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	<title>Observer &#187; Michael Grimes</title>
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		<title>Observer &#187; Michael Grimes</title>
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		<title>Pro-Bailout Party Prevails in Greek Election, Bond Markets Move Against Spain: Wall Street Roundup</title>

		<comments>http://observer.com/2012/06/pro-bailout-party-prevails-in-greek-election-bond-markets-move-against-spain-wall-street-roundup/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jun 2012 07:38:05 -0400</pubDate>
					<link>http://observer.com/2012/06/pro-bailout-party-prevails-in-greek-election-bond-markets-move-against-spain-wall-street-roundup/</link>
			<dc:creator>Patrick Clark</dc:creator>
				
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://observer.com/?p=246610</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><strong>Whither Europe:</strong> Greece's center-right New Democracy party won 29.7 of the vote in parliamentary elections yesterday, claiming the 50-seat bonus for winning the most votes and <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/18/us-greece-idUSBRE85H0HO20120618">positioning the party</a> to form a coalition that would keep the country in the bailout-for-austerity agreement signed with European rescuers. Alex Tsipras' Syriza party, which had promised to abandon austerity measures if given control of the government, finished second with 27 percent of the vote.</p>
<p>The Greek elections do little to ease <a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/news/and-spanish-10-year-record-712-sp-futures-down-and-eurusd-unchanged">problems facing</a> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/18/us-markets-global-idUSBRE8520GN20120618">Spain or Italy</a>.</p>
<p>French Socialists once a majority in parliamentary elections, giving President François Hollande a <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303703004577472320195856892.html">supportive legislature</a>.</p>
<p>The Citigroup analysts who put the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/citi-greece-exit-euro-2012-6">chances of a Grexit </a>at 50 to 75 percent are sticking with those odds, despite the results of yesterday's elections.</p>
<p><strong>Lion's share: </strong>Morgan Stanley sought to be the "<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303822204577464331791367546.html">sole drive</a>r" of the Facebook IPO, positioning itself to collect the bulk of fees—and criticism for the company's plummeting share price in the weeks after the offering.<strong> </strong>We've heard that line before, of course, but <em>The Wall Street Journal </em>puts Morgan Stanley banker Michael Grimes back through the paces.</p>
<p>Post-Facebook, investment bankers may need to replace "<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303822204577468931105122266.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">oversubscribed</a>" as a line for marketing offerings.</p>
<p><strong>HARP helping banks: </strong>A federal program that allows struggling homeowners to refinance mortgages at prevailing low interest rates may be helping banks more than borrowers, according to a Nomura research report. Borrowers who participate in HARP are <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303410404577469050569661724.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection">compelled to refinance</a> with existing lenders, and banks are taking advantage by charging above-market interest rates, <em>The Wall Street Journal </em>reports. The upshot: HARP may save homeowners $2.5 to $5 billion this year, while banks stand to gain $12 billion in additional revenues through the program.</p>
<p><strong>Gupta's fate: </strong>Rajat Gupta was found guilty of three counts of fraud and one count of conspiracy at his insider trading trial Friday, and barring a successful appeal, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-18/gupta-judge-ignored-sentence-proposals-in-insider-cases.html">the fate</a> of the former McKinsey &amp; Co. CEO now rests with Judge Jed Rakoff. That might not be the worst thing, as Judge Rakoff has shown some leniency in sentencing insider-trading convicts. Mr. Gupta's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18.</p>
<p><em>The Times </em>reports that jurors were conflicted, with some <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/06/15/a-conflicted-jury-finds-rajat-gupta-guilty/">shedding tears </a>during the reading of the verdict.</p>
<p>Paperboy:<em>The New York Times</em> looks at Warren Buffett's affinity for newspapers, and hears <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/18/business/media/newspaper-work-with-warren-buffett-as-the-boss.html?pagewanted=1&amp;ref=business">nary a discouraging word</a> about the legendary investor's management of <em>The Buffalo News</em>, which Mr. Buffett acquired in 1977.</p>
<p><strong>Pop quiz: </strong>If you're thinking about <a href="http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/06/traders-psychological-profile/">day trading</a>, The Big Picture has a quick quiz for you.</p>
