Market turmoil makes me nervous. Whats the banking system – the federally regulated banks you mentioned – doing about it?
They are providing stability. Having a safe and sound banking system to rely on shows the importance of the role banks play in our local communities and in our nation’s economy. They are the source of stability and of growth. That is true regardless of their asset size, their charter or their business plan. And the vast majority of federally regulated, federally insured banks today hold more capital than the law requires. Q: I keep seeing headlines and hearing news reports that repeat the word “crisis” – the “subprime crisis.” A: Keep in mind that those reports overlook the fact that the subprime lending crisis was caused by unregulated brokers and Wall Street institutions themselves, sometimes using the title “bank,” and not by regulated, insured banks. Our banking system is strong. This crisis will pass, as have all the others, and the result will be a stronger financial system with fewer unregulated players and a reminder that liquidity and capital are both important to solvency.
