“Some hedge funds say they are concerned that banks that both sell the derivatives contracts and handle mortgage payments could be involved in a form of market manipulation.”
This is my favorite quote from the article. I’m still smiling an hour later at this. Hedge funds’ concerns about the banks manipulating the market is akin to a perpetually hungry fat guy being concerned that someone is going to get to the buffet before he does.
If the hedgies bet against subprime paper without investigating and understanding the provisions of pooling/servicing agreements allowing for modifications, then they justifiably may suffer the fate of all those who don’t pay attention to detail.
Banks Sell ‘Toxic Waste’ CDOs to Calpers, Texas Teachers Fund
By David Evans
June 1 (Bloomberg) — Bear Stearns Cos., the fifth-largest U.S. securities firm, is hawking the riskiest portions of collateralized debt obligations to public pension funds.
At a sales presentation of the bank’s CDOs to 50 public pension fund managers in a Las Vegas hotel ballroom, Jean Fleischhacker, Bear Stearns senior managing director, tells fund managers they can get a 20 percent annual return from the bottom level of a CDO.
“It has a very high cash yield to it,” Fleischhacker says at the March convention. “I think a lot of people are confused about what this product is and how it works.”
Banks Sell ‘Toxic Waste’ CDOs to Calpers, Texas Teachers Fund
By David Evans
June 1 (Bloomberg) — Bear Stearns Cos., the fifth-largest U.S. securities firm, is hawking the riskiest portions of collateralized debt obligations to public pension funds.
At a sales presentation of the bank’s CDOs to 50 public pension fund managers in a Las Vegas hotel ballroom, Jean Fleischhacker, Bear Stearns senior managing director, tells fund managers they can get a 20 percent annual return from the bottom level of a CDO.
“It has a very high cash yield to it,” Fleischhacker says at the March convention. “I think a lot of people are confused about what this product is and how it works.”
