Our turn to get a piece of the TARP; let's buy an S&L


Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU) used to have an advertisement offering consumers a piece of the rock (Gibraltar). Now Hank Paulson's $810 billion Troubled Asset Recovery Plan (TARP) has replaced Pru's rock. Insurance companies around the world are angling to buy a Savings & Loan (S&L) so they can apply for some of that money. So I think it's time to create a mutual fund that will be used to buy an S&L so that the average citizen can get some of that money as well.

Not only are U.S. insurance companies on the hunt for an S&L, there's a European insurer seeking some of our tax dollars as well. The U.S. insurers seeking an S&L include Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE: HIG), a life and property insurer that has been hit by investment losses, Genworth Financial (NYSE: GNW) and Lincoln National (NYSE: LNC). And the European insurer in question is Amsterdam's Aegon AG, which wants to buy Suburban Federal Savings Bank.

I've been too patient waiting for my share of the TARP. Here's an idea that will make it affordable for the average taxpayer to buy an S&L so we can apply for some of that money -- which is really our money -- as well. We should start a mutual fund and once it has collected enough cash, the fund could purchase a little S&L and then apply for some of that TARP money. With banks, insurance companies and automobile manufacturers getting their piece of the TARP, it's our turn now.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in the securities mentioned.

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Last updated: February 13, 2012: 02:49 AM

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