The Treasury has decided that just bailing out American International Group (NYSE: AIG) to the tune of $122.8 billion and counting is not going far enough. Now it's time to use our money to bail out more insurance companies. As it turns out, the insurers that are likely to get the money are the same ones that took a blood bath earlier this month. The companies seeking a bailout include Met Life (NYSE: MET), Hartford Financial Services (NYSE: HIG), and Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU).
You may be wondering, what crime did I commit that makes it socially acceptable for my money to be used to bailout the insurance industry? Aren't my home, auto, and life insurance premiums up to date? If so, what gives the insurance industry the right to use my taxes to pay for their investment mistakes? Because that is exactly what the insurance companies are doing.
How so? Their books are loaded down with asset-backed securities such as mortgage-backed securities (MBSs) and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) that vastly exceed their shareholder's equity. These securities are not worth much -- in fact, a recent report suggested that CDOs were worth 10 cents on the dollar at best. If the insurers have these stated on their books at 60 cents on the dollar, the mark to market process could wipe out a significant portion of their capital.
So as our money boosts up their capital, we are keeping the very people who made those investment mistakes safely ensconced in their multi-million dollar jobs. And our reward for paying our premiums to insurers is for our government to fork over more cash out of the account we funded by fulfilling our obligations as American citizens.
It gives a new twist to the idea that government is the insurer of last resort.
Peter Cohan is president of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He owns AIG stock but has no financial interest in the other securities mentioned.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-25-2008 @ 8:31AM
Virgil Bierschwale said...
This will go down in history as the biggest mistake we ever made in America
vjbwork | 24 October, 2008 15:52
I was against the bank bailout, but I gave in when we were assured that we had to do it.
Now they are going to start bailing out insurance companies
Let me tell you what our insurance companies are doing to people
In Alaska they will not insure peoples homes for earthquakes because the odds are that there will be earthquakes in Alaska.
Along our coast lines they will not insure peoples homes for tornadoes because the odds are that there will be tornadoes along the coast
In 1995 I did a lease purchase of a run down bowling alley
I made some mistakes and I paid HEAVILY for them for years
Nobody bailed me out and I didnt ask anybody too
I LEARNED some hard lessons from that adventure, BUT I LEARNED THEM
Every damn one of these bankers, politicians and insurers that are asking to be bailed out will NOT learn one thing from this episode and they will be back in charge of other companies and we will end up having to bail them out AGAIN now that we have set a precedent.
As of right this second, I am pulling my vote for the bailout and I recommend that you do the same and I recommend that we get together as Americans and put together the biggest media blitz that 200 million mad americans can afford if we each chip in 20 dollars each
The last 6 years have been very hard financially with our politicians and corporate leaders sending our jobs offshore, but I will find a way to cough up my share of the $ 20.00 because I know that you too are mad
Folks, face it. These people are able to do what they do because the media allows them to promote their ideas everywhere
We can't compete with that unless we PAY FOR THE ADVERTISING, but thats ok, because we know it has to be done
You can make your donations on this site, or we can get together and we can form our own lobbying group and work together to make this happen
I don't care how we do it, but we need to do it
Virgil
http://www.KeepAmericaAtWork.com
10-25-2008 @ 1:00PM
Chris said...
This is a great post. I see a ton of trouble for the insurance companies coming, even more so then we have seen. The one thing this article does not mention is the reason WHY. Well it is because of their accounting method being "OTTI". To learn more of what I'm talking about and to see where I saw it go to;
http://www.gotoguy.com/?p=325
10-25-2008 @ 6:06PM
billp37 said...
Sandia National Laboratories buys an annuity from Prudential for its employees upon retirement.
I get one of my retirement checks from Prudential.
Prudential going bankrupt might not be good for SNL retirees.
Sandia Laboratories Federal Credit Union recently stole $11,018 from my and Mr Morales protected retirement accounts using a bogus court order.
We're working at getting the money back.
http://www.prosefights.org/nmlegal/hearing/hearing.htm#slfcuncua
This theft, on behalf of the National Security Agency and US govenment, is related to my 71st birthday Eid-e shoma mubarak.
"---Original Message-----
From: Iran Defence Forum [mailto:support@irandefence.net]
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 11:01 PM
To: bpayne37@comcast.net
Subject: Happy Birthday from Iran Defence Forum
Hello billp37,
We at Iran Defence Forum would like to wish you a happy birthday today!"
Google "nojeh nsa lawsuit"
10-26-2008 @ 7:33PM
beachpaul said...
That Met Life is in line for a bailout is almost criminal. Management should be taken out and horsewhipped. Selling Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village is everything that is wrong with being a publicly traded company. The shortsightedness, to spike the quarterly returns, has turned what was once a great mutually owned insurance company into just another Fed begging bunch of shysters.
10-27-2008 @ 1:25PM
Insurance said...
Thanks for this article. insurance continues to get a little more confusing and sometimes frustrating. It's good to get as much info as possible.