<p><strong>Reporter passes: </strong>"<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-17/dan-dorfman-market-moving-financial-journalist-dies-at-80.html">Market-moving</a>" reporter Dan Dorfman died at 80.</p>
]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Whither Europe:</strong> Greece's center-right New Democracy party won 29.7 of the vote in parliamentary elections yesterday, claiming the 50-seat bonus for winning the most votes and <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/18/us-greece-idUSBRE85H0HO20120618">positioning the party</a> to form a coalition that would keep the country in the bailout-for-austerity agreement signed with European rescuers. Alex Tsipras' Syriza party, which had promised to abandon austerity measures if given control of the government, finished second with 27 percent of the vote.</p>
<p>The Greek elections do little to ease <a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/news/and-spanish-10-year-record-712-sp-futures-down-and-eurusd-unchanged">problems facing</a> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/18/us-markets-global-idUSBRE8520GN20120618">Spain or Italy</a>.</p>
<p>French Socialists once a majority in parliamentary elections, giving President François Hollande a <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303703004577472320195856892.html">supportive legislature</a>.</p>
<p>The Citigroup analysts who put the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/citi-greece-exit-euro-2012-6">chances of a Grexit </a>at 50 to 75 percent are sticking with those odds, despite the results of yesterday's elections.</p>
<p><strong>Lion's share: </strong>Morgan Stanley sought to be the "<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303822204577464331791367546.html">sole drive</a>r" of the Facebook IPO, positioning itself to collect the bulk of fees—and criticism for the company's plummeting share price in the weeks after the offering.<strong> </strong>We've heard that line before, of course, but <em>The Wall Street Journal </em>puts Morgan Stanley banker Michael Grimes back through the paces.</p>
<p>Post-Facebook, investment bankers may need to replace "<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303822204577468931105122266.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">oversubscribed</a>" as a line for marketing offerings.</p>
<p><strong>HARP helping banks: </strong>A federal program that allows struggling homeowners to refinance mortgages at prevailing low interest rates may be helping banks more than borrowers, according to a Nomura research report. Borrowers who participate in HARP are <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303410404577469050569661724.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection">compelled to refinance</a> with existing lenders, and banks are taking advantage by charging above-market interest rates, <em>The Wall Street Journal </em>reports. The upshot: HARP may save homeowners $2.5 to $5 billion this year, while banks stand to gain $12 billion in additional revenues through the program.</p>
<p><strong>Gupta's fate: </strong>Rajat Gupta was found guilty of three counts of fraud and one count of conspiracy at his insider trading trial Friday, and barring a successful appeal, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-18/gupta-judge-ignored-sentence-proposals-in-insider-cases.html">the fate</a> of the former McKinsey &amp; Co. CEO now rests with Judge Jed Rakoff. That might not be the worst thing, as Judge Rakoff has shown some leniency in sentencing insider-trading convicts. Mr. Gupta's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18.</p>
<p><em>The Times </em>reports that jurors were conflicted, with some <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/06/15/a-conflicted-jury-finds-rajat-gupta-guilty/">shedding tears </a>during the reading of the verdict.</p>
<p>Paperboy:<em>The New York Times</em> looks at Warren Buffett's affinity for newspapers, and hears <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/18/business/media/newspaper-work-with-warren-buffett-as-the-boss.html?pagewanted=1&amp;ref=business">nary a discouraging word</a> about the legendary investor's management of <em>The Buffalo News</em>, which Mr. Buffett acquired in 1977.</p>
<p><strong>Pop quiz: </strong>If you're thinking about <a href="http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/06/traders-psychological-profile/">day trading</a>, The Big Picture has a quick quiz for you.</p>
<p><strong>Reporter passes: </strong>"<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-17/dan-dorfman-market-moving-financial-journalist-dies-at-80.html">Market-moving</a>" reporter Dan Dorfman died at 80.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Nasdaq&#8217;s Silence Unleashed Facebook IPO Chaos; Is Morgan Stanley Banker&#8217;s Star Falling? Wall Street Roundup</title>

		<comments>http://observer.com/2012/05/nasdaqs-silence-unleashed-facebook-ipo-chaos-is-morgan-stanley-bankers-star-falling-wall-street-roundup/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 May 2012 08:30:51 -0400</pubDate>
					<link>http://observer.com/2012/05/nasdaqs-silence-unleashed-facebook-ipo-chaos-is-morgan-stanley-bankers-star-falling-wall-street-roundup/</link>
