Wilbur Ross Warns the FDIC

http://www.futureofcapitalism.com/2009/07/wilbur-ross-warns-the-fdic

The investor Wilbur Ross, whose buyout firm was part of a group that bought one failed bank, says that if the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation adopts its proposed rules on bank takeovers, "I assure you that my firm will never again bid." The Bloomberg wire reports that "Terms proposed by the FDIC include requiring banks bought by private-equity firms to maintain a Tier 1 capital ratio of 15 percent, almost twice the level usually required for a startup bank. ... The agency would also require the firms to hold onto their investments for at least three years." Credit Mr. Ross for being willing to push back publicly against the regulators. Those regulators, to be fair, have an interest in making sure that the banks whose deposits they insure do not fail. But so do the bank's owners, who have an interest in protecting the value of their investment.

by Editor  |  Jul 29, 2009 at 7:30 am Related Topics:  Capital Markets Regulation receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free futureofcapitalism.com mailing list