Like other financial institutions, U.S. banks have had problems in the subprime mortgage crisis, but how can the wealthy commercial banks be compared to the mortgage companies, insurance companies, and investment banks? As a result, Bank of America, although it experienced some twists and turns, quickly turned the situation around, and even took the opportunity to swallow up several small banks and strengthen itself.

There are always people taking advantage of the fire to rob, and Bank of America is no exception.

Willing. Lewis knew that Paulson's will could not be violated, but he did not want to be obedient. He knew exactly what was going on, and in his opinion, he owed Geithner a favor, and now Paulson had to give something if he wanted to "do it."

Of course, he categorically did not dare to sue Paulson in person. As a super-client of Goodman, he had dealt with the former CEO a lot, and he knew that he was a man of grace on the outside but strong on the inside, and that he would not accept any form of threat when he was in a good position, and that he was now the Minister of Finance, and that his position in a high position was a testament to this strong personality.

If Ken. If Lewis personally opens this mouth, I am afraid that the current tacit understanding between the two sides will be torn up immediately, and the relationship with the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve will deteriorate rapidly. Lewis is afraid that he will be fired from the board of directors as quickly as possible and become a victim.

So the idea of asking Paulson had to be voiced by someone else, and the other person had to be a person of status, and he had to lobby willingly and with all his might.

There is now a suitable candidate, namely Dick Brown, chairman of the board of directors of Kaminmen Brothers. Fude, because the other party has a request for him.

The acquisition of Kaminhamun Brothers is not very problematic for Bank of America, which has wanted to invest in the banking world for a long time. But Ken. Lewis, on the other hand, refuses to give charity lightly, he is a standard businessman. Maximizing the benefits of this matter is his best choice.

"Ken, I'm Lauder." The phone rang, from Goodman, Inc., "I heard you're interested in the Kaminari brothers, maybe we can help you with that, and you know we're world-class in financial advisory." ”

Lauder. Belanqueva. The CEO of Goodman, the supernatural man, got the news almost immediately, and quickly gave Ken . Lewis called and declared interested in the deal.

Willing. Lewis wasn't surprised by this, as there were so many people on Wall Street who had their hands and eyes on the sky, and he himself was one of them. After a few words of greeting, he said: "Lauder, we are old friends, what can't we say directly?" Sue me for your true purpose. Otherwise, it would be difficult for me to help you. ”

He knew very well that he would not go to the Three Treasures Hall for anything. Lauder. When Belrankfan called, he must have been planning something.

"Ken, my friend, are you doubting me?" Lauder. Frankvan's tone was visibly unpleasant, but it may have been disguised, "I came to facilitate this deal with all sincerity. Do you know? The Kaminari brothers are now actively trying to save themselves, although their talks with the South Korean side have collapsed. But it's still a good company, isn't it? ”

After saying these words. Lauder. Belankvan didn't even believe what he had just said, and was awkwardly silent for a few seconds, and then said another thing, "Actually, we are planning to buy the Kaminari brothers. ”

"What?" This one is ready. Lewis was genuinely surprised, "You're not kidding, are you?" You're going to buy the Kaminari brothers. How is this possible? Oh my God, has the world changed? Isn't it the same world I used to live in? ”

Willing. Lewis's surprise is justified, because on Wall Street, the Remman brothers and Goodman are in a competitive relationship, and their businesses overlap to a high degree. There may be a gap in profitability, but it is not so obvious. And the acquisition is either profit-making or supplementing the shortcomings of its own business. From Goodman's standpoint, it is clear that neither of these motives exists.

The Kaminari Brothers' toxic assets are well known, and the acquisition of the Kaminari Brothers at this time is undoubtedly swallowing a poison pill, and if there is no huge financial support for it, I am afraid that they will soon die of poison. Bank of America has no concerns about this, but for Goodman, the risk is so great that they simply can't afford it.

Another possibility is to supplement your own business. But no matter how you evaluate it, Goodman's business is not weaker than that of the relevant departments of the Reminmen Brothers. There may be a lot of personal differences, but even then, there is no need to buy an entire company.

So Ken. Lewis was shocked.

The next moment he realized that it was a complete conspiracy. He said unceremoniously: "Lauder, my friend, if I'm not mistaken, some time ago Dick. Fude also accused you of encouraging traders to post negative news about Kaminmen Brothers in the market. Also, such a high-profile short Hedge Fund of the Reminham Brothers, are they not involved with you? I can't imagine that you would be in the mood to buy the Kaminari brothers in this environment, it's crazy. ”

"The world is meant to be crazy, isn't it?" Lauder. Blancfan smiled, "Those are market rumors, and we have never admitted them. In fact, these rumors may have been deliberately smeared by our competitors, but we don't bother to refute them, it doesn't make any sense. But what I want to tell you is that we are indeed considering buying Kaminari Brothers! ”

"Are they Paulson's special helpers to drive up prices? Or did you really get the idea of buying the Kaminari brothers? ”

This moment Ken. Lewis was in a state of confusion, his head spinning like a motor, wondering what was going on behind the scenes, but for a moment, where could he come up with it?

