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06 Aug 2010 12:12

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Politics: Rep. Maxine Waters to Congress ethics types: BRING IT ON!

  • She and Charlie Rangel are tag-teaming it. California Rep. Maxine Waters, currently facing ethics charges over her husband’s ties to a bank that she worked with, wants Congress to give her hell before the midterm elections. “I have made a very public request to come out with the formalized charges and to set up a meeting to hear them,” she said. “Let’s hope that they do it.” source

25 Mar 2010 09:50

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Offbeat: Stupid robber calls ahead, gives bank time to prepare for arrest

  • I’ve heard of drive-up robberies where they rob the bank via drive-up windows. But I’ve never had somebody call ahead and say, ‘Get the money, we’re coming.’
  • Fairfield, Connecticut, Police Department Det. Lt. Michael Gagner • Regarding one of the stupidest bank robbers ever. Yesterday afternoon, the People’s Bank of Fairfield got a call demanding $100,000 or threatening a bloodbath. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize that they gave the bank ample time to call the police. Albert Bailey and a juvenile have been charged in the robbery. source

28 Feb 2010 10:39

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Biz: HSBC’s CEO decides to give his massive bonus to charity

  • $6.1M the size of HSBC chief executive Michael Geoghegan’s bonus this year – four times his salary
  • 100% the amount he plans to give to charity after a row over bank bonuses source

21 Feb 2010 10:27

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Biz: Is The New York Times giving Carlos Slim preferential treatment?

  • Under any other circumstances, the business section of the Times would be expected to cover it, as the Journal and Bloomberg have. Yet as of Saturday midday, I cannot find a single mention of any aspect of this case, anywhere in the physical New York Times, or on its Web site – not even a blog post or a wire story.
  • The Big Money blogger James Ledbetter • Regarding a huge uncovered scandal involving billionaire Carlos Slim, who has a huge stake in The New York Times. J.P. Morgan is accused of trying to push Grupo Televisa’s business secrets to a bank owned by Slim, who owns a major rival. Other major sources have covered it, but there’s literally nothing on the NYT site about the scandal. This is bad precedent. source

14 Jan 2010 10:39

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Biz, U.S.: Obama’s bank plan: Lots of money for the U.S., with perks!

  • $90 billion in bank taxes over the next ten years source
  • So what happens if the banks overpay the bailouts? Simple. The money goes back to the U.S. to help strengthen the financial position that was screwed up by the bailout crisis. Did someone say “win-win” situation, kids? The banks don’t think so, by the way, and angrily responded to the new charges like petulant children who didn’t get a Nintendo 64 for Christmas.

05 Dec 2009 17:23

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Biz: Bank Failure Friday’s still taking victims well into the holidays

  • 130
    banks
    have failed so far this year – it’s a good thing we’re in December
  • $12
    billion
    the value of AmTrust Bank, the fourth-largest to fail this year source

07 Nov 2009 14:17

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Offbeat: Awesome blog: “Bank Notes: A collection of bank robbery notes”

From mean to deadly to nice and meek, bank robbers have different ways of handling notes. This guy’s kinda sinister. (Hat tip Andrew Sullivan) source
 

03 Nov 2009 20:25

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Biz: Bailed-out banks throwing more money at employees this year

  • $117.6 billion in paydays so far in 2009 for eight top bailed-out banks
  • $165 billion in bailout funds the banks took from the U.S. government source

02 Nov 2009 10:22

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World: Another suicide bomber hits Pakistan, this time outside of a bank

  • 35+ people died in the attack, which happened as large groups of people went to get their paychecks today
  • 65+ others were wounded; the situation has led to the UN pulling all non-emergency staff from the region source

23 Oct 2009 18:17

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Biz, U.S.: Bank Failure Friday takes victim number 101

  • 1992 the last year with so much bank fail source