In the annals of Wall Street, it will simply be known as the $2 deal. That's the price tag on J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.'s (NYSE: JPM) purchase for Bear Stearns Cos. (NYSE: BSC), which has a stated book value of $84 per share.
Interestingly enough, $2 seems like a stellar deal for Bear. Keep in mind that – according to a piece in the Wall Street Journal [a paid publication] – the firm was negotiating a buyout deal while it was also preparing a bankruptcy filing. Yep, in a bankruptcy, the equity holders usually wind up with zero, especially in the case with an entity that has high leverage ratios. Oh, and the Fed and Treasury Secretary wanted a deal to get done so as to save the financial system.
No doubt, the blame-game is in full force. But, I have a partial theory to explain the meltdown. That is, a key driver in the growth of Bear has been the Information Revolution. That is, it has allowed for the structuring of extremely complex investment structures (it's breathtaking some of the things that can be done to a simple mortgage note).