Lauder. Belranke Van ignored Ken. Lewis's silence continued: "The market is really chaotic right now, and it reminds me of the deflation of the '70s, the stock market crash of the '80s, and the great turmoil of '98. The Kaminari brothers have survived for so many years, and as their old rivals, we really have an obligation and responsibility to help them through this difficult time. However, if we buy it, I believe that the name Kaminari Brothers should not continue to exist. ”

"Ken, you're an old friend of mine, and you should know the style and culture of our Goodman company. I'm thinking. If we really want to buy Kaminari Brothers, are we thinking about getting one of them out? In this way, we will have a full assessment of the Kaminari brothers, and we will not be coerced during negotiations, don't you say? ”

"What did you say?" Willing. Lewis suddenly shouted.

Lauder on the other side of the phone. Frank Fan was taken aback, "I said that we need to withdraw from the family and not be taken advantage of by others. It is used as a tool to drive up prices. ”

"No, no, no!" Willing. Lewis suddenly laughed, "Lauder, I finally understand your intentions. It turns out that you want to replicate what happened in 98, and it is really a good calculation. God, no wonder you are the largest investment bank on Wall Street, and at this time you still have the idea of taking advantage of the fire, God! ”

He said "Oh God" two times in a row. Although he smiled on his face, he was infinitely disdainful in his heart.

It turned out that during the crisis of '98, Long-Term Capital Management was in crisis, and Goodman's bankers stole their books and all the information on their positions from Long-Term Capital Management under the guise of an acquisition, and thus reversed their positions, and finally made a lot of money.

While Goodman has been vehemently denying the unconfirmed news, Wall Street generally believes the news to be true. Of course. In the end, Goodman was not included in the list of bailouts.

Now, Goodman's management saw an opportunity. I plan to concoct this kind of action again, and wait for an opportunity to profit from the Kaminari brothers again. Unlike the single investment of Long-Term Capital Management, the assets held by Kaminmen Brothers include stocks, corporate bonds, bonds, foreign exchange, futures and other positions. And once you know this information, the corresponding benefits are definitely very rich.

Insidious, very insidious.

That's what Ken is. Lewis's full feelings.

Lauder, who was broken out of his mind. Bellankefan was also very surprised, he never expected that the other party would guess his mind. But he couldn't admit it, and said embarrassedly at the moment: "Ken, what you said violates business ethics, and we will never do it." But from what you say, I think the board's decision to acquire Kaminari Brothers may be problematic. I think we need to continue to talk about that. ”

The implication is, of course, that there is no mention of acquisitions. Since Ken. Lewis was able to guess, and naturally the people of the Kaminhamon brothers would guess too. Lauder. At this moment, Blancfan felt that he was a little stupid, and he looked down too low on the people of the entire market.

"If that's the case, it's a good thing that we have one less competitor." Willing. Lewis was in a very good mood. The topic of Blancfan quipped, "I think if Dick. If Fude is smart, he should sell me a good price. ”

"No!" Lauder. Blancfan didn't accept such ridicule, and his tone became deep and stern, "Ken, you won't buy the Kaminari brothers. Yes, you heard it right, and you won't buy the Kaminari Brothers! ”

"What? Are you commanding me? "Ken. Lewis was stunned for a moment, and then a wave of anger rushed from his chest to the Heavenly Spirit Gai, almost making him lose his mind. However, he quickly restrained his feelings and said gloomily, "Lauder, maybe I can take what you just said as a threat, right?" ”

Although investment banks can call for wind and rain in the capital market, they are obviously not enough compared with commercial banks that are often behemoths. So in Lauder. After Frank Van said what he had just said, Ken. Lewis was visibly enraged.

"National Financial Corporation!"

Lauder. Belranke Van just said the name and asked Ken. Lewis immediately calmed down, knowing that the other party had hit him in the vital point.

National Finance Corporation is a home loan agency with operations throughout the United States and is one of the top depositors in the industry. Naturally, such companies lost a lot of money in the subprime mortgage crisis and came to the brink of collapse. At this time, Bank of America stepped in to buy it.

In fact, Bank of America did not have a good faith in men, and it bought the National Financial Corporation because the Federal Reserve had pressured it to increase its core capital. An official of the Federal Reserve's Open Committee promised Bank of America that if it bought the National Financial Corporation, it would not need to raise more money to increase its core capital.

Under such coercion and inducement, Bank of America bought the National Financial Corporation in July, ensuring that it would not go bankrupt. But the problem soon arose, and the situation deteriorated so quickly that the Fed officials' previous hints no longer worked, and Bank of America was still asked to add core capital. In order to negotiate with the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department, Ken. Lewis needs chips.

That bargaining chip is to help the government get rid of the Kaminari brothers, and then get help from the government.

"I can help you convince Treasurer Paulson!" Lauder. Blancfan's voice was calm and cold, and it didn't sound emotional, "But I also need you to reassure me that you don't interfere in the acquisition of the Thundermen brothers, this is not a company worth buying!" ”

"Trust me, Dick. Fude will never be able to do this! "Finally, Lauder. Bellenc said in a conclusive manner.

"Deal!" Willing. Lewis only thought for a minute, and then happily agreed. But when he said that, he regretted it, because he had to explain something to Geithner and Paulson, which gave him an immediate headache. (To be continued......)

ps: Thank you book friends Shi Huangtian and Jiangnan Liu Feiyan for voting for the monthly ticket! Thank you for the reward of the miracle of civilization of Xiaoqi! I'm sorry I didn't have time to write it because I was delayed yesterday. After taking half a month off, there are a lot of things piling up, and it may not be possible to change it until 10 o'clock in the future, but the author will still try to write it as early as possible. I hope you will continue to pay attention and support, thank you ~R1292