			<dc:creator>Patrick Clark</dc:creator>
				
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://observer.com/?p=242581</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><strong><a href="http://observer.com/2012/05/nasdaqs-silence-unleashed-facebook-ipo-chaos-is-morgan-stanley-bankers-star-falling-wall-street-roundup/nasdaq/" rel="attachment wp-att-242594"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-242594" title="NASDAQ" src="http://nyoobserver.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/nasdaq.jpg?w=199" alt="" width="199" height="300" /></a>Muted response: </strong>As the clock ticked past Facebook's scheduled open, Nasdaq stayed mum on the technical glitches that delayed trading in the social media company's stock by 28 minutes. The resulting chaos lasted hours, causing confusion over who had bought and sold how many shares at what prices—and leading to about $115 million in losses at Knight Capital, Citadel, Citigroup's Automated Trading Desk and UBS, the stock's four largest market makers. Why didn't Nasdaq just <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/26/us-facebook-problems-idUSBRE84P00Y20120526">halt the stock</a>? Reuters has the minute-by-minute.</p>
<p><strong>Falling star? </strong>Morgan Stanley's star investment banker Michael Grimes believes he did an <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304065704577426593357063940.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection">excellent job</a> with Facebook IPO, according to the<em> Wall Street Journal</em>. Fault for Facebook's languishing stock price—$31.91 at Friday's close—lies with the technical glitches in Nasdaq's trading operation, Morgan Stanley officials are whispering. That won't stop rivals from dropping the FB-bomb when competing with Morgan Stanley for clients.</p>
<p><strong>Hedging Europe: </strong>It's unlikely that the European crisis will give way to an investing legend like George Soros, who made $1 billion petting against the British pound in 1992, according to Reuters. Hedge fund managers are <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/28/us-hedgefunds-eurozone-idUSBRE84R03F20120528">plying varied strategies</a>—from currency trades to bets on bank stocks or sovereign debt or even a more bullish attitude towards gold in anticipation of future fallout in Europe.</p>
<p><strong></strong>New polls showed that Greece's pro-bailout parties are gaining, easing fears of a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/28/us-markets-global-idUSBRE83R03020120528">eurozone exit</a>. The news out of Spain was less good, as the government grapples to support ailing lender Bankia SA.</p>
<p><strong>Activist gas: </strong>Carl Icahn bought a 7.56 percent stake in Chesapeake Energy, the natural gas giant reeling from a series of disclosures CEO Aubrey McCLendon's potential conflicts of interest. Mr. Icahn has called for the election of a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/26/business/energy-environment/icahn-buys-a-stake-in-chesapeake-energy.html">new slate of directors</a> before the board votes on a successor to Mr. McClendon as chairman. “Having the current board select a new chairman without shareholder approval and without allowing for shareholder representation is akin to asking the fox, who has plundered the hen house, to choose another fox to assist it in standing guard over the remaining hens,” Mr. Icahn wrote in a letter to the board.</p>
<p><strong>Pay dirt: </strong><a href="http://www.afme.eu/WorkArea//DownloadAsset.aspx?id=5983">Comp at European banks was down</a>.</p>
<p>A Bloomberg columnist sides with Jamie Dimon in wondering about executive pay at <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-27/wall-street-titans-outearned-by-media-czars.html">media companies</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Bean rush: </strong>Hydrofrackers depend on <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/28/us-india-shale-guar-idUSBRE84R07820120528">guar gum</a>; farmers in northern India's desert states reap bounty.</p>
<p><strong>New directions: </strong>JPMorgan is thinking about putting directors with <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304707604577426533056645956.html">actual risk management experience</a> on its boards risk committee.</p>
<p><strong>Re-primed: </strong>Lou Lebedin, JPMorgan's global head of prime brokerage, is <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-25/jpmorgan-s-prime-brokerage-head-lebedin-said-to-leave.html">being replaced</a>.</p>
]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><a href="http://observer.com/2012/05/nasdaqs-silence-unleashed-facebook-ipo-chaos-is-morgan-stanley-bankers-star-falling-wall-street-roundup/nasdaq/" rel="attachment wp-att-242594"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-242594" title="NASDAQ" src="http://nyoobserver.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/nasdaq.jpg?w=199" alt="" width="199" height="300" /></a>Muted response: </strong>As the clock ticked past Facebook's scheduled open, Nasdaq stayed mum on the technical glitches that delayed trading in the social media company's stock by 28 minutes. The resulting chaos lasted hours, causing confusion over who had bought and sold how many shares at what prices—and leading to about $115 million in losses at Knight Capital, Citadel, Citigroup's Automated Trading Desk and UBS, the stock's four largest market makers. Why didn't Nasdaq just <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/26/us-facebook-problems-idUSBRE84P00Y20120526">halt the stock</a>? Reuters has the minute-by-minute.</p>
