The BofA $136B Dynamite Stick

Farley conceded that there are “a lot of underwater bonds in the banking system and that can pose financial stability risks because banks are leveraged institutions. If it’s levered 10 to 1 and you have a 10 percent loss, all the equity is gone.” Which, of course, is exactly what happened to Bear Stearns, which at times was levered 50 to 1, meaning... See more

(Which, presumably is why, once upon a time Lloyd Blankfein , the former C.E.O. of Goldman Sachs, told me that he spends 98 percent of his time worrying about things with a 2 percent probability of happening.)

Mayo said he’s been talking to the Financial Accounting Standards Board and “they aren’t going to change 40 years of rules right now. So the reality is they don’t have to sell.”