In a shock to Wall Street, by a vote of 228 against and 205 for, the House just failed to approve the latest version of the $700 billion bailout bill. Why? Not enough Republicans backed it -- only 65 Republicans ended up voting for; they were running 2-to-1 against Democrats. Why not? Angry communications from their constituents saying they did not like it and a philosophical bent against bailouts. With the election weeks away, is this the Republicans last stand?

Who knows? But the outcome of the vote means that it's back to the drawing board for the bailout bill. Count me among those who believe that a better bill is possible -- that is, a bill that actually defines the problem(s) we face and offers a truly workable solution. I've posted about such a plan here.

Meanwhile, the Fed has injected $630 billion into global markets in the wake of the cratering of three financial institutions (FIs) in Europe. These include Belgian/Dutch insurer Fortis which received a $16 billion government capital injection; the nationalization of British mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley and $50 billion worth of guarantees for Hypo Real Estate Holding. And the Fed is adding $330 billion to its $290 billion currency swap program with global banks and $300 billion to its $150 billion Term Auction Facility (TAF) emergency loan program.

Continue reading Republicans sink bailout bill, Dow down 500

Republicans sink bailout bill, Dow down 500 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While there were challenges, it looked like Texas Pacific Group would snag a 23% equity stake in Bradford & Bingley PLC, a UK mortgage company. True, the deal was highly dilutive, but at the same time, B&B has been suffering from the credit crunch.

Now, TPG has walked away and instead, a syndicate of investors has rounded up $793 million to bolster B&B. Apparently, the company will need to raise even more capital.

Why? Basically, Moody's Investors Service downgraded the debt of B&B because of rising mortgage delinquencies and continued balance sheet problems. As a result, the economics of the deal changed significantly. In fact, TPG had negotiated an "out" clause for such a scenario.

Actually, the deal implosion points to the fact that the credit crunch is global. It even appears that things may be getting worse, especially in Europe, where there may be a need for many more capital infusions for the financial services sector.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

TPG says 'no' to B&B rescue originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TPG is causing some consternation in the UK. You see, the private equity firm has agreed to invest £179 million in Bradford & Bingley (B&B), which is a beleaguered financial institution.

Essentially, B&B investors are worried that TPG has structured an airtight deal to prevent other bidders from coming to the table. Another concern is an antidilution clause (which protects TPG if B&B's stock price falls).

In fact, shareholders will vote on the deal on July 7th. So yes, there should be some drama.

And, TPG isn't taking any risks. Actually, the firm plans to go on a major roadshow with investors. I'm sure it will be intense - but helpful.

However, it looks like B&B is in a tough spot. In light of the deterioration of its business, the firm needs to work fast. And, if the TPG deal falls through, it's a good bet that B&B's stock price will go into a tailspin.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

TPG makes nice with investors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.