: How to cut megabanks down to size

#13
I'm confused by this. The large banks are (arguably) more efficient because of economies of scale, eg. less duplicated management, purchasing power. So it's probably not a good idea to limit the size of banks which is what this article seems to propose, because that'll make banking more expensive.

But the flip side is: why don't we just let megabanks go bust? If they go bust, the government steps in, briefly nationalizes them, sells off the parts (the shareholders get nothing, of course), and life continues. As long as this period is kept as short as possible why is there any danger of "meltdown"?

Re: How to cut megabanks down to size

#14
post #6

>small institutions must submit to the rigors of the free market. >market discipline has worked to keep smaller institutions on the straight and narrow, it has been ineffective with megabanks >market participants have proved [in]effective in monitoring risks at these [huge banks]. >They know they will be protected by a taxpayer rescue should a large institution teeter. How is this not obvious to everyone involved?

Smaller banks survived this crisis with relatively few failures but that has not always been the case (e.g. Savings and Loans crisis). However the fact that they can fail is critical and a sufficient reason to break them up even if it won't make them better.

Banks that are too big to fail are too big to be allowed to exist. Government protection only for the commercial/retail part is an obvious but insufficient requirement.

Re: How to cut megabanks down to size

#15
post #6

>small institutions must submit to the rigors of the free market. >market discipline has worked to keep smaller institutions on the straight and narrow, it has been ineffective with megabanks >market participants have proved [in]effective in monitoring risks at these [huge banks]. >They know they will be protected by a taxpayer rescue should a large institution teeter. How is this not obvious to everyone involved?

[deleted]

Re: How to cut megabanks down to size

#16
post #9
post #7

Start the Bank of the United States, cancel FDIC insurance. There problem solve.

FDIC is a form of privatizing the profit, while socializing the risks for the banks.

Yes

BUT it's also a form of "insurance". If there's a suspect a bank won't be able to honor deposits, bank run ensues, THEN the given bank can't honor deposits obviously, because no bank works like that today, that is: self fulfilling prophecy

It's a necessary evil (for the customer's sake)

Re: How to cut megabanks down to size

#17
post #13

I'm confused by this. The large banks are (arguably) more efficient because of economies of scale, eg. less duplicated management, purchasing power. So it's probably not a good idea to limit the size of banks which is what this article seems to propose, because that'll make banking more expensive. But the flip side is: why don't we just let megabanks go bust? If they go bust, the government steps in, briefly national…

The sums of debt some of these banks got into swamped their share value, and in some countries were a fair chunk of the GNP. But I certainly wish we had removed shareholders from any bailed out bank.

One issue is some banks were on the border on if they needed bailing out, and shareholders might prefer the risk of catastrophic failure than taking a bailout which would lose them their shares.

Re: How to cut megabanks down to size

#18
post #13

I'm confused by this. The large banks are (arguably) more efficient because of economies of scale, eg. less duplicated management, purchasing power. So it's probably not a good idea to limit the size of banks which is what this article seems to propose, because that'll make banking more expensive. But the flip side is: why don't we just let megabanks go bust? If they go bust, the government steps in, briefly national…

Temporary nationalization of banks was suggested in 2008, but the idea is not politically viable on the right in the US.

Re: How to cut megabanks down to size

#19
post #13

I'm confused by this. The large banks are (arguably) more efficient because of economies of scale, eg. less duplicated management, purchasing power. So it's probably not a good idea to limit the size of banks which is what this article seems to propose, because that'll make banking more expensive. But the flip side is: why don't we just let megabanks go bust? If they go bust, the government steps in, briefly national…

Per the article, size is correlated with problems but not the cause of them. It happens that large banks are the ones who are more likely to get bailed out, thus they are incentivized to take more risk, so they do. It is the potential for government bailouts/protections that is the root of the issue, thus the proposal is basically to stop doing that.

Re: How to cut megabanks down to size

#20
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FDIC is a form of privatizing the profit, while socializing the risks for the banks.

Yes BUT it's also a form of "insurance". If there's a suspect a bank won't be able to honor deposits, bank run ensues, THEN the given bank can't honor deposits obviously, because no bank works like that today, that is: self fulfilling prophecy It's a necessary evil (for the customer's sake)

Credit unions don't participate in FDIC insurance, they have arranged their own private insurance. So it is not a necessary evil.
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