They think we can't handle the truth.
- From: periodistalibre@xxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:50:10 -0700 (PDT)
Unthinkable Truth; Undeniable Reality -
by Martin D. Weiss, Ph.D.
The truth may be unthinkable, but the reality is undeniable:
Much of our nation's financial structure is collapsing, and our
government's only response is phony money, bogus bailouts and a litany
of false promises.
Ben Bernanke, Henry Paulson, the FDIC and the U.S. Congress say they
can do it all.
They say they can save bankrupt brokers like Bear Stearns ... take
over recently failed banks like IndyMac Bank and First National of
Nevada ... prop up insolvent mortgage giants like Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac ... refinance millions of defaulting mortgages ... dish
out hundreds of billions in tax rebates ... and still have enough cash
in the kitty to cover the next round of financial collapses.
They say their unbridled money printing won't devalue the U.S. dollar.
They say their unlimited pledge to guarantee junk mortgage bonds won't
sabotage the credit of the U.S. Treasury.
They say their blank checks to private companies won't rip off U.S.
taxpayers.
They'd have you believe they can outlaw the cycle of boom and bust ...
repeal the law of supply and demand ... even freeze the march of time.
In the real world, of course, no government in history has ever been
able to do anything of the kind, and they know it.
In the real world, their "solution" is part of the problem, and they
know that too.
They know that wealth is generated from work — not from the paper
money they're printing. They understand the hazards of indulging the
most daring debtors and rescuing the most reckless risk-takers.
They know darn well the fatal flaws of the course they've chosen. But
they proceed to pursue it anyhow.
Why? Because, behind the façade of their feel-good happy talk and
beneath the thin veneer of their Pollyanna optimism, nearly every
single one of our leaders — including Bernanke and Paulson, Democrats
and Republicans — is really a gloom-and-doom pessimist in disguise.
They are pessimists inasmuch as they have little faith in America's
ability to confront hard times. They greatly underestimate our ability
to cope and adapt. They think we can't handle the truth.
I disagree. In the Great Depression, our parents and grandparents
faced the unthinkable truth and created a stronger country as a
result. They confronted the truth again during World War II and helped
create a better world in its aftermath.
I believe we can do that too. We have the resources. We have the
knowledge. And we have the added benefit of hindsight. But before we
move forward, we must admit five irrefutable facts:
Irrefutable fact #1: Ours is a debt-addicted society,and weeding out
the bad debts is the first step toward true recovery.
Irrefutable fact #2: By far the biggest pile-up of debts is in
mortgages — $14.7 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve's latest
Flow of Funds report (see PDF page 64, Table L.4, line 9).
Irrefutable fact #3: Among those mortgages, a quarter to a third could
go bad: Their terms are high risk for both borrower and lender. Their
collateral is shaky. Most should never have been created in the first
place.
Irrefutable fact #4: When bad debts go into default, there is no free
lunch. Somebody has to pay the price. The only question is: Who?
Irrefutable fact #5: The overwhelming bulk of the bad mortgages were
created to help Americans move into homes that were priced far above
their means. But the only way to correct this problem is to let
natural market forces drive home prices back down to much lower
levels.
Do most of our leaders have the wisdom and moral fiber to confess to
these truths? Not yet. But in the not-too-distant future, they will
have no other choice.
Reason: America's housing marketplace is bigger than any government;
its power, greater than any law. It is the single largest asset class
in the world. It packs the most powerful forces of supply and demand
ever assembled in history.
And right now, it's tearing down some of our nation's largest banks.
Two examples ...
Washington Mutual
In a Death Spiral?
Washington Mutual, America's largest savings and loan, is
unfortunately, also one of the nation's largest subprime lenders.
A direct consequence: It appears to be in a death spiral, losing $3.3
billion in the second quarter ... admitting to losses of as much as
$19 billion this year ... and probably on its way to losses of an
estimated $26 billion.
That estimated loss is over four times its total market value as of
Friday's close ... twelve times its yearly earnings in the best of
times.
Can it get a new capital infusion to stave off failure?