<p><strong>Falling star? </strong>Morgan Stanley's star investment banker Michael Grimes believes he did an <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304065704577426593357063940.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection">excellent job</a> with Facebook IPO, according to the<em> Wall Street Journal</em>. Fault for Facebook's languishing stock price—$31.91 at Friday's close—lies with the technical glitches in Nasdaq's trading operation, Morgan Stanley officials are whispering. That won't stop rivals from dropping the FB-bomb when competing with Morgan Stanley for clients.</p>
<p><strong>Hedging Europe: </strong>It's unlikely that the European crisis will give way to an investing legend like George Soros, who made $1 billion petting against the British pound in 1992, according to Reuters. Hedge fund managers are <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/28/us-hedgefunds-eurozone-idUSBRE84R03F20120528">plying varied strategies</a>—from currency trades to bets on bank stocks or sovereign debt or even a more bullish attitude towards gold in anticipation of future fallout in Europe.</p>
<p><strong></strong>New polls showed that Greece's pro-bailout parties are gaining, easing fears of a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/28/us-markets-global-idUSBRE83R03020120528">eurozone exit</a>. The news out of Spain was less good, as the government grapples to support ailing lender Bankia SA.</p>
<p><strong>Activist gas: </strong>Carl Icahn bought a 7.56 percent stake in Chesapeake Energy, the natural gas giant reeling from a series of disclosures CEO Aubrey McCLendon's potential conflicts of interest. Mr. Icahn has called for the election of a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/26/business/energy-environment/icahn-buys-a-stake-in-chesapeake-energy.html">new slate of directors</a> before the board votes on a successor to Mr. McClendon as chairman. “Having the current board select a new chairman without shareholder approval and without allowing for shareholder representation is akin to asking the fox, who has plundered the hen house, to choose another fox to assist it in standing guard over the remaining hens,” Mr. Icahn wrote in a letter to the board.</p>
<p><strong>Pay dirt: </strong><a href="http://www.afme.eu/WorkArea//DownloadAsset.aspx?id=5983">Comp at European banks was down</a>.</p>
<p>A Bloomberg columnist sides with Jamie Dimon in wondering about executive pay at <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-27/wall-street-titans-outearned-by-media-czars.html">media companies</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Bean rush: </strong>Hydrofrackers depend on <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/28/us-india-shale-guar-idUSBRE84R07820120528">guar gum</a>; farmers in northern India's desert states reap bounty.</p>
<p><strong>New directions: </strong>JPMorgan is thinking about putting directors with <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304707604577426533056645956.html">actual risk management experience</a> on its boards risk committee.</p>
<p><strong>Re-primed: </strong>Lou Lebedin, JPMorgan's global head of prime brokerage, is <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-25/jpmorgan-s-prime-brokerage-head-lebedin-said-to-leave.html">being replaced</a>.</p>
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		<title>Downgrades Looming, Green Mountain&#8217;s Stiller Margin-Roasted, Charlotte Set for BofA Protests</title>

		<comments>http://observer.com/2012/05/moodys-stiller-bofa-morning-read-05092012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 May 2012 08:08:10 -0400</pubDate>
					<link>http://observer.com/2012/05/moodys-stiller-bofa-morning-read-05092012/</link>
			<dc:creator>Patrick Clark</dc:creator>
				
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.observer.com/?p=239278</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.observer.com/2012/05/moodys-stiller-bofa-morning-read-05092012/jodie-evans-wears-a-message-on-her-chest/" rel="attachment wp-att-239290"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-239290" title="Jodie Evans wears a message on her chest" src="http://nyoobserver.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/bofa-image-e1336565880577.jpg?w=400&h=281" alt="" width="280" height="197" /></a>Long-promised downgrades are set to kick in for Italian banks, Green Mountain's chairman loses his post to margin call and, thankfully, new Charlotte ordinance barring crowbars at large events was passed in time for Bank of America's annual meeting. All that and more, in today's Wall Street roundup.</p>
