TMFKopp's Blog

TAG! You're Insured... for $1.4 trillion

TMFKopp — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:28:57 GMT

Was it even possible to keep up with all of the acronyms introduced during the financial crisis in the name of stability? Well, if you're a bank investor, one in particular ought to be on your radar right now: the Transaction Account Guarantee (TAG) program.

TAG insured all non-interest-bearing transaction accounts with balances above $250,000 and did so with no separate assessment by the FDIC. This essentia...

The Goldman Conspiracy Strikes Again

TMFKopp — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:06:22 GMT

If you dig a good conspiracy, you can add the Bank of England's appointment of Mark Carney as its new head. Why? Well, as Mike De La Merced points out in Dealbook, he's yet another Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) alum in a powerful go...

Caution: CyberWars in Banking Ahead!

TMFKopp — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:52:46 GMT

Speaking in Germany, Atlanta Fed head Dennis Lockhart opined on some sources of financial instability that may be off the radar for some people. One key area he highlighted was cybercrime. Most folks reading this have probably at some point been the victim of identity theft ([hand raised], three or four times). But Lockhart is thinking bigger.

From his speech:

"A ...

Banking Deals On the Way?

TMFKopp — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:22:20 GMT

American Banker notes that Taylor Capital (Nasdaq: TAYC), Standard Bancshares, and

Warren Buffett was back at it again with the whole "rich people need to pay more taxes" thing. For those with trouble connecting the dots, well, The Fool's Morgan Housel is here to help out (http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/11/26/warren-buffett-on-taxes.aspx)...

MBIA Lives to Fight Another Day

TMFKopp — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:21:36 GMT

MBIA (NYSE: MBI) is continuing to limp along, now getting the debt-term changes it was hoping for and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) was vehemently fighting against. What is this big change? Essentially it lifts the provision that if MBIA Corp. (which did all the nasty structured-bond insuring) went into rehab or liquidation that the entire company would b...

So That's What Happened to Countrywide and BAC...

TMFKopp — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:40:03 GMT

Some research took me back to Countrywide's 2005 annual report today. It's funny looking back at it in retrospect because so much looks painfully obvious. Take this, for instance, from right at the beginning of the Management's Discussion section:

Is a Smaller BAC a Better BAC?

TMFKopp — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:14:25 GMT

My fellow Fool Amanda Alix has been skeptical on Bank of America's (NYSE: BAC) so-called "Project New BAC" and builds on that wary view today in her article on Fool.com. She's less than convinced that the "cut, cut, ...

One Hobbling Knight for Sale!

TMFKopp — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 15:54:48 GMT

In article on Fool.com earlier today, I opine on the potential for Knight Capital (NYSE: KCG) to get bought out -- which is a very real potential given the latest news reports. For individual investors, the goodness/badness of a Knight sale (or...

The Insurance Mess Over Sandy

TMFKopp — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:14:16 GMT

Reading this Reuters coverage of post-Sandy insurance squabbles is sure to make you grit your teeth. Of course while it's easy to root for the homeowners that have been through hell -- and apparently still going through it -- versus the big insura...

Should JPMorgan Be Back on the Hook for Madoff?

TMFKopp — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:08:27 GMT

Reuters notes that the trustee going after money for Madoff victims is hoping to reinstate $30 billion or so in claims against JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) and other banks. According to Reuters:

From a certain perspective, you've got to chuckle at the idea that UBS (NYSE: UBS) is getting fined almost $50 million for allowing rogue trader Kweku Adoboli to lose $2.3 billion. It's a little like getting ...

Pondering a Barclay's IB Spin-Off

TMFKopp — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:55:29 GMT

The FT reported that Barclays (NYSE: BCS) might be getting a push from its shareholders to spin off its investment banking -- or, at least, cut back drastically. In terms of "good idea / bad idea," it m...

Did I Fail?

TMFKopp — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:16:47 GMT

Have I fallen down on my pledge? Was I distracted by the shiny object in the corner?
Earlier this week, I published an article "Confessions Of An ADD Investor" in which I pledged to do pitched battle with the many distractions of our modern world and focus in...

Keeping an eye on Medtronic

TMFKopp — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:53:32 GMT

Back in early June I did a rundown of expected returns for Medtronic's stock. The outcome of my mid-case scenario was 9.7% per year -- not terrible, but not great and less than what I typically look for when I'm adding to my portfolio.
Fast forward to ...

Awww, poor silver

TMFKopp — Tue, 10 May 2011 12:38:02 GMT

Is it just me, or do precious metals investors seem to have very delicate sensibilities?
Matt

Doh! Missed a Perfect Opportunity!!!

TMFKopp — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 18:42:36 GMT

This is probably because I'm a bit of a masochist, but for some reason I decided to go back and reread this rebuttal to my rebuttal of a HuffPo article (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-solin/foolish-advice-from-the-m_b_795385.html)
I realized that I totally missed the fol...

A Good Media Strategy Trumps Facts

TMFKopp — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:00:07 GMT

Poll: Americans Don't Know Economy Expanded With Tax Cuts
(sigh)

Today I posted an article regarding the issue of earnings yields versus bond yields and whether that can point us towards an overvalued or undervalued market. For those interested in the subject, I really encourage a read of a paper that Alex Dumortier pointed me towards -- If you think the title is somehow a trick and that this is actually going to be about investing... it's not... the following is not going to be about investing. So leave now before you start getting angry that I could possibly have something other than investing on my mind.
Now, if you, like me, have a deep-seated hatred of the inane amount of money you have to spend on cable TV, then the following might interest you (or perhaps you ...