Banking Bair

Sheila Bair, no longer at leisure,
Said: "The banks have collective amnesia,
As they're not really fit
For the capital hit
That would come with the next global seizure."

Former FDIC head Sheila Bair has come out of semi-retirement to head a new watchdog group, the Systemic Risk Council. Backed by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Council will monitor and encourage financial regulatory reform. In an interview with Kai Ryssdal of Marketplace, Ms. Bair voices concern that the major banks have forgotten the lessons of the financial crisis, and spend more time trying to water down reforms than strengthening themselves for the next crash. In a related piece, Marketplace's Heidi Moore explains that the major US banks alone require $500 billion of additional capital to withstand a major shock. In this, America is just the tip of the iceberg, as the greatest global systemic risk lies with banks in Europe and Japan.