<p><strong>Scissor season: </strong>Moody's is expected to begin cutting ratings on banks any day now, and Bloomberg notes the consequences: <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-08/moody-s-bank-downgrades-risk-choking-european-recovery.html">Higher funding costs</a>, curbed lending and another thorn in the side of economic growth. According to a Moody's note last month, Italian lenders are first on the chopping block, to be followed by banks in other European countries. U.S. banks will also come in for potential downgrades, but are unlikely to see ratings changes until June.</p>
<p><!--more--></p>
<p><strong>Banks in trouble: </strong>Spain is likely to require lenders to post an <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/09/us-spain-banks-idUSBRE8480CI20120509">additional $45 billion</a> in collateral against loans to the construction sector, Reuters reports, raising the likelihood of another injection of public cash. The Spanish government is expected to announce new demands after a cabinet meeting on Friday.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Spanish banks are pushing their <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303630404577392261964024978.html">debt and equity on retail customers</a> as larger investors pull back. The<em> Journal </em>worries that a vicious circle may be emerging: Fearing that losses would spook individual investors, banks have put off recognizing losses, exacerbating the tenuous position of Spanish banks, and the eventual reckoning for mom and pop.</p>
<p><strong>Margin-roasted: </strong>Robert Stiller was relieved of his position as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters chairman after he sold 5 million shares in the company, worth $125.5 million, in a <a href="The founder, Robert P. Stiller, lost his post as chairman of the board on Tuesday after he sold five million shares, worth around $125.5 million, to pay off loans he had taken out against his sizable stock holdings in the company.">margin call</a>. Green Mountain's stock lost nearly half its value last week after the company reported disappointing earnings and amid calls by short sellers such as Greenlight Capital's David Einhorn, and <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2012/05/08/green-mountains-ousted-chairman-and-founder-on-deutsche-bank-forcing-him-to-sell-and-short-seller-market-manipulation/">Deutsche Bank</a> forced Mr. Stiller to sell shares to satisfy loans secured against his Green Mountain holdings.</p>
<p><strong>BofA meets: </strong>The great unwashed are expected to descend on Charlotte, North Carolina today to protest Bank of America's annual meeting, though it <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/09/us-bankofamerica-meeting-idUSBRE8480H320120509">may be a toss-up</a> as to whether the protestors bear the lender the most ill will. Other candidates: Recently jettisoned employees, refi applicants, holders of the company's basement-dwelling stock. In case you were worried, city officials passed an ordinance in January prohibiting items "ranging from backpacks to crowbars" at large events. Hecklers interrupted a Bank of America presentation at the Citi Financial Services conference in New York in March, chanting "bust up Bank of America before it busts up America," and at least <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303592404577364272881374752.html">24 protestors</a> were arrested at Wells Fargo's annual meeting in San Francisco last month.</p>
<p><strong>Americans not wanted: </strong>Wealth managers around the world are closing the door on American clients as the start date for rules to <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-08/u-s-millionaires-told-go-away-as-tax-evasion-rule-looms.html">prevent tax evasion</a> approaches. Beginning next year, foreign financial institutions must report information about income and interest accrued to the accounts of U.S. clients, raising compliance costs and limiting the options of Americans living abroad, according to Bloomberg. The IRS is holding a May 15 hearing, which could soften the implementation of the rules.</p>
<p><strong>Tech banker: </strong>Michael Grimes, the banker who managed LinkedIn, Zynga and Groupon IPOs, spent years laying the ground work for Morgan Stanley's <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/morgan-stanleys-michael-grimes-is-where-money-and-tech-meet/">lead role</a> in the Facebook offering, and made his career winning over Silicon Valley with a more flexible approach to investment banking.</p>
<p><strong>Red tape: </strong>And it still takes a long time to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303459004577364102737025584.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories">refinance a mortgage</a>.</p>
<p>[Stan Honda/AFP]</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.observer.com/2012/05/moodys-stiller-bofa-morning-read-05092012/jodie-evans-wears-a-message-on-her-chest/" rel="attachment wp-att-239290"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-239290" title="Jodie Evans wears a message on her chest" src="http://nyoobserver.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/bofa-image-e1336565880577.jpg?w=400&h=281" alt="" width="280" height="197" /></a>Long-promised downgrades are set to kick in for Italian banks, Green Mountain's chairman loses his post to margin call and, thankfully, new Charlotte ordinance barring crowbars at large events was passed in time for Bank of America's annual meeting. All that and more, in today's Wall Street roundup.</p>
