The head of insurance regulation in New York is busy as a bee trying to bail out Ambac and MBIA. According to the FT, "Eric Dinallo, the New York state insurance superintendent, is being privately supported by the New York Federal Reserve Bank and other regulators." If the muni bond insurance companies go under it could lead to a new round of fixed income instruments write-offs which would hurt Wall Street balance sheets.
If the government is going to drag the muni bond insurance companies out of their mess, why not a little help for the likes of Citigroup, Washington Mutual, and Wells Fargo?
Mr. Dinallo is attempting to get the big U.S. banks to provide the bond insurers with $15 billion in credit to shore up their balance sheets. It is an interesting proposal but it does beg the question of where the cash-strapped banks will get the money. It could be the beginning of a 21st Century version of borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.
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