Mark Twain, the bankers, and the nannies of the Basel Committee. What a sad tale.

I guess you have all read Mark Twain’s description of bankers as those who lend you the umbrella when the sun shines and want it back when it rains. And that most definitely rang true for someone as me trying to get banks to cooperate giving credit to my small and medium sized businesses and entrepreneur clients. 

But then along came the nannies of an outfit known as the Basel Committee, and their advisor the Financial Stability Board and said that that banker mode was still way too risky for them. And the nannies and, told the bankers that if they lent to those the sun was shining upon, the absolutely not risky, then they only needed 1.6 percent or less in capital, which meant they could leverage their equity 62.5 to 1 or even more in some cases, but if they dared lend to the “risky” who it seemed could be rained upon, then they needed 8 percent in capital and could only leverage 12.5 to 1. 

And, we all saw what happened. Here we are now with our banks up to their necks in dangerous excessive, really obese, exposures to what was erroneously perceived as “absolutely not-risky”, and anorexic exposure to those officially perceived as “risky”, like the small businesses and entrepreneurs, precisely those our young most count on generating the next generation of good jobs for them. 

Is it not a sad tale? Especially for a Western World that has become what it is thanks to risk-taking? Especially for an America that feels proud being known as the “land of the brave”? I wonder what Mark Twain would have to say about those nannies and the parents who entrust them with their banks?