Posted on 09/22/2008 3:41:05 PM PDT by Liz
March 28, 2005
.....investigators on three continents are examining Buffet's Berkshire insurance affiliates .......the company is in the unfamiliar position of having to defend its integrity. Berkshire insurance affiliates are involved in what investigators describe as possible financial manipulation at insurance giants like AIG and Zurich Financial Services Group.
Investigators are trying to determine the extent of senior executives who oversaw insurance operations that sold products at the core of international regulatory scrutiny.
The broad investigation into the insurance industry has already brought down top executives including Maurice R. Greenberg, the former chief executive of AIG.........regulators are looking at a deal Mr. Greenberg struck in late 2000 with the General Re Corporation, a unit of Berkshire athaway......described as being "at the center of the storm."
Although he is known for multi $billion returns on investments in Coca-Cola, The Washington Post, Gillette and other concerns, Berkshire is an Omaha holding company that owns major insurers including National Indemnity and General Re. As Berkshire's insurance offerings have evolved, it has crafted ever more esoteric products that in theory exist to help users insulate themselves financially from the world's calamities.
But in practice, law enforcement officials and regulators say, users have deployed these same products to manipulate corporate earnings or mask underlying financial woes.
The SEC; DOJ; the NYAG, Eliot Spitzer; and regulators in Ireland, Britain and Australia are all shining investigative spotlights on arcane products known as finite reinsurance - with General Re figuring in each of those investigations. Fitch Ratings, a firm that monitors insurers, criticized finite reinsurance in a recent report, noting that its "primary purpose is not true risk transfer in the traditional sense, but financial statement enhancement"........ in many instances the suspect buck stopped at Berkshire's door.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
EXCERPT People with an insider's view of the American International Group saga aren't wondering if someone will be indicted, or whether the company will have to pay a high price for its misdeeds. Both of those are foregone conclusions. A collision of interests might be inevitable since the New York Attorney General Spitzer and the feds seem to be working at cross purposes. Spitzer obtained the cooperation of AIG executive Joe Umansky. But Umansky doesn't have a deal with federal prosecutors. The feds did a plea agreement with Richard Napier and John Houldsworth, both of General Re, for actions taken in connection with AIG. But neither of those guys have deals with Spitzer. I called but nobody would talk about this. http://www.nypost.com/business/25119.htm
ping
Wellll.....wellll.....wellll....maybe this explains some of Buffet’s liberal tendencies....
Say it ain’t so. Warren’s stock could tumble 140,000 a share down to zippo if he played games or cooked the books. I really don’t think that Mr. Clean Warren Buffet did anything wrong other then supporting Obama!
It’s very interesting reading these flashbacks.
It’s such a great feeling to know that the MSM can run but there’s nowhere for them to hide anymore.
The pols can’t flap their jaws out in the hinterlands without their gaffes being exposed-—and evergreened-—on YouTube, and the pols and MSM can’t write “it’s Bush’s fault” (or whatever) when we, the people, can easily prove otherwise.
Not only prove otherwise, but get the word out there through the people’s media-—blogs, FR, talk radio.
It’s a beautiful thing.
My hunch is that both Buffett and Spitzer were the triggers that sent this house of cards sprawling over the American financial landscape in a wreck of huge proportions!!!
Hunch number two is that Americans and American investors have had their confidence shaken in both the financial giants, but also in our government and in it's ability to properly resolve this. Thus the market dive again today...
Hunch number three is that NO politicians are willing to do anything that is right because it is too hard and will require them to use good judgement, rather than "compassionate" correction that will fall far short of what's really going to be needed!!!
Ouch! I should have looked before posting........ It did tumble big time today.
Open: 143,500.00
High: 143,500.00
52Wk High: 151,650.00
Low: 126,984.00
52Wk Low: 111,000.00
After Hours: 130,700.00
Wonder how this is going to affect Warren and Bill Gates’ $billion do-gooder non-profit foundation.
He and bill gates have things to answer for... and one day they will. Clean... that’s a joke.
LLS
Dem plotting to ruin the economy should not be ruled out.I do not. The bustards want power so bad they would turn the USA into a unit of the World Wide Caliphate as long as the Mullahs would allow the Dems proxy rule, its just that bad.
Less pumping of Arab Oil, A burgeoning sub standard mortgage portfolio initiated by Clinton,then George Soros and Warren Buffet? Put former Obama campaign managers into that mix and you have an interesting array of coincidences. Then we have T Boon Pickens with Natural Gas Nancy Pelosi lookinig to have a huge boob doggle federally subsidized natural gas program?
There is so much shite to pass around we won't be able to compost it all.
Naturally it should be stuffed right back up their respective patooties. Pass the popcorn.
When McCain/Palin wins this, heads will begin to fall, which is why there is so much desperation for Obama to win, over on the "far side" of liberal Wall Street.
Too bad it’s not G.Sorra$...
Wouldn't be surprised if he spends the rest of his now short life in a cold dungeon-like prison high up on a Peruvian mountain.
Can you guarantee this? Don't get your hopes up too high. Remember these are politicians that are owned by the real players in the world. Even Reagan didn't screw with Rockefeller.
Well, I’ve never been happy with Buffet either as he was out here advising Arnold to ditch Prop 13 and keeps telling everybody we don’t need to eliminate the Estate Tax on dead people!!! Screw him!!!
I'm afraid yer right on da money. This is like an old southern true story about a rich old oil guy whose son got popped for a big dope deal. The dad then got popped bribing a judge to get the kid off. Before the dust settled the old guy was quoted as saying "This is all like a big bucket of shiite. The more ya stir it, the more it stinks.
But see... Tough love, although a conservative trait is just way too mean to be tolerated by the “chickified” Amurikin publick!!! (snort!)
To: AmericanMade1776; Grampa Dave; calcowgirl; Anybody; Everybody; All
Can anyone tell me if Warren Buffet’s company owns any of AIG???
22 posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 10:33:50 AM by SierraWasp
BULLETIN: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY TO INVEST $5 BILLION IN GOLDMAN SACHS
BULLETIN: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY TO INVEST $5 BILLION IN GOLDMAN SACHS
What is the connection of Buffet on T.V. saying what a good guy Paulson is? My lefty friend is all at ease now because she trusts Buffet and he trusts Paulson. The only way I could pull her back from the edge was to note that BUSH chose Paulson and also trusted him and that gave her SOME pause to think...but then at that moment she coincidentally had to go...always happens with them.
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