<p><strong>Scissor season: </strong>Moody's is expected to begin cutting ratings on banks any day now, and Bloomberg notes the consequences: <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-08/moody-s-bank-downgrades-risk-choking-european-recovery.html">Higher funding costs</a>, curbed lending and another thorn in the side of economic growth. According to a Moody's note last month, Italian lenders are first on the chopping block, to be followed by banks in other European countries. U.S. banks will also come in for potential downgrades, but are unlikely to see ratings changes until June.</p>
<p><!--more--></p>
<p><strong>Banks in trouble: </strong>Spain is likely to require lenders to post an <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/09/us-spain-banks-idUSBRE8480CI20120509">additional $45 billion</a> in collateral against loans to the construction sector, Reuters reports, raising the likelihood of another injection of public cash. The Spanish government is expected to announce new demands after a cabinet meeting on Friday.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Spanish banks are pushing their <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303630404577392261964024978.html">debt and equity on retail customers</a> as larger investors pull back. The<em> Journal </em>worries that a vicious circle may be emerging: Fearing that losses would spook individual investors, banks have put off recognizing losses, exacerbating the tenuous position of Spanish banks, and the eventual reckoning for mom and pop.</p>
<p><strong>Margin-roasted: </strong>Robert Stiller was relieved of his position as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters chairman after he sold 5 million shares in the company, worth $125.5 million, in a <a href="The founder, Robert P. Stiller, lost his post as chairman of the board on Tuesday after he sold five million shares, worth around $125.5 million, to pay off loans he had taken out against his sizable stock holdings in the company.">margin call</a>. Green Mountain's stock lost nearly half its value last week after the company reported disappointing earnings and amid calls by short sellers such as Greenlight Capital's David Einhorn, and <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2012/05/08/green-mountains-ousted-chairman-and-founder-on-deutsche-bank-forcing-him-to-sell-and-short-seller-market-manipulation/">Deutsche Bank</a> forced Mr. Stiller to sell shares to satisfy loans secured against his Green Mountain holdings.</p>
<p><strong>BofA meets: </strong>The great unwashed are expected to descend on Charlotte, North Carolina today to protest Bank of America's annual meeting, though it <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/09/us-bankofamerica-meeting-idUSBRE8480H320120509">may be a toss-up</a> as to whether the protestors bear the lender the most ill will. Other candidates: Recently jettisoned employees, refi applicants, holders of the company's basement-dwelling stock. In case you were worried, city officials passed an ordinance in January prohibiting items "ranging from backpacks to crowbars" at large events. Hecklers interrupted a Bank of America presentation at the Citi Financial Services conference in New York in March, chanting "bust up Bank of America before it busts up America," and at least <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303592404577364272881374752.html">24 protestors</a> were arrested at Wells Fargo's annual meeting in San Francisco last month.</p>
<p><strong>Americans not wanted: </strong>Wealth managers around the world are closing the door on American clients as the start date for rules to <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-08/u-s-millionaires-told-go-away-as-tax-evasion-rule-looms.html">prevent tax evasion</a> approaches. Beginning next year, foreign financial institutions must report information about income and interest accrued to the accounts of U.S. clients, raising compliance costs and limiting the options of Americans living abroad, according to Bloomberg. The IRS is holding a May 15 hearing, which could soften the implementation of the rules.</p>
<p><strong>Tech banker: </strong>Michael Grimes, the banker who managed LinkedIn, Zynga and Groupon IPOs, spent years laying the ground work for Morgan Stanley's <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/morgan-stanleys-michael-grimes-is-where-money-and-tech-meet/">lead role</a> in the Facebook offering, and made his career winning over Silicon Valley with a more flexible approach to investment banking.</p>
<p><strong>Red tape: </strong>And it still takes a long time to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303459004577364102737025584.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories">refinance a mortgage</a>.</p>
<p>[Stan Honda/AFP]</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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