The latest news in bailouts involves GE Capital. Apparently, the company has gone begging to the FDIC for a bailout. In fact, the FDIC has offered to back $139 billion in GE Capital debt. I have serious reservations about this move by Sheila Bair. In fact, I am outraged.
First, as I understand it, the FDIC has much less than $139 billion in capital on hand. And they have hundreds of banks to watch that are busy going broke. So, how is it possible that they can guarantee GE Capital’s debt? The answer is they cannot. American taxpayers are what is behind this move just as they were with Fannie and Freddie – not that we will get stuck with the bill as GE is not going under, but the FDIC certainly can’t pay. (UPDATE: a reader who writes the blog “Skeptical CPA” is not so sanguine about GE and passed on a post he wrote doubting GE Capital’s funding model.)
Second, how is GE a AAA company? As I understood it, AAA means bullet-proof, high quality, or excellent. If a company needs the support of the government, it is not possible to be considered AAA. Do you see Berkshire Hathaway going cap in hand to the government for a bailout? As a matter of fact, Berkshire assisted GE Capital by buying preferred shares at a steep price, which allowed the company to raise billions in capital. The difference is striking.
Third, GE Capital isn’t even a bank.** The FDIC only deals with depositary institutions. Are you kidding me? The U.S. Government is obviously willing to do anything to bail out financial institutions at this point. Forget rules and regulations. Just give them the money.
G.E.’s AAA rating is a sham.
General Electric said Wednesday that the federal government had agreed to insure as much as $139 billion in debt for its lending subsidiary, GE Capital. This is the second time in a month that G.E. has turned to a federal program aimed at helping companies during the global credit crisis.
GE Capital is not a bank, but granting it access to a new program from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation may reassure investors and help the lender compete with banks that already have government-protected debt, a G.E. spokesman, Russell Wilkerson, told Bloomberg News.
“Inclusion in this program will allow us to source our debt competitively with other participating financial institutions,” Mr. Wilkerson said.
The F.D.I.C. program covers about $139 billion of G.E.’s debt, or 125 percent of total senior unsecured debt outstanding as of Sept. 30 and maturing by June 30.
Source
F.D.I.C. to Back $139 Billion in GE Capital Debt – Deal Book
**UPDATE 17 Nov 2008 – 1700 ET: GE Capital actually is a bank. I have a new post addressing this correction here.