Posted on 09/26/2008 5:10:33 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
UK banks hold £95bn of sour assets that could qualify for US bailout plan
Miles Costello
Britain’s five leading high street banks have as much as £95.3 billion ($175 billion) of distressed assets on their books that may qualify for the American bailout scheme.
If the British banks tap the rescue fund being set up by the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve to the maximum, they could secure one quarter of the $700 billion being made available. Under the terms of an outline agreement that appeared to have been reached by US policymakers last night, Britain’s lenders will be able to use the facility.
However, the prospect that the US Treasury could pay for UK banks’ bad assets is likely to infuriate some American politicians and taxpayers, who would foot the bill. As Congress edged closer to agreeing a plan for the central bank to take on lenders’ toxic assets, HSBC appeared to be the UK-based bank best placed to benefit.
Combined, the five British lenders hold securities worth $175 billion, which they could transfer to a federally backed Treasury fund. Under the proposed terms of the rescue package, non-US financial institutions must have significant operations in America to qualify.
(Excerpt) Read more at business.timesonline.co.uk ...
Why should we bail out the HongKong Shanghai Banking Corporation?
...Screw those limey bastards...
That’s nice of you to say so.
Every time Europe has a problem, they expect us to bail them out, whilst at the same time ranting and raving against our way of life. I have no sympathy.
Brown and his cronies are trying to meddle in our election, and they want us to pay them $175 bln?
And besides, since Britain just adopted Sharia, they aren’t supposed to be lending at interest anyway.
...Every time Europe has a problem, they expect us to bail them out...
In this case, the US had a problem, British banks bailed them out, and you come out ranting at my way of life. So, I have no sympathy.
We want our money back, what’s wrong with that? That $175bn is cash we would have already had Bush not told Brown to buy up loads of bad debt from US banks and financial institutions. Perectly acceptable that we are paid back in full I think.
Otherwise, you would have essentially got us to pay for your mistakes, and thats not fair really is it?
So what is with this ‘Limey Bas***ds?
Perhaps, like most Europeans, you are unfamiliar with the concept of risk-taking. Your banks willingly bought U.S. mortgages. That means they willingly took the risk these mortgages might not be re-paid in full.
Would you also like us to give you back all the money you lost buying American stocks? What about the money you lost buying commodity futures on American exchanges?
It is bad enough they want us responsible citizens in fly-over country to pay the cost of the stupidity of limousine liberals that run these Wall Street firms, but now they want us to pay money to socialists in London?
Do you honestly think your banks bought mortgages because Bush told Brown to force them to? Please.
Whenever taxpayer money is being given away, the Europeans always have their hands out. The welfare mentality may be fully ingrained over there, but there are still at least a few people here who work for a living.
...Do you honestly think your banks bought mortgages because Bush told Brown to force them to?...
Thats exactly what I think, and it happens to be true. Why would our banks, already in dire straits, buy rubbish mortgages from the US unless forced? We all knew that this crash was coming.
...The welfare mentality may be fully ingrained over there, but there are still at least a few people here who work for a living...
You do realise you’re living in the Socialist Republic of the United States right?
Haha, don’t worry. I can see you don’t like Europeans much, and Brits even less. I have made a complaint about your offensive language, which was hardly contructive!
Go have a beer or something.
Their US subsidiaries actually bought the mortgages years ago, just like every other bank. I actually like you Brits quite a bit better than the rest of the Europeans, but if we were to total up debts throughout history, I'd think you'd find what you owe us is far greater than $175 billion, in current dollars.
By the way, your own crisis is just down the road. Consumer leverage in the UK is higher than it is here, and a much larger portion of your GDP comes from the financial sector.
Sorry about the offensive language though.
Thanks for the ping.
That’s why we have let these companies fail. The holders of the worthless paper can go after the bankrupt companies and the taxpayer will have dodged that bullet.
...your own crisis is just down the road...
Its already here. UK government just nationalised the Bradford and Bingley bank. The same as they did to Northern Rock earlier this year.
...I’d think you’d find what you owe us is far greater than $175 billion, in current dollars...
We in fact just payed our military debt that we owed the US after WW2, making the final payments this year I think. In that regard, I think we are all square. We all get loans from the IMF and World Bank, so I don’t think you can count those international institutions as US loans.
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