banking regulations


Leo Gerard's picture

Republicans Try to Convert America into Pottersville

In the iconic Christmas film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” an angel offers the beleaguered main character, George Bailey, the stark choice between a hometown named for a cruel banker or one created by and for the middle class.

The banker’s town, Pottersville, is filled with bars, gambling dens and despair. more »

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Richard Eskow's picture

Real Story or April Fool's Joke? "Anne Berkshire-Hathaway" and 6 Other Bizarre Economic Tales

Writers love coming up with absurd stories on April Fool's Day and then trying to pass them off as real news. So let's play a game: Which of these stories are real and which are just April Fool's Day pranks?

Meet my friend Berkshire and his wife, Anne: A review of past stock performance suggested that the stock price for Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway corporation goes up whenever movie star Anne Hathaway is in the news.

News reports about the release of new Anne Hathaway movies like Rachel Getting Married, or her performance co-hosting the Oscars, may have increased the value of the billionaire Sage of Omaha's stock portfolio.

Lazy Dog Millionaire: A major bank's employees had a party for everyone who received a bonus in the million dollar range - which was a lot of people.

As one employee said, million-dollar bonuses were handed out "even if a guy is really lazy and has done s***."

Und you will like it! A few weeks later that bank's Chairman of the Board stood up at a financial gathering and said - in a German accent, no less - that "populations are not ready to voluntarily discipline themselves in more work, less rewards, and less security."

In a particularly Strangelovian turn of phrase, the banker said that we must "reinvigorate ourselves."

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