The way bond math works, every man, woman, and child that owns a fixed-income security issued when rates were lower is now underwater on that bond or that security. As long as they continue to collect payments on that coupon, and don’t have to sell it, fine. If they are forced to sell the security at a loss and book it, that’s a different story. When people want their money out of a bank, and the bank needs to sell securities to pay off depositors, well, we’ve seen how that plays out. Along those lines, big bank problems make the headlines, but there are plenty of smaller depository bank mergers and acquisitions going on that don’t make the headlines. And the same thing is happening with vendors and mortgage bankers & brokers. Before I forget, anyone can post a resume for free here and employers can view them for several months at a nominal charge. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week is sponsored by Black Knight, Inc. As a pre
It hasn’t been a good few weeks for banks whose names begin with “Si” (Silvergate, Silicon Valley, and Signature, with Silicon Valley Bank declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy this morning; today’s Rundown discusses how the bank crisis may impact lenders). Ah, those clever secondary marketing folks. Cornerstone’s Henry S. frets, “I can’t believe it’s bank collapse season already. I just finished taking down my train derailment decorations.” Certainly, time flies by, and I hope you’re wearing some green today. Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish, with the first parade on March 17, 1762, in New York City, featuring Irish soldiers who served in the English military. It certainly is more fun to think about celebrating the Irish than the constant stream of headlines as people r
Have to buy something for someone in your life who has everything? If they’re a basketball fan, how about food smoked with the same type of wood used by NCAA basketball courts? News can be thrown at our biz has no rhyme or reason. Yesterday was one of those days, including the FHFA’s temporary hold on DTI pricing, detailed below. If you’d like some thoughts on the housing market after Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, here you go, care of MCT. Along those lines, this Friday, “The Rundown” features Keith Little, President of Centennial Bank (Arkansas) discussing the bank failures from a banker’s perspective. Were regulators, auditors, and examiners doing their jobs? Speaking of regulators, my cat Myrtle, who is not a big fan of the CFPB, no doubt took note of yesterday’s announcement that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has launched an inquiry into companies that track and collect information on people’s personal live
The Ides of March… And college basketball time. Here in Kentucky (men #6 in the East, Louisville women’s team #5) I overheard someone on the phone. “Yesterday I saw a woman in Walmart with March Madness teeth. She was down to her final four.” March Madness is in full swing, whether it is hoops or bonds. Or bank stocks. Is this really a fundamental structural plunging of the United States’ financial system? Doubtful. Moody’s came out with a warning about downgrading certain banks in the United States. It is not 2008. How much of this is psychology? Tweeting causing a run on deposits? Banks everywhere are looking at their liabilities (deposits, since they owe their depositors money) and assets (the money lent out using their depositor’s money, or securities owned. “Lending long and borrowing short” works when banks can pay very little on their deposits (like checking accounts earning 0 percent) and take that money and earn 4
Pi Day has come around once again, which is also, coincidentally, Albert Einstein’s birthday. As I head to Lexington for the MBA Kentucky Education Conference, led by Alan Thorup, Matt O. sent, “I have an idea: We organize a 10k race in San Jose and call it ‘The Bank Run.’” (While we’re on sports, a moment of silence for Dick Fosbury who revolutionized the high jump in the mid-1960’s). High jumpers have a soft pad to land on, not so with some bank stocks Monday. Western Alliance Bancorp, supplier of warehouse lines to many an independent mortgage banker and parent of AmeriHome, First Republic Bank, Metropolitan Bank, PacWest Bancorp, and First Horizon. Fortunately, many have “bounced” but these are all non-money-center banks seemingly causing risk to the U.S. financial system. In Banking 101 one learns that borrowing short (by holding customer deposits) to lend long (by purchasing long bonds and MBS) to improve returns is b