Rumors Spark Wild Run on Asian Bank

As defaults soar, banks stuck with weird collateral

(NEWSER) - With loan defaults soaring, Russia’s banks have had to seize a lot of collateral lately—and we’re not talking about houses. By year’s end, 20% of Russian loans could be non-performing, by Moody’s estimate. In order to recoup those losses, the banks have accepted controlling stakes in a lingerie retailer and a food store—and in one case, 40,450 pigs, Bloomberg reports. More»

Former Alaska governor tries to burnish foreign credentials

(NEWSER) - The global financial crisis was the fault of governments, not corporations, Sarah Palin told investors today at a closed-door talk in Hong Kong. In her first speaking engagement outside North America, the former Alaska governor said that "we got into this mess because of government interference in the first place." Palin called for tax cuts on American businesses and a new round of deregulation to make the American economy "roar back to life," according to a recording obtained by the Wall Street Journal. More»

(NEWSER) - Alabama's Colonial Bank has collapsed in the sixth-biggest bank failure in American history, the Wall Street Journal reports. The lender, which had assets of $25 billion and 346 branches in five southern states, was an aggressive mortgage lender in overheated markets like Florida, and its failure will cost the FDIC $2.2 billion. Colonial's branches, deposits and remaining assets have been sold to Rival BB&T, and customers have been told to expect business as usual. More»

Administration ready to say bailout worked

(NEWSER) - The top US banks may not be as deep in the mud as analysts fear, government "stress tests" out Thursday are expected to show. Officials seem ready to argue that the nation's financial system is recovering and won't require more bailout funds from Congress. "None of these banks are insolvent," one tells the New York Times. "These are manageable losses." More»

(NEWSER) - At the behest of the Federal Reserve, the 19 biggest US banks are projecting their losses on 12 categories of financial product such as loans and mortgage securities, the New York Times reports. The Fed, which asked the institutions to project a hypothetical scenario of a “stressed economic environment,” made outlines of its criteria public today. More»