TOO MANY LAWYERS AND NOT ENOUGH ECONOMISTS IN BERN.

Banks failing: Lessons learnt from Credit Sussie collapse. Part 2.

WRITTEN BY

Two bailouts in just 15 years

UBS in 2008 and now Credit Sussie.

"“Never again” was the mantra and the goal was to bring Swiss laws in line with other frameworks (namely the U.S. and the EU) and to follow international financial recommendations (i.e., the Basel accords). The Swiss regulator sought to shore up the stability of the system and bring it in line with international capital market standards, in hopes of bolstering the attractiveness of the Swiss financial marketplace."

The bank takeover and its consequences

How did FINMA orchestrate UBS’ absorption of Credit Suisse? FINMA decided to write off Tier 1 capital, tout simplement. This financial instrument was created by the international regulatory community after the 2008 financial meltdown to guarantee banks would have access to capital in case of distress.

The idea is quite simple: Tier 1 works as a bond, but if and when the bank needs capital, they get converted into shares. This conversion carries extra risk that is compensated by a risk premium. The market expected Tier 1 bonds (dubbed “CoCos” for ‘contingent convertible bonds’) to be—in one way or another—converted into stock or compensated in some other way. Nein! FINMA decided to write the bonds off instead, with two lasting repercussions.

First, the decision might sound the death knell for CoCos (or Tier 1) as an asset class. Who’s going to trust them now? Conventional wisdom says that investing in shares of stock is riskier than holding bonds. But FINMA just unilaterally decided to wipe out $100 billion in bondholder wealth. So a tenet of investing wisdom has been turned on its head.

Second, the Swiss authority has put national interests ahead of international credibility. Finance has another truism: “Banks are international in life, but national in death”. FINMA has sent a scary message to investors, which may cut the legs out of a market that has proven to be efficient in preventing bank failures. The decision, to its credit, seems to have halted (or at least slowed) the spread of bank failures that ignited in the United States with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. In a recent speech, President Biden’s response was unequivocal: “Investors in the banks will not be protected. They knowingly took a risk, and when the risk didn’t pay off, investors lose their money. That’s how capitalism works.”

"So FINMA has an army of fantastic lawyers to explain their way out of trouble. But what are economists saying about the deal? Is it good for the Swiss economy? Economists could provide a better understanding of the financial engineering, how markets operate and the dynamic behind it, which would help to predict and anticipate events in the future. Maybe there are too many lawyers and not enough economists in Bern. While law and economics is a well-established discipline in the U.S. and other countries, Switzerland seems to be clinging to an antiquated legal interpretation of events."

SOURCE:

https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/banks-failing-lessons-learnt-credit-suisse-collapse-part-2

Comments

When Crusaders Go Digital: Old Wars, New Costumes, Same Bloodlust

History, it seems, has developed a dark sense of humor. After centuries of reflection, scholarship, and solemn declarations of “never again,” we now find elected officials—armed not with swords but with AI filters —cosplaying as Crusaders . Progress , apparently, means upgrading from iron armor to algorithmic propaganda. Let’s begin where this story actually starts—not in Washington, not in Tel Aviv, but nearly a thousand years ago, when Europe launched what it called “holy wars.” ⚔️ The Original Crusades: A Brief Reminder The Crusades (1095–1291) were not a single war but a series of campaigns initiated after Pope Urban II’s call at Clermont in 1095. His message was simple and devastatingly effective: reclaim Jerusalem, and God will reward you. What followed was not a clean clash of armies, but waves of violence that engulfed entire regions—from France and Germany through Hungary, into Byzantium, Antioch, and Palestine. Historians caution that medieval records are fragmented, but acro...

The War That Wins on Paper—and Bleeds in Reality

The War That Always Works—Until It Doesn’t There is a certain elegance to modern war. Not the destruction. Not the bodies. But the presentation . The language is always impeccable: “ Strategic degradation” “Precision targeting” “Limited objectives” It almost sounds like a policy workshop — not the opening act of something that may consume an entire region. And once again, the script is being rehearsed. Iran is “weakened.” Its systems are “degraded.” Its options are “limited.” And somewhere between these carefully chosen words, a very old idea quietly returns: Maybe this time, we finish it. Chapter One: The Seduction of Air Power Airstrikes are irresistible. They promise control without commitment. Dominance without vulnerability. Victory without presence. You can bomb a country… without ever having to meet it . No dialects to understand. No terrain to navigate. No জনগোষ্ঠী to confront. Just coordinates. And for a brief moment— it feels like war ...

Morality Compass? Or a Weapon of Convenience

There is something almost poetic about the sudden rediscovery of morality in war. Not morality itself. Not restraint. But the language of it. Because today, we are told—once again—that there are limits. That civilians matter. That infrastructure must not be touched. And yet, at the very same moment, Donald Trump openly threatens to “ obliterate” Iran’s infrastructure —including electric grids and water desalination plants , the very systems that keep millions alive. Water. Electricity. The basic architecture of survival . Not hidden in classified documents. Not whispered behind closed doors. But declared—casually, publicly, almost theatrically. So let’s ask again: Where exactly is this moral compass? Because if destroying water systems—knowing it will deprive civilians of drinking water—is not crossing a line, then perhaps the line was never there. Legal experts are not confused about this. Targeting such infrastructure is widely considered prohibited under internatio...

When the System Is Questioned by Its Own Guardians. A Warning Israel Can’t Dismiss.

When the Warning Comes From Within There are moments in history when criticism from the outside can be dismissed—but when it comes from within, it becomes something far more dangerous: a mirror. That is what makes the recent letter by the The London Initiative so unsettling. Jewish philanthropists. Rabbis. Community leaders. Not critics of Israel—but voices shaped by it—now warning Isaac Herzog that something has gone terribly wrong. Their charge is stark: extremist settler violence is no longer fringe— it is becoming normalized. The Numbers That Refuse to Stay Quiet This is not rhetoric. It is data. Israeli military data (reported by Haaretz ) shows settler attacks rose by 25% in 2025 845 attacks in 2025 alone , injuring around 200 Palestinians Since October 2023: over 1,700 recorded settler attacks Early 2026: an average of 4 incidents per day And according to the United Nations and field reporting: Hundreds of Palestinians injured already in 2026 Entire ...

🎭 War for Profit, Peace for Press Conferences

A theater where missiles fall faster than truth There is something almost poetic about modern war. Not tragic-poetic. No— corporate-poetic . The kind where bombs fall… stocks rise… and press briefings sound like quarterly earnings calls. 💼 The Rumor That Refuses to Die So here we are. A war explodes between the United States, Israel, and Iran. And just days before it— a broker linked to Pete Hegseth reportedly explores investing millions into defense companies. Weapons manufacturers. Defense ETFs. The business of destruction—neatly bundled and ready for growth. The Pentagon says: “Fabricated.” Investigations say: “Let’s take a closer look.” And the public says: “Wait… haven’t we seen this movie before?” And then, from nearly a century ago, a voice cuts through the noise—clear, cold, and disturbingly relevant: “War is a racket. It always has been.” —Smedley Darlington Butler 💣 Meanwhile, Back in Reality… While officials debate “fabricati...

Ainnbeen

Search This Blog