Recent comments in /f/nottheonion

The_Northern_Light t1_jc7x1g7 wrote

Reply to comment by damola93 in Silicon Valley Bank posted 'financial crimes' senior manager job listing just before closure by carolinaindian02

Exactly. It may or may not be criminally negligent but it sure smells like it is.

Saying they were “too safe” when they went so heavy on hold to maturity long duration treasuries when we were at zero overnight rate because “they were treasuries” is just delusional.

They were in the riskiest asset they could be without having additional reserve requirement and they were utterly unhedged. They saw a train coming and tied themselves to the tracks.

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LamarMillerMVP t1_jc7r37p wrote

Reply to comment by SuckMyBallz in Silicon Valley Bank posted 'financial crimes' senior manager job listing just before closure by carolinaindian02

The bank run happened because the bank was technically insolvent, and the situation was quickly deteriorating. Bonds are low risk of default. They are not “low risk” in an economic sense. If I take my money and I stuff it in a mattress, that’s low risk that the government or a bank will steal it from me, but high risk in an economic sense - it will become less valuable over time, unless all investments shrink.

What happened here was that the bank tried to invest in assets that had low risk of default, and in order to get better percentage terms, said “ok and also you can take my money for a very long time without giving it back.” As a result of that, they got more money. But that gives you more money because it’s risky! And a bank’s job is specifically to manage this exact type of risk - borrowing short to lend long is the core business model. And they lost track of what they were doing, because their deposits grew immensely in just a few months.

On paper, SVB was in the worst shape of pretty much any major bank, and that fact was what sparked the run. When you hear these VC guys going apeshit - these guys didn’t spark the run. They’re morons, they’re screeching because they were almost left holding the bag, and the bag was emptying. The guys who actually “started” the run were fine, because they understood what was happening and acted appropriately

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DavidlikesPeace t1_jc7h4ph wrote

Reply to comment by WorshipNickOfferman in Silicon Valley Bank posted 'financial crimes' senior manager job listing just before closure by carolinaindian02

Diversification is caution. Putting all your loot in one basket is reckless. If I put all my stock into Facebook that wouldn't make me smart.

I do like how you value treasury bonds. They are in truth a vital foundation to the economy. But is it cautious to put all your capital in a long term very low liquid asset? Almost assuredly no!

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SuckMyBallz t1_jc7ah9r wrote

Reply to comment by Greenmind76 in Silicon Valley Bank posted 'financial crimes' senior manager job listing just before closure by carolinaindian02

Nobody got bailed out here though except people who had their money in the bank. The bank didn't get bailed out. They no longer exist. The feds are going to give everyone their money that they deposited then recoup the costs by selling off the banks assets. No body is getting free money in this scenario. The back is shutdown and the consumers who had money in the bank will be made whole. This is the opposite of the 08-09 bullshit.

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