Aaron,

Even you and I would want to be a part of the JPM deal. They stand to make billions of dollars over the next few years just for managing Bear Stearns book, and the Feds obligations.

;-)

But deals like BSC only happen for you if you know Hank Paulson, Alan Greenspan and their pals in the Bush Administration; others need not apply. It seems to me that the economic engineers that developed all of those odd financial instruments should be charged with the job of unwinding them, at least until there's proof positive that they can't be unwound. In other words, before we taxpayers undertake to fix things for unnamed "counterparties", let's give them the opportunity to reverse engineer their markets, or die trying.

It sounds like REGANOMICS all over again! Remember the "TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT"! (I am still waiting for that one to get to me personally!) You make the RICH, Richer and they in turn will drop more crumbs and meat scraps from their dining table, to us house dogs, who do all of the work that makes them richer and richer! I am so happy to lower my standard of living, pay more at the pump and see my house go down in value, so that the RICH, get Richer. THANK YOU RON REAGAN!!!!

Sounds to me like someone expects "more to come"and is throwing their "hat in the ring". Considering that Wells is not noted for buying in areas other than their interest? What's this imply?
Interesting. But so is a nation wide trucker strike and there is talk of such. That has been tried before - mostly negative results.
Lot of smoke out here, but no fire. Until something drastic happens everything stays in "hover" mode. WF may be in pure speculation mode or they know some inside track. In any case it does little more than feed the rumor mill and won't make people any more jittery than they already are.

Financials are in a consolidation period. Larger banks will be swallowing up distressed regional banks to keep up some semblance of profitability, since they will win more deposits and have the balance sheets to absorb some small business bad deals. But I don't think we'll see Wells Fargo buying Lehman Brothers.

I really don't think we'll see another catastrophic event like Bear Stearns. Well, at least not for a few more years. Too many people are watching for it right now, and the Fed is already demonstrating its willingness and ability to ensure it doesn't happen by extending its lending facilities to virtually anyone with a pulse. Sounds like a mortgage broker. j/k, but not really.

I too would also like a bulge bracket investment bank for pennies on the dollar.