Perhaps. But on April 8, Washington Mutual already got an injection of
$7 billion from private equity firm TPG Capital. And now, less than
five months later, an amount equivalent to TPG's entire investment has
been more than wiped out with the plunge in Washington Mutual's shares
— to a meager $3.82 on Friday.
What's worse, the TPG deal restricts Washington Mutual's ability to
raise new, desperately needed capital going forward. And further
impairing its ability to raise capital, Moody's announced that it is
reviewing the thrift for a downgrade to junk status.
Here's the big problem: As of the latest reckoning, Washington Mutual
has $214.6 billion in residential mortgages on its books. And among
those, more than three-quarters are in non-traditional categories —
option ARMs, subprime loans, home equity loans and multi-family
mortgages. Less than one-quarter is of the traditional, single-family
prime variety.
Just in option ARMs alone, Washington Mutual has $52.9 billion, one of
the biggest such portfolios in the industry. Moreover, 62.5% of its
option ARMs are in two of the hardest hit states — Florida and
California.
Nonperforming assets are growing by an average of 36% each quarter. If
they continue to grow at that rate, they could reach a whopping 6.7%
of total assets by year-end.
Investors are pulling out. Rumors are swirling that creditors may be
doing the same. Bankruptcy looms.
Wachovia Also
Suffering Huge Losses
Wachovia, the nation's fourth largest bank with nearly $800 billion in
assets, is also in danger. Its staggering $8.9 billion loss reported
last week may be just the tip of the iceberg.
Its big blunder: The acquisition of subprime lender Golden West
Financial for $24 billion at the very peak of the real estate market
in 2006.
The net result for the bank: It's now stuck with option ARMs valued at
$122 billion concentrated in California, the state with one of the
worst mortgage default rates.
Net result for shareholders: Over $55 billion of their wealth has been
wiped out since the acquisition — more than double the total purchase
price of Golden West.
The big problem going forward: Wachovia has $231 billion in
residential real estate loans on the books. But only 22% of these are
classified as "traditional mortgages." Most of the rest are higher
risk.
My Recommendations
Recommendation #1. If you haven't done so already, check the safety of
your bank.
Yes, your deposits are insured by the FDIC up to $100,000. But there
are still risks and inconveniences of getting stuck in a failed bank
or thrift.
For example, if your principal is $100,000, your accrued interest
could be at risk. And if your account is a business checking account
with large uncashed checks outstanding, even though your book balance
may be under the $100,000 limit, your actual bank balance may be over
the limit. So those funds may also be at risk.
Even with your insured deposits, after a messy failure, there could be
a significant delay in regaining access to your money. You will get
your $100,000. But don't expect it to happen overnight. To get a free
safety rating on your institution, follow these steps:
Step 1. Go to TheStreet.com's Banks & Thrifts Screener.
Step 2. Look for the green box to enter your information. Under "Bank
Name," type in only the first word of your institution's name.
Step 3. To the right of your bank or thrift's name, make note of its
rating: A is excellent, B is good, C is fair, D is weak and E is very
weak.
Step 4. Use these general guidelines:
If your bank or thrift is rated B+ or better, we believe it's secure.
If its rating is between B- and C-, check it a few times per year to
make sure it hasn't fallen below C-.
If it's D+ or lower, seriously consider switching to a safer
institution, of which there are many to choose from.
Recommendation #2. Also consider moving most of your savings and
checking to a Treasury-only money market fund. Treasury-only money
funds are not insured by the FDIC. But I think that's a moot point
because the investments they buy enjoy the direct guarantee of the
United States Treasury, with no $100,000 limitation.
Examples:
American Century Capital Preservation Fund
Dreyfus 100% U.S. Treasury Money Market Fund
Fidelity U.S. Treasury Money Market Fund, and
Our affiliate's Weiss Treasury Only Money Market Fund.
Recommendation #3. If you haven't done so already, dump any bank
shares that you may own, whether at a profit or a loss. The recent
Fed- and SEC-inspired rally was a gift — a last chance to get out at
somewhat better prices.
Recommendation #4. Your investments, your business or your income may
still be vulnerable to collapsing mortgages and other debts. For
protective hedges, check Our Comprehensive List of Inverse ETFs and
consult with your advisor or money manager to select the ones that
best match your needs.
Good luck and God bless!
Martin
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