How Chuck Schumer Caused the 2d Largest Bank Failure in U.S. History (Important Read)
CNBC ^ | July 12, 2008 | Jerry Bowyer
Federal officials aren’t supposed to cause bank runs. In fact, much of the New Deal bank regulatory apparatus was set up for the purpose of eliminating such panics. When FDR was hit with a massive set of bank runs shortly after taking office, he gave an address in order to calm terrified depositors, assuring them that the banks would reopen shortly, and that everything would be fine. But Chuck Schumer is no FDR. He doesn’t stop bank runs; he starts them. Or, at least, has started one. The collapse of Indymac bank, the second largest bank failure in American history, began with a letter from the office of Senator Charles Schumer on June 27. He questioned the viability of the bank. When a senior senator who is in a number of influential posts regarding oversight of bank regulators directly attacks the confidence of a depository institution, it matters. Not surprisingly, the director of the Office of Thrift Supervision concluded that the collapse of the bank immediately following the Senator’s comments has not a coincidence. Director Reich concluded that Senator Schumer had ‘given the bank a heart attack’.
Why? Why would a federal official with enormous power, destroy an institution on which tens of thousands of depositors (not all of whom are insured) and employees depend? Why would a New York Senator attack a Pasadena bank, acting as some sort of amateur, self-appointed, long-distance bank examiner?
Perhaps this might help answer the question: Indymac has been under attack from the hard left. The Center for Responsible Lending issued an attack on Indymac within a few days of Schumer’s letter.
CRL is part of a small army of left of center ‘research’ groups, community organizers, and public interest law firms who make their living accusing home lenders of racial redlining and predatory lending. On June 20th the Center accused Indymac of unfair practices regarding minority borrowers. [CRL is a left-wing group that refuses to disclose its donors, but somehow has raised enough money to open very expensive offices in Washington and Sacramento. They are the Democrats' favorite witness at hearings on mortgage lending. CRL is in some ways responsible for the subprime mess, because in December 2006 it released a completely bogus report that projected 2 million foreclosures would occur. That number is taken as gospel now, but it has not materialized. This is a group of lying leftists that is trying to break the U.S. mortgage industry, and appears to be succeeding, with the help of Chuck Schumer. Some people think that one or more large U.S. or foreign banks is actually bankrolling CRL.]
A suspicious person might think that a network of lefty attack groups proficient in bank bashing and frequently funded by trial lawyers and short-sellers, coordinated their activities with a law firm on the hunt and a Senator who works closely with the network.
On the other hand, maybe it is a coincidence that CRL and Sen. Schumer attacked the same bank in the same week. Maybe he didn’t know about the CRL report, nor CRL about his letter. Maybe the community group didn’t know about the trial-lawyer class action lawsuit which was launched against Indy a couple of weeks before all of this started.
Yeah, right.
The political class is shifting left. We’re likely to get Obama and Nancy and Harry running the most advanced economy in the world next year. The investor class doesn’t like what it sees coming. That’s why it is scaling back. Capital is going on strike, and we won’t come back to the table until we see that we have a chance to a fair